Staying In A Hostel: All The Tips You Need

In this section, I’ll show you what it’s like to be staying in a hostel for the first time. It should give you tips for staying in a hostel alone too.

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What’s A Hostel?

Hostels (also known as youth hostels) are a form of accommodation that usually has cheap rates and comes with social vibes.

You can think of it as a shared dorm including bunk beds (in most cases).

Nowadays, hostels have become super popular especially for budget travelers. You can find hostels that provide a common kitchen, private rooms, female dorms, pods, etc.

With a new era of “flashpackers”, hostels became more beautiful, modern, and comfortable over the years. You can even find what they call “boutique hostels”.

What’s The Difference Between A Hostel And A Hotel?

Hotels usually offer private rooms only. It’s a form of accommodation where socializing isn’t part of the features offered.

Hostels offer dorms and private rooms. Travelers pick hostels over hotels when they travel solo or with friends. It’s a great way to meet fellow travelers.

Are Hostels Clean?

Are hotels always clean? Ha! I got you there. Like any other form of accommodation, hostels can be super clean… or dirty. You should always read the reviews before making a booking.

Hostels can have the reputation to be dirty – and this is mostly related to the fact that some of the bathrooms are shared. The cleanliness level depends on the hostel standards and on the number of guests.

Most of the time, the hostels are “dirty” because the backpackers don’t clean after themselves.

Here’s an example: if you use the common kitchen and don’t wash your dishes, the staff will do it – but it can take some time. So, you should be a “good guest” and clean after yourself.

Are Hostels Safe?

Overall – yes. Hostels are safe, but if you’re sharing a dorm, you might want to be cautious with your valuables.

That said, having a padlock to lock your stuff away is a great way to avoid any troubles. Sadly, your stuff could get stolen if you leave it out there.

As a woman, when the option is there – I always pick the female dorm. I prefer it as it’s quieter and I feel more comfortable.

Are Hostels Only For Young People?

What’s your definition of “young”? Hostels used to be limited to young people – some hostels used to have an age limit and sometimes, it is still the case. Overall, most hostels don’t have an age limit.

In my experience, if you stay in the cheapest hostel in town, you will find the younger backpackers.

If you pay a few dollars more, you will find a mix of young and older backpackers. Usually, if you pay more, you will find backpackers with a bigger budget and often, they can be a bit older.

I’ve been choosing “fancy hostels” for the past few years because when I travel solo now, I prefer to hang out with people around my age. Also, my budget is higher now.

Tips For Staying In Hostels

Ideally, if you’re about to stay in a hostel for the very first time, you should try and have a positive experience.

In the next section, you will find my top tips to pick a good hostel. I became pickier over the years and it is very rare that I don’t enjoy my stays in hostels.

Before we jump to the selection process – let’s sum up the things to keep in mind to have a positive stay.

Lock your stuff away – You should always book a room that comes with lockers and you should have a padlock with you. You should always lock your stuff when you’re in the shower, or not in the room. You should not leave your phone charging if you’re not around.
Bring the survival hostel kit – If you’re going to stay in a shared dorm, you should bring an eye mask and earplugs. It can be quite noisy sometimes.
Read the reviews – I will not tell you enough – reading the views is super important when it comes to picking the right hostel.

Guide To Choosing The Right Hostel

Before jumping to the selection process, let’s take a few minutes to think of what is important to you. Answering these questions will help you select key features.

Do you prefer to cook your own food?

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If the answer is yes, pick a hostel that provides a fully equipped kitchen. Take a look at our list of backpacking meal ideas for inspiration.

Do you want to share a dorm?

If the answer is yes, you can pick a mixed dorm or a female-only dorm. If the answer is no, you can select the option to get a private room only.

Do you want a locker?

If the answer is yes, make sure it’s listed or look at the photos to see the lockers.

Do you want privacy?

If the answer is yes, try to pick a pod or a bed with curtains for privacy.

Do you want a pool?

If the answer is yes, pick a place with a pool.

Are you checking in after midnight?

If the answer is yes, pick a place with a 24h reception.

There are two main booking platforms when it comes to booking hostels. (There are more, but these are the two I personally use.)

Personally, I prefer Booking.com since I think they have more options. You can filter them easily and the reviews represent a wide range of people.

It feels more accurate with my own standards. On Hostelworld, you find mostly reviews from backpackers and I do not always agree with the reviews in there.

Experience showed me I relate more with the reviews found on Booking.com.

Real-Life Example

Let’s do an example to show you how to pick the perfect hostel. The destination chosen for this example is Chiang Mai in Thailand – which is backpacker heaven.

I will come up with three main results – the best hostel in Chiang Mai, the hostel at the cheapest price, and the best private room in a hostel.

Here are the steps to follow using Booking.com:

Step 1: Enter your destination and dates. Click on “Search”.

Step 2: Decide if you’re looking for a private room or a dorm. If you’re looking into a private room, you can click “show private rooms only”. (Note that this option isn’t always available on mobile.)

Step 3: If you click on the three dots button, you can select the top reviews to find the best-rated hotel/hostels.

Step 4: Scroll until you see an option for a dorm. In this example, the number 4 listed is Baan Heart Thai with a review of 9.6 (492 reviews).

Step 5: Select the interesting hostels and open them in new tabs. If you use Windows, you can press control and click on the hostel name and it should appear in a new tab.

Step 6: Look at the photos. Check the rooms, but also the common areas. Lots of common area means it can be good for socializing.

Step 7: Visit every new tabs open one by one and click on the guest reviews section. You will find all the information regarding cleanliness, wifi reliability and atmosphere.

Alternative for the cheapest hostel

Replace step 2 and filter the result with Price (lowest first). Then, you can scroll down and pick a review score that is good enough for the price. I try to go above 8 when possible, but again, reading the reviews should help you make the final decision.

In this example, the cheapest hostel is Jay Guesthouse and Restaurant with a review score of 6.8 (673 reviews).

Alternative for the private room in a hostel

During step 2, select the option to show private rooms only. Sometimes, the listings won’t be private, you might have to look at the description closer.

To find a private room in a hostel, you can look at the options for rooms – you should see dorms and private rooms.

I found The Entaneer Poshtel which offers both dorms and beautiful private rooms.

Benefits of Staying in Hostels

Over the years, I stayed in many hostels. I even worked in a few hostels and you can read about my experience working in hostels.

For solo travelers, it’s an excellent way to meet people. If you’re staying in a hotel, it’s going to be very hard to meet other people. Hostels are ideal for socializing.

I’ve met many good friends in hostels and it is really fun to do fun activities with other travelers sometimes. Solo travel doesn’t have to feel lonely.

Staying in hostels is usually cheaper than staying in a hotel. It’s a great way to save money so you can travel further and longer.

If you’re planning on cooking or doing some washing, many hostels offer laundry services or kitchen which means that you can save money and time by going to a hostel.

Some hostels offer a very cozy atmosphere that makes you feel at home. Feeling at home overseas is a wonderful feeling. It’s like having a family abroad.

Final Thoughts On Staying In A Hostel

Staying in hostels can be good – but you may need to adapt a little if it’s your first time. We hope this guide helps you find great hostels abroad and that you finally figured out how to hostel!

Enjoy your hostel stay and stay open-minded!