What Is a Hostel?
Compared with hotels, the accommodation at a hostel is generally more basic and not as uniform. All hostels differ in their design, character, space, and services. When choosing one hostel over another, important things to consider include price, location, cleanliness, and security.
Extra perks might include games and television in the common areas, a guest kitchen to store food and cook meals, free wireless internet, breakfast included in cost of the room, laundry services, and a book exchange to trade books with other travelers. Some hostels also have their own bar and/or restaurant, which is a convenient option for those too tired to venture out for food.
Booking a Room
Hostel rooms are quite varied, and it is perfectly common to ask to see the rooms before making a booking. Most people show up to the hostel without a reservation, which is fine outside of major holiday times when rooms may fill up fast.
Some people prefer to book ahead of time to ensure their place. When booking ahead, it is helpful to utilize recommendations of other travelers, either by word-of-mouth, guidebooks such as the Lonely Planet.
Hostel Rooms
Rooms come in all shapes and sizes, with a variety of options to suit different budgetary needs. Private rooms range in price, depending on the type of beds, private vs. shared bathrooms (see below), and other amenities, such as air conditioning.
Dorm rooms are usually the cheaper option, especially for those traveling solo. Dorms generally range in size from three beds to eight beds, although they can be larger. When staying in a dorm room, it is important to ensure there are private lockers in the room or lobby to keep important personal belongings safe. While it may seem awkward at first to share a room with other people, dorms can be an excellent place to chat with other travelers.
It is important to note that hostel rooms are much more basic than those found in a typical hotel. They generally consist of the bed(s), one or two pieces of furniture to store belongings, a sheet, blanket, and pillow. They rarely provide toiletries, but sometimes provide towels. While the rooms are generally more basic than hotel rooms, the hostel atmosphere is the real draw.
Hostel Bathrooms
When booking a hostel, there are usually two bathroom options: shared or private. Private is great, but opting for the shared bathroom can save money, especially when traveling for a long period of time. Shared bathrooms are those that are set outside the room and used by others staying in the hostel.
Some shared bathrooms are semi-private, in that only one person occupies the bathroom at a time. Others are larger bathrooms with multiple toilet and shower stalls... truer to the meaning of the word
shared. The number of people assigned to each bathroom depends on the number of bathrooms in the hostel. It is possible to share a bathroom with only one other room of guests, while it is also possible for a hostel to have one large bathroom area for everyone.
Meeting People While Traveling
Meeting other travelers is one of the best things about staying in a hostel. It’s incredibly easy to strike up a conversation with fellow travelers, visit a sight together, or share a meal. Networking with other travelers provides new ideas about places to visit and things to do. Sometimes stronger connections form, and some travelers join with solo travelers or groups to experience the next part of their journey together.
Staying in hostels instead of hotels is a great way to meet people, find out more about what’s going on in the area, and learn more about other places to visit. It adds to the experience of travel by getting away from the cookie-cutter style of many hotels, and opens the door for more a more unique overall experience.
