Whenever I travel, I try to stay at a hostel. I know what you are thinking.. They are gross, dirty and for teenagers. While this can be true, I have found they can also be clean, for more mature people and fun!
Here are my top 5 reasons why I love staying at hostels:
- You meet people. This is one of my favorite things about crashing at hostels. Normally, in a hotel room or AirBnb, you would only get to socialize with yourself or whoever you may be traveling with. This can get pretty boring and old especially when you are getting annoyed with your travel partner. At a hostel, you get to meet people from all over the world and from all walks of life. It is really cool to meet someone in Spain and get to see them again in their home country, Greece. They become your friend for life and you will always have a place to stay whenever you visit their side of the world.
- They are cheap. Usually when I travel internationally, I end up backpacking for extended periods of time. This can really add up when you are abroad for months. Staying at hostels can definitely save you money! You can even access hostel apps like Hostel World to see which hostels are the cheapest and have good reviews. I like checking out this app when I’m on my way to a destination to figure out where I want to stay.
- You can almost always get a room. Most of the time when you show up to a hostel, you will find a bed. This is because there are so many and if they don’t have a bed for you, they will always refer you to another hostel in the area. Unlike a hotel room or AirBnb, you don’t have to reserve a room in advance. When I’m traveling, I don’t like to plan anything because I want to go with the flow and if I enjoy a place I will end up staying for longer than planned and vice versa.
- There is an older crowd. Let’s face it, I’m not in my teens anymore and hostels can be known for having a bit of a younger crowd. Here’s my secret: I book a room with 6 beds or less. They cost a little bit more but it’s totally worth it! Most of the time, I have had a room to myself or with one or 2 other people. It’s awesome! A lot of people who are young, tend to book the cheapest bed in a hostel usually with 10-20 beds in the room. Also, people who book rooms with less beds tend to be more mature because they actually have money to spend.
- You can wash your clothes and cook. All of the hostels I have been to have a laundry room and kitchen so you can do a load and cook dinner. This is one of my favorite things because I usually only travel with a week’s worth of clothes so being able to wash my clothes is pretty helpful. Sometimes where you are staying is in a remote location, restaurants can be slim pickings but there will always be a grocery store. Cooking at a hostel is a great way to save money!
As if all these reasons weren’t enough, here are a few more reasons why you should stay in a hostel for your next trip. I love the fact that the people who work at hostels actually know what is going on in the city you are visiting. They give you amazing tips and must-see places to check out during your stay. A lot of hostels also offer free breakfast, discounted tickets, organized pub crawls and other fun group activities you can do with other guests. This is a great way to meet other people as well!
I hope you try spending a night or four in a hostel on your next trip abroad. Let me know what you think of hostels in the comments below.