Hostels are an often overlooked form of accommodation that can be a great option for those traveling on a budget or looking to make some interesting new friends. Hostels were traditionally called youth hostels, as they specialized in cheap accommodations for young people traveling the world (often on a gap year). Over the years, they’ve transformed into much more than that. Here is the rundown on hostels as they exist today:
- Hostels DO NOT only have dormitory style rooms full of bunk beds and shared rest rooms. While this type of rental is usually the least expensive option in most hostels, many have private rooms and some even have private rooms with ensuite bathrooms – just like a hotel.
- Hostels these days are very community oriented. They often organize social events for their guests and staying in hostels is a great way to meet new people and even find potential travel companions.
- Hostels are found throughout the world – even in many cities in the United States. Hostels are not just limited to the traditional hostel hotspots like Europe and Southeast Asia, you can usually find them in most major travel destinations and even some less popular places.
- Although you’ll likely meet some locals in the hostel scene, I’ve found that you’re actually much more likely to meet travelers from other parts of the world. In fact, I’ve made several lifelong friendships with people from countries other than the one I’m staying in during hostel stays.
When booking hostels, there are a few sites that I use as my go-to booking resources. Hostelworld is probably my favorite site – simple, with a clean design and easy to use. The other two sites that I use are Hostels.com and Hostelbookers. All three of those sites are trustworthy and you should be able to find solid options on each. In a lot of cases if I find a hostel that I think I’ll like I will cross reference the reviews I see on the booking site to those of a travel review site like Tripadvisor. As with any decision, the more data you have, the better the decision!