Hotels can be a great place to meet people.

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18 Comments

  1. You definitely hit on all of the high points! I think that, for me, the sociable and wifi aspect are pretty much the deal clinchers for me! When you travel solo the social aspect really helps fight the occasional blues.

  2. I’m a big advocate of hostels. The social aspect is great, especially when you’re traveling by yourself. You’re not striking up too many conversations in the hotel lobby are you?

    Cheap events, cheap food, and great open minded people. All great reasons to stay at hostels.

  3. #7 could win in a landslide, haha. It really helps support #1.

  4. Craig I think you need to do us all a favour and list down all these hostels with free beer. I have never encountered one!

  5. Nice post. I think hostels are a lot like any accomodation in that you have to do a little reading between the lines to see if one is a good fit for you. In other words, if you’re a family traveling with kids, you probably won’t want one near the nightlife that boasts its own bar, but another hostel that’s designed for families could be great. I recenly hosted a friend here who was doing 5 nights in a very luxurious resort and then I arranged his last 3 nights in a hostel once his business trip was over. He had never traveled outside the U.S. before and he was amazed at how much value the hostel offered for so much less money than he had spent in the resort. If he returns – he’s returning to the hostel.

  6. But just remember that in really cheap countries, much of the above applies as well or better to a step up in accommodation. You can stay in a real hotel or guesthouse for about the same price as a hostel bed and two of you can share your own double room. With your own bathroom and yes, Wi-fi. This applies to most of the countries featured in The World’s Cheapest Destinations (yes, it’s my book). In these places the hostels are often not well-located either, but are in odd spots out of the way.

    If you’re spending a lot of time in super-expensive Europe though, a hostel is often the only way to go.

  7. Great episode. I think your #1 point (“Hostels are sociable”) is the main advantage that hostels have over hotels…

  8. If the hostel has awesome staff, (most of the hostels I’ve stayed at, a few not) I think it would be my favorite reason for staying at a hostel. I always try to get the inside scoop about the town from the staff while chatting. This is often because my number one question is, where can I get the best local food to eat, and where do local people eat?

  9. Hostels are a fantastic option to meet a wider range of travelers. Equally bed and breakfasts and home stays offer another type of traveling holiday. The hostel will be more of a communal style accommodation, whereas bed and breakfast and home-stays are generally more intimate, but the service of a higher quality.

  10. Great list! Regarding point 6. Hostels have free wifi.

    On http://www.hostelvideoguide.com you find not only more then 500 hostel videos from around the world but also hostels, guest houses and budget accommodation with free wifi indicated with the ‘Free Wifi symbol’ in the listing.

    Happy travelling 😀

  11. Yes, agree hostels are a far more enjoyable experience if you are keen to meet people who are slow traveling. Often you meet people that have been living and traveling extensively and can provide some supportive advice and guidance. On a lighter note they can also be a fun environment and a place to meet up with people you have met in previous locations.

  12. When traveling extensively you gain a fairly good idea from other travelers when the most suitable hostels are for your budget and personal expectations. Noteworthy is if you keep running into the same travelers you will most likely have similar expectations. Accept the advice from people you trust.

  13. I think your eighth point deserves a whole new title – 8 reasons hostels rock. Originality is important – one of the reasons we travel is to feel like we’re somewhere different, so it helps when our next hostel doesn’t look the same as our previous one.

  14. Cool! Even the worst of the worst can be a blessing if you are tired, hungry and broke! It is always a pleasure to read your articles, they are not only factual but often humorous and full of life.

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