The Hostel Life

My mom gave me this topic yesterday

because she's got some friends who wanted some info

on whether or not to choose the Hostel Life while traveling.

I remember when I would tell people my plans

for backpacking around after my semester in Paris.

I'd tell them that we'd be staying in Hostel's and

the reaction was always really really bad...

How on earth could I be that crazy??

Do I want to get my stuff stolen

or worse, do I want to be KILLED?? 

I don't think people know enough about these unique places.

A lot of people have bad impressions of hostels because of

what other people have said or even because of Hollywood.

Hostels in Europe are not like the Hostel movies!!

For real people, that's not real!!

That's why most people were horrified when I told them

where we'd be staying, If hostels were really that bad

then they wouldn't be around anymore.

But they are around and to be perfectly honest I think they are great.

They are great for the money if you like to budget.

They are a great place to meet other people and

get involved in some different activities that you may

have otherwise missed out on.

Let me break it down for you.

Hostels are similar to Hotels.

You have a bed and a place for all of your belongings.

Sometimes you have a TV but most times you won't.

There are different types of rooms at most hostels.

Male dorms

Female dorms

Mixed dorms

Private ensuite

Private w/ shared bathroom

Dorms are cheap because you are in a larger room

with bunk beds all around.

I've seen dorms range from 4 beds to 28 beds.

I wouldn't advise the 28 bed ones because

that's way too many people coming in and out.

But for cost sake you can get in a dorm with 4, 6, 8 beds

and it's really not a bad experience at all.

Some people will be scared of sharing space like that

mostly because they are afraid to leave their stuff in a room

with people that they don't know.

That's not an issue, mostly because people aren't staying in hostels

so they can steal your stuff. A lot of the people at hostels are just trying

to save some money on their travels, just like you.

That being said...don't be dumb and leave your stuff out.

Always lock your stuff up no matter what.

Every hostel i've stayed at 

where we stayed in a dorm has had some way of

locking up your stuff.

Most of the time it's a locker.

Some hostels supply them for free and some charge.

It really just depends but that's something you'll want to

check out if you plan on staying in a dorm.

Hostels also have Private rooms.

Most of them do anyways.

You can always go the private room route,

it's a little more expensive but it may be cheaper than

going to a hotel.

Another plus is that all of the rooms will be locked

and you'll either have a key or a card to get inside.

So in a private room situation you know your

stuff is locked in the room just like if you were in a hotel.

Bathrooms would be where I would pay the most attention.

Most of the hostels i've stayed at have had shared bathrooms.

For some people that's a big turn off but it's really not bad at all

as long as you bring some sort of shower shoe to wear.

Some Hostels have bathrooms in the room.

This is mostly for privates but sometimes there's even

a bathroom in some of the smaller dorms.

Traveling in Europe can be relatively cheap if you do it right.

Hostels are the cheap persons best friend.

If you don't have a problem spending money on a place to stay

then you might as well seek the comfort of a hotel.

Sometimes, depending on how many people are in your party,

a private room in a hostel can be just as expensive as a hotel.

Because you pay for the number of people, not just for the room.

I won't lie, hotels can be the better choice.

But there is something really fun about the Hostel life.

I've had hosts at a hostel make me breakfast because

it was a smaller place and the owners really liked to take care of you.

I've gone on tours that I didn't know existed because I stayed in a hostel.

I also got to meet some pretty cool people along the way.

If you're thinking of staying in a Hostel but you aren't sure

just bite the bullet and do it once.

You never know, you may love the simplicity of the hostel life.

Plus you're most likely on the trip of a lifetime, so the place you lay your head

is where you'll be spending the least of your time...right??

So spend less at a hostel and have more money for your trip.

It's as easy as that!!

Here are the two main hostel websites that I use.

http://www.hostelbookers.com/

http://www.hostelworld.com/

I hope this post was helpful.

If you have a question about Hostel's leave a comment

and i'll get back to you! :)