Staying in a hostel can be really fun or quite horrible if you are in the wrong one. If you are used to staying in the fanciest hotels, you could still enjoy a good hostel. If you are used to camping and sleeping in a more uncomfortable environment, you could still hate hostels. There are important aspects to consider when booking your hostel, and some are just a luxury. I will go through ten aspects with you that are going to give you ten tips on how to choose the right hostel for you.
- The ratings
- Location of the hostel
- Bed curtains
- Showers
- The breakfast
- Make sure they 100% have lockers
- Free internet
- Bar
- Common area
- Organized activities
1. The ratings
Ratings are so important, and they will often be a dealbreaker. The pictures can look amazing while finding many comments saying there are bed bugs. I love booking my hostels on Hostelworld because the rating system is incredible. They have a global rate for every hostel and also tell you how that rating was determined with 7 points:
- Value for money
- Security
- Atmosphere
- Cleanliness
- Location
- Facilities
- Staff
Your priority might be cleanliness while mine is security. That is why I love how it is separated, you can see if your priorities are fine even if another point brings down the global rating. If you book on another website like booking, make sure you look at the ratings more profoundly, since the rating system is less clear.
2. Location of the hostel
The location of your hostel can really affect your travel experience. Depending on the country and the type of transportation you are using to go to your activities, you don’t want to lose hours per day going to them. Definitely check out the address on Google before you book to see if it is close enough to the things you want to see and do. Most of the time, the hostel in the center of the action always ends up the best choice.
3. Bed curtains
At first, I didn’t think they were that important… But trust me when I say you want to have bed curtains. You are in your most vulnerable state when sleeping. You want to have your privacy before and during your sleep.
4. Showers
There are always showers, but if you have big preferences you should take the time to inform yourself about them. Are the washrooms gender separated or is it everyone together? Is it only shower curtains or is there a door you can lock? Are the toilets separated from the showers if you want to do number two, or is it all together? Is it push-button showers? For some people, the answer to these questions might not be important, but for some, it can be a dealbreaker.
5. The breakfast
Some hostels have free breakfast. If they do, inform yourself on what it is, at what time it starts and what time it ends.
6. Make sure they 100% have lockers
I’ve never seen a hostel without lockers, but I have seen on the internet that it can happen or that they can be chargeable. It is not common at all, but it won’t hurt to make sure of it.
7. Free internet
Depending on the country you are visiting, getting a cheap SIM card for your phone might be an option. If it is too expensive, and you are planning on connecting yourself to the wifi whenever you can, you should keep that in consideration when booking. Most hostels have free wifi, but sometimes it is only accessible in certain rooms like the lobby and/or common room.
8. Bar
This is not a must but if a hostel has a bar, they normally put more effort into making sure the guests are having fun and socializing. Since hostels are all about the atmosphere and people getting together, make sure they host some sort of activities even if there is no bar.
9. Common area
In a hostel, we look out for anything that can bring people together and facilitate interactions. There are a lot of solo travelers in hostels and common areas can really help break the ice. There should always be a nice common area and even more if there is no bar.
10. Organized activities
It is a popular thing for good hostels to host organized activities such as pub crawls, yoga classes, walking tours or anything else possible in the country to bring people together. Checking out what kind of activities are offered can also help you know if it is the right place for you and your interests. Make sure you know which ones are free and which ones are paid.
