I have published some tips before on choosing a hotel when you travel solo. While I identify as a budget traveler, I don’t balk at staying in nice hotels occasionally, especially towards the end of a long trip.
However, when you are traveling long-term, staying in hotels all the time can be a big drain on your budget. I always choose either free (Couchsurfing or staying with friends) or budget (i.e., hostels).
Staying in hostels can be a challenge, though, for those who are not used to sleeping in a room with strangers. Most hostels also have mixed dorms (both men and women), so if you have any reservations about sharing your room with others, especially of the opposite sex, you’d be better off in a hotel.
That said, hostel stays have a lot of advantages especially for solo travelers: it is cheap, there’s usually one in a good location, and it’s a great place for meeting other travelers. I’ve met quite a lot of travel buddies in hostels!
To maximize your hostel stays, here are some tips I’ve learned from my travels (and shared by readers on my Facebook page).
Back when I was a “newbie” international traveler, I always chose the cheapest hostel I could find. I learned pretty quickly that it isn’t a good idea to make budget the first priority. It should be location.
Location is a very important consideration in choosing a hostel, especially if you’re traveling solo. It can mean your safety. A hostel that’s not conveniently located (i.e., accessible to most attractions you’d want to see) can also mean additional expenses in transportation, among others. In my case, I usually choose one that’s walking distance from the bus or train station.
The beautiful Kimberly Hostel in Penang, Malaysia.
Hostel facilities. Some hostels offer bare-bones accommodations with beds, a modest kitchen, and a simple bathroom. Others offer more such as free linens (some hostels in Europe charge for this!) and toiletries, air conditioning, hot/cold shower, complimentary breakfast, WiFi, laundry service, organized activities, and so on. For me, WiFi is very important so I make sure the hostel has it.
Budget. Of course, this should also be considered. There are hostels (in Bangkok, in particular) which charge almost the same as a 1-star hotel, especially if you choose a private room. For me, it doesn’t make sense. If you wanted your own room, why not just stay in a hotel?
In any case, hostels have dorm rooms ranging in size, from having 4 beds up to 10 beds (or even more). There are mixed and same-sex rooms as well. You can choose which you want, depending on your level of comfort. I don’t like 10-bed dorms, especially in big cities. I would rather pay an extra dollar for a spot in a 4- or 6-bed dorm room. However, I always choose the mixed dorms since those are slightly cheaper.
Hostels charge less than hotels because of shared rooms and lack of amenities that are usually provided in hotels. When you choose to stay in hostels for your long-term travel, make sure to bring the following:
You can use a sarong for a lot of things.
I also bring a very thin sheet with me (like a sarong) just in case the hostel won’t provide linens.
Some of my readers (who are solo travelers or long-term travelers themselves), have shared tips for staying safe in hostels. Here’s what they said.
Forget hotels and choose a reputable hostel. It’s so easy to make friends and feel safe and comfortable in a good hostel, and I would choose that atmosphere even if money were no object. Don’t go for the cheapest, either. As a lone gal traveling alone, it is safer to pay slightly more for a better hostel. Some hostels are also party hostels; if you don’t like being awakened in the middle of the night by drunk revelers, stay out of those kinds of accommodations. (Valerie K. Narehood, Shankar Subramanian, Paul Elverstone)
One of the beds in the 10-bed hostel room in Bangkok.
Check the hostel’s entrance and exit. You will need this knowledge during emergencies. Also, if you’re not comfortable in mixed dorms, choose one that’s for women only. (Nathara Imenes, Fabi Enne)
Make friends with the reception staff and the maids (if available); you can be friendly to them, thank them (preferably in their own language), and just be pleasant overall. They will then keep an eye out for you and make your stay there more pleasant. (Vince Davis, Joan McKniff)
When I was in Bangkok, I learned that the cleaning ladies in our hostel were Vietnamese. I thanked them once in their own language (cam on), and they were very pleased. Whenever they saw me from that day forward, they would always smile at me.
You would not want to be in the upper bunk in this hostel.
Pick the upper bunk, close to an electric plug. You don’t want to be nearest the door, as late-night arrivals can easily disturb you. Thieves will also target the stuff placed on lower bunks. An exception is when the bunks are not well-made, in which case, choose the lower one but away from the door. You don’t want to wake up your roommate whenever you go to bed, just because the whole thing moves as soon as you step on the ladder (happened to me in Bangkok and Penang).
Pack the night before, if you’re leaving early the next day. You don’t want to wake everyone up at 4am to the sound of your packing! Remember, when you are staying in hostels, you share a living space with others. It means practicing basic courtesy while you’re there. (That means not having sex in hostel rooms either.)
While staying in hostels may not be for everybody, it is a great opportunity for solo travelers to save on accommodation and meet fellow travelers. I would definitely choose a hostel stay over a hotel any day!
How about you? What are your tips for staying in hostels?
17 Comments. Leave new
I am a retired USA teacher who enjoys solo travel but must watch my budget so a hostel works for me. Usually I opt for the private room. It is a good compromise since I still have more social interaction than I would in a hotel. I use the common areas and enjoy sharing food in the kitchen Young people treated me with great respect in Slovenia and Dresden ( Germany) at the hostels. I was willing to share travel tips/ maps and guide books. Other times I used airbnb and again had a room in someone’s apartment so I had a chance to “pick the owner’s brain” for travel tips.
Hey,
Thanks for suggesting some great ideas to live in a hostel instead of a hotel.
I really try not to stay at hostels because I’m quite the introvert. But, they’re really a good choice when you’re on a budget.
This is a great post to save/bookmark especially those like me who are planning to step outside my country. Been traveling in the Philippines for a long time now but this post is also an added information for travelers like me who also haven’t been to other countries yet.
I also agree with choosing the upper bunk 🙂
Nice post. keep them coming
We love and hate staying in a hostel. Love, I bet you had already mention the reasons. Hate as there are people who doesn’t understand about being civil and consideration.
By the way, Great tips Aleah!
I always go for the lower bunk, but that’s an interesting point about the upper bunk being less attractive to thieves, and also further away from any chaos!
Thanks for these tips, Aleah! I’ve always wanted to try traveling solo or go backpacking but I don’t know how it is to share rooms with strangers. All the tips are very helpful.
Enjoy!
I loved this post because as a veteran solo travellers I can relate to many of the things you listed. I can add my tip with packing my own silk sheets (just in case), a travel robe, very handy when sharing dorms and showers.
These are good tips Aleah though I haven’t tried staying in a hostel.
Nice tips there, Aleah! We are fans of hostels, inns, B&Bs, and homestays. We stay in those affordable places because are out the whole day exploring places and engaging in adventures. We only return to our room to sleep, relax, take a shower, and answer the call of nature.
We also bring lightweight sarongs in our backpacks. We don’t usually know if the bedsheets in low-budget places are changed regularly, so we use our sarongs as bedsheets.
You can also use the bedsheets as a sarong (or a wrap round dress for females) . I have done this many times while in India. Also once in Boracay too 🙂
I agree with Dave to bring your own extension lead to charge electronic devices. I’m also thinking of getting one of those portable chargers so that I can keep in contact with people for plans.
I love staying in hostels for meeting new people and usually the front staff is very helpful with booking tours and giving food and bar recommendations.
If traveling in groups or solo, hang out with other travelers in the hostel.
Sometimes it’s nice to get a hostel in a nice area, but it’s a little off the beaten path. You can rent a bike, or car to use to travel around. There’s also Uber, Lyft, and taxis of course.
When in a hostel you always need to share. Bathrooms, sleeping areas and charging points/sockets. Charging electronic devices is always a problem. I always carry a 4 way extension lead, so if for instance there is only one sockets in the room i can easily remove a phone thats being charged, plug in my extension lead, replace same phone into extension and add my devices.
Yes it is an extra piece of kit to carry but a very useful one.
I have no qualms about staying in a hostel per se. For sure I thought that I would have my first hostel experience in Venice last year; however it was not meant to be. Because hostel price for a 6-bed room was $90 near the main canal. Instead we decided to widen our search and pick a hotel in Mestre with all the privacy and conveniences for only $70/night and the bus to Venice (20 mins) stops infront of the hotel!!