What is it like to stay in a hostel?

Have you ever wondered what it's like to stay in a hostel?

I'm not an expert by any means, but I've stayed in a few and I thought I would share the experience. I was recently in London, Split, Dubrovnik, and Prague and stayed at 3 different hostels.

What is a hostel?

The hostel is a form of lodging that has minimal comforts and privacy, but low cost. It's typically thought of as a place for backpacking youngsters, but I have seen a lot of people my own age or close to my age in hostels recently. I’m 50.

I think especially for someone my age, The desire to travel has to be much greater than your need for only traveling if it is very comfortable.

I've heard some people say, I'm only going to be sleeping there anyway.

A hostel may have a variety of room types. Everyone is different, but some have single rooms, rooms that have a smaller amount of people like 4 to 8, and even rooms with as many as 24 or more in a big dorm situation.

There are some entire hostels that are all female. Or you can get an all female room, but I think generally they are mixed sex. (Each room).

From my experience, I don't see many children there. I've heard that children can be there at some as long as they are with parents.

There are some hostels that have an age restriction for being too young or being too old. Some hostels do not allow anyone over 40.

If you are wanting to stay in a hostel, you would definitely want to read the reviews just like you would with any hotel.

So pros and cons.

Cons first.

For me it's rough, not having your own bathroom. I have to go I think more than the average person.

Also, just having to gather up all your toiletries and change of clothes every time you want to take a shower is annoying.

Sleeping in a room with strangers is definitely a weird thing for many people I would think in general, but you have to think you could be in a room for four people, and then two beds are empty and it's you and one other strange person. This actually happened to me and it was not the experience I was looking for to put it mildly.

The person had body odor and the worst part is they just didn't leave the room. Every time I was there, they were there.

If you're a female, I definitely recommend getting a female only room unless you're in a large room with a lot of people. If there are lots of other people around, it's actually less awkward.

If you think about it, you're going to be asleep and sleeping in the same room with a stranger . Honestly, I don't hear stories of anyone getting hurt or assaulted at hostels. But you always have to think of your personal safety.

Another issue is just your overall security, not with yourself but with your belongings. I think most hostels have a locker to lock up your valuables. One hostel I stayed in, had a locked cabinet that you could put everything including your suitcase in it. It's just different with each one so that's something you would wanna look at.

Note the lockers behind me!

Some hostels have the front door completely unlocked, but you have a code or key for your room, while others you need a code to get into the front door and then another code or key to get into your room.

A couple of weeks ago, I stayed in the hostel that I really liked. But, I was in a room with four people, and I went through another room to get to my room. The people in that room kept leaving their door unlocked. I would not want to be in that room, because you might keep it locked, but someone else is leaving the door wide open!

Another issue is privacy in general. At least some hostels have a curtain over the bed when you were sharing a room. On my last trip, I stayed in three hostels and two of the three had no curtain. There were 4 bunkbeds In the room in both, but no curtains. I felt like the curtain really made a difference in making me feel more comfortable.

The Noise

If you're going to stay in the hostel and you don't have a private room, hopefully you're not a light sleeper! There are quiet hours where people cannot be noisy, but people can be snoring or they can be getting up and down out of bed quietly, which could wake you up, obviously.

I also stayed at a hostel where the windows had to be open because there was no air conditioning in the summer. This hostel was near a train station and the screeching of the trains at night made it difficult to sleep.

Now the Pros.

The most obvious one is cost. I stayed in a hostel that was $45 in night in London. The typical room in London is over $200 and that's for a basic room. London is a really expensive city! For a solo traveler, who's not sharing the price of a room with anyone it really is very cost-effective. Now, if you were splitting the price of a room in half, It's not quite as appealing.

Meeting people is a benefit of staying in a hostel. However, different hostels have a different vibe. Of three hostels I stayed in recently, one had a quite a friendly atmosphere. I spoke with numerous people and had conversation with a couple of ladies. I felt welcome there.

Another had quite a negative vibe. The people in the hostel were not speaking to each other unless they were together, and the staff was not friendly. Additionally, when I needed something from the staff, they seemed annoyed.

This is where I really suggest reading into those reviews about how friendly the staff is and the vibe of the place not just about the security and cleanliness!

Well, that's really it for the pros . Meeting people and saving money are really what it's all about.

For some people, especially young people, the only way they can travel is to stay in a hostel. Also young people are really more likely to accept discomfort and inconvenience and I think they sleep better in general. At least that was how I was when I was younger!

Food

Some hostels have food offered in the morning and some don't. Since the cost of the lodging is very low it's a nice benefit if they offer any food. What I have seen is that they either don't offer anything, or they have a very minimal continental type breakfast with coffee, tea, milk, bananas, cereal and bread for toast.

Each hostel I have stayed in has a kitchen where you can cook your own food.

From a personal perspective, I feel like if the place has a good vibe then I have been welcomed regardless of my age and I have met people and talk to people of all ages.

As someone who has done two solo trips to Europe, it's nice to meet people, even briefly, when you are alone for two weeks or more . It's just nice to have that friendly conversation.

I enjoyed traveling solo, but also it gets a little strange not having anyone to talk to! I tend to talk to strangers as much as possible, wherever I go, more than I do at home naturally. Although I'm moderately friendly at home as well.

Later, I may write up some reviews of hostels that I have stayed at with more information.

Thanks for reading!