Guest Contributor: The Art Of Hostel Hopping

Hostel Hopping can become somewhat of a game. Every hostel comes with its own pros and cons. I’ve come to realize that the crowd that the hostel brings really shapes what the hostel will become. There are hostels around the globe to fit almost every personality. It just comes down to how to choose the right one.

Think of your accommodation as a job or a relationship. Reading reviews is a great way to find a good fit…or at least for the first night. When I’m choosing a hostel, I look at the most efficient website, hostelworld.com. Hostel world is only for hostels and has a huge community. I highly suggest downloading the app to have it in arms reach. I also check Airbnb (click to get $40 off your stay or $15 off an experience) and booking.com. I try to just book the first night in the city I’m in. This allows me to feel the vibe at the hostel. In many cases, people book too many nights at a hostel that isn’t up to par and end up stuck without a refund. Sometime’s the hostel is fine but you ran into the love of your life and want to cut your stay in that city short. You can always get through the first night unless it’s terrible. If you like it to extend, if not toss up the deuces.

TIP! You can get cheaper rates by being a walk-in rather than paying online. I usually, google the location on google maps to see where most hostels are clustered together. Go to that area and walk-in and ask for the cheapest rate, until I meet one that fits my budget and style. If I arrive in the nighttime hours most likely I’m sleeping at the airport until 8/9 am.

Top 5 TIPS for choosing a HOSTEL

Location

How far from the city center is it located is an important consideration though some people enjoy being in the boonies. The name of the game is to be within walking distance of the places you wish to visit the most.

Beaches

Museums
Malls
Markets
World Wonder, etc.

If you’re staying in a hostel most likely you are on a strict budget. If you stay in a good location, that will save you cost on transportation. For me, I’m a walker. I’d walk four miles or more just to avoid paying for transportation. This may seem cheap to most, but realize you’re not from there, and by walking you can see and discover so much more.

Rooms

I like staying in hostels that have fake capsules. It’s like a perfectly cut rectangle in a wall, with the curtain. They sometimes go 3-4 holes up. Terrible if you have to pee in the middle of the night, but I enjoy the feel of it. In regular typical hostels, the max people in a room should be 8. Once you start seeing 12, 25, etc. Just know that that may be a party hostel. This can be fun, but you will not get much sleep and you may spend money fast wilding out. I prefer rooms with windows, porches, and sunlight.

Kitchen

Can you cook? If the hostel you’re staying in offers a kitchen, you’ll be sure to save money. Some hostels do not want you cooking your own food. They want you to spend money every night on their overpriced menu. If a hostel does not offer a kitchen, I say, find out where the locals eat. Wherever you see loads of locals eating, is probably where you should be eating from too.

Some hostels offer free breakfast and it isn’t always a crazy difference in price over the ones that I don’t. Sometimes the menu is just bread and jelly and sometimes the menu has eggs and avocado toast.

The Vibe

The crowd at the hostel you decide to stay at says a lot about what your experience may be. For example, when I’m selecting hostels, I scroll down to the reviews. In each review, there’s a space that indicates the country in which the person who is leaving the review. Seeing a plethora of people from a wide spread of countries interests me more. Being able to meet people from different spots on the globe really brings people and cultures together. If there are too many Germans, I tend to find another option. It’s not that I don’t like Germans because I do. I feel that when Germans cluster at hostels, they tend to stay in an alliance. The same can be argued about Russians and some Englishmen. Brazilians are always cool and down for whatever. I love running into them at hostels or while traveling.

The Staff

The staff is important to your hostel choice because they’re the bridge that can connect you to the local community. If you get the chance to hang around locals over tourists, I say go for it. If you feel comfortable. Locals tend to know all the good spots and how to get you what you may not be able to get. If you know what I mean. In most cases, If you just take the time to get to know people, they can sometimes be the door to your next stage. The bad side of becoming too friendly with staff is that they may possibly hit on you. I’ve personally worked at three hostels. One in NYC, L.A, and Sri Lanka. I can say in every location I’ve worked, I’ve either been hit on by a guest or I want to hit on a guest. This can become messy, I say avoid it if you can.

The more hostels you stay in the more experience you’ll have when selecting them. Some people argue that hostels have an age limit. This isn’t always true. There are “youth hostels” that would go up to age 30 or 35. I’ve been to the hostel and worked for some and had guests in their 60+. Usually French. Anyone that stays at hostels while adventuring will tell you it’s always a better experience than staying at a resort. There are so many up and coming businesses that group random people together to experience traveling abroad. That entire idea comes from the interaction of people staying at a hostel. Think about it.

I hope these tips can help you with your future hostel hopping.

Cheers,

Uncle Vince

@vince.now

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