If you’re backpacking, I’m going to assume you’re focused on
budget travelling, which means you will be (for the most part) staying in
hostels. If you’re apprehensive about this, I’m here to try and convince you
otherwise.
Staying in hostels is a great way to save money and meet
tons of other like-minded backpackers. I’m not going to lie, I was extremely
nervous about staying in them. I’m not a big party person, I’m a neat freak, and I
need my own space, so you can see why I would have been nervous. But by the end
of my trip I loved staying in hostels, and some of my fondest memories are of
meeting new people. I did stay in some small 3 star hotels, but they lacked the
social environment of a hostel.
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| Common area at a hostel |
Hostels are great because they are:
- Cheaper than hotels (most of the time)
- Social
- Targeted to backpackers/ budget travelers
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| Dormitory style hostel room |
Guests are able to rent a bed in a dormitory style room. Common
areas and bathrooms are usually shared, and rooms can be mixed or single-sex. However,
if this sounds like a nightmare to you, don’t worry. Many hostels do have
private rooms, although these are usually more expensive.
Shared rooms can range anywhere from 4-24 or more beds. The
majority of my stays were in a 4 to 6 bed dorm, which was ideal.
Next week I will post about looking for a hostel and hostel
living.
*Disclaimer: my experience is based off of hostels in
Europe, so I cannot speak to the hostel culture in other parts of the world.
