WHAT to look for:
- YOUTH is the most crucial adjective to keep an eye out for when searching for a place to stay. Without that simple, little word, you and your friends could find yourselves walking into a pretty weird situation.
- Try to look for places with free breakfast – you’ll have more time to explore the amazing city you’re in if you don’t have to worry about finding a place to eat!
- This may seem like a no-brainer, but please please please read reviews! Those online evaluations can save you from a terrible hostel experience. No matter the place, there will always be good and bad reviews, so do your very best to recognize the difference between credible versus irrelevant poor reviews.
WHERE to look:
- Location is key!!! Search for a hostel in or around the liveliest part of the city. You’ll never be bored!
- Before deciding on a place to stay, do some research on the eateries in the area. Hanger is no joke, my friends…no joke.
- Make sure there are several venues for nightlife nearby!
WHEN to look:
- The one golden rule to follow in the art of hostel hunting: begin your search ASAP after booking your transportation plans! I cannot stress this enough.
Personal Experiences (what you have to look forward to):
The University of Scranton’s very own Gabriella DiCapri spent a semester in Florence her sophomore year. She describes her time spent at Hostel Kiss in Croatia as the worst and best weekend of her abroad experience. First off, Hostel Kiss lacked a present employee, but the owner did leave a phone number to call in case of emergency (OMG?!). Secondly, she and her friends were not made aware of that the building locked from the inside and ended up getting locked inside Hostel Kiss. Last of all, the lobby on the last night had either fallen victim to a jungle juice-filled banger, or it had been the scene of a mass murder. Gab was startled to find the red (or bloody) mess, but was reassured when one of the other Hostel Kiss-stayers told her that the trashed lobby was the result of a party. Unfortunate weekend, amazing story to tell for years to come!
Ali Gilleran is a student at Keene State College in New Hampshire who became one of my favorite travel buddies. Our first hostel stay was in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The room she stayed in had about ten beds. Ali chose a top bunk (obviously), but the extra height couldn’t save her from her fate. I know this sounds terrifying, but I promise that no one was ever in danger in this scenario. A dude climbed up the bunk and started getting into Ali’s bed and seemed completely unaware that it was not the bed he had put his stuff on earlier. Ali didn’t know what to do, so she politely squeaked, “Um – excuse me, sir?” When the guy realized his mistake, he quickly scurried off of the top bunk. She couldn’t blame the guy – the lights were off!
When my friends and I were in London, we stayed at a hostel with three-tiered bunks. I snagged a bottom bed, but my dear friend Ali was forced to climb halfway toward heaven to get onto her top bunk. A young woman from China was settled on the bed between us; little did we know she would be the reason we wouldn’t get any sleep. On the first morning, she climbed down from her bed (waking me up) and began unpacking her ginormous traveler’s backpack. She proceeded to repack the entire thing and continue to make as much noise as possible. The whole ordeal took her about a half hour, and that is a half hour of sleep I will never get back. That night, our little friend fell asleep and started moaning in her sleep. I am not exaggerating when I say that the moans lingered on for a solid hour. Ali was Facebook messaging me from the top bunk to figure out where the moans were coming from. We smothered our laughs into pillows for an hour until we fell asleep. It was funny in the moment, and it still cracks us up today!
I know the stories above may freak some people out, but hostels are actually the best. My friends and I stayed at The Generator in Dublin last September. Upon check-in, we were upgraded to our very own room. The room had a Jacuzzi!!! Did we use it? No. We were too busy exploring The Guinness Factory and enjoying Dublin’s people.
What you’ll miss:
- Meeting new people and getting to know their backgrounds never gets old.
- The price of a weekend at a hostel is typically low and incredibly reasonable.
- Most of all, you’ll miss having the opportunity to further experience the magical world of hostels.