I was traveling through Europe in the Summer of ‘23. I was 20 years old and was alone. I stayed in hostels in Switzerland, France, and Spain. I also stayed in Airbnbs in Italy and the U.K. I stayed in hotels in Austria and the Czech Republic and then lastly, I stayed with a friend in Israel. It is safe to say that I’ve had a lot of experience with many different types of stay while traveling. I booked all my hostel stays on Hostelworld.
These are the hostels I stayed in:
Zurich, Switzerland: Zurich Youth Hostel
This was the very first hostel I had ever stayed in, so I did not have any expectations going into it. I was staying in a female dorm with three other guests. When I checked in, they gave me bed sheets, pillowcases, and a duvet cover. I was very shocked at the idea that I had to make my own bed but, for the price I paid I was not upset with this. This was also consistent with every other hostel stay I had. I got to my room and found my assigned bed, which was a top bunk. There were lockers in the room but you had to bring your own lock, which I fortunately had. The door to the room required key card access and you could only get into the room your card was assigned to. So, I felt very safe because my stuff was safe while I was sleeping, and the door was secured. This was also the same for my other hostel experiences. The bathrooms reminded me a lot of the CU dorms, and there were separate wings for women and men. The lobby had pool tables, ping-pong tables, and a full kitchen. This was very nice because Switzerland is very expensive, so I did not want to have to eat out for every meal. There was a grocery store that was a 5-minute walk, so I would go there and get packs of ramen and make it while I talked to my girlfriend on the phone late hours into the night due to her being in the United States and the drastic time difference that comes with that. This hostel wasn’t in the best location, but it was right next to a train station that was very easy to access. This was an amazing first hostel experience. I paid $123 to stay here for two nights.
Marseille, France: The People
This hostel felt like a luxury stay. The quality of the building and the room were incredible. It was a 15-minute walk from the main train station in Marseille, so it was very convenient for my travels. There was a bar and a nice outdoor seating area as well as a basement that was a game room as well as a mini art museum. There was also an entire dining section with long tables and a kitchen. I was again in a female dorm with seven other guests. There were large chests for each guest in the room that you could lock up. An aspect that I absolutely loved about this hostel was that there was a full bathroom in the room. So, it felt very safe because it was a personal space with a lock. My favorite part of my entire stay at The People was that there was a curtain on each bed that went around the whole bed. This was the only time during my whole trip I felt true privacy while I was sleeping. I was covered on all sides, and it was very cozy, even though I was on a top bunk again. They also had lockers that you could use after you had already checked out, which saved me because then I didn’t have to carry around my suitcase on the streets of Marseille during my last day. I paid $60 to stay here for one night.
Barcelona, Spain: Safestay Barcelona Passeig de Garcia
Safestay was located right in the center of Main Street in Barcelona. I stayed here for two nights, and during that time, I only ever saw other guests who were around my same age. This whole property seemed to cater to the younger generations. There was a rooftop bar at this hostel, which was so fun to hang out at. Since I was alone in Barcelona, I did not want to be out after dark. But, I felt comfortable being at this bar because it was only a couple of flights up from my room. This was a fun experience especially because it did have an amazing view of the city as well. My group’s female dorm also had a private bathroom, but it was very small and not as nice as my Marseille hostel. It was still nice but I chose to use the stall bathrooms except when I had to shower. This room also had very small lockers, so I could only fit my essentials in there to lock up during the night or when I wasn’t there. I finally got a bottom bunk in this room, which was a new luxury, as I did not have to wake up my bunkmate every time I left bed. This was also the biggest room I stayed in. There were probably 11 other guests in that room with me. Everyone was extremely respectful. A group of girls did get back from clubbing at like 3 a.m. one night and they were trying their best to be quiet, which I have so much respect for because if I was there with a group of friends, I’m sure I would be doing the same thing. This hostel also had free breakfast, which saved me a few trips to overpriced restaurants and fueled me for my days. I paid $76 to stay here for two nights.
Madrid, Spain: Arc House Madrid
This was an LGBTQ+-themed hostel. The entire decoration of the building was rainbow and drag queen-oriented. This was very exciting to me because I had come out publicly only a few weeks prior to staying here. This inherently made me feel very safe. This location was in the very heart of Madrid. It made me a little nervous because Madrid is a bigger city, but my nerves were immediately put to rest because it was so difficult for me to get into the building, even though I had a key. So, if it was hard for me, I’m sure it would be very difficult for an intruder to get through. Once I was in, there was a full kitchen and dining area and then the rooms. This hostel was the smallest one I was in, but it was also on the third floor of a tall building. My female dorm had individual trunks like The People had. The room had seven other guests. This hostel was probably the one I had the most problems with. There were no couches or anything comfortable to hang out on other than my bed, where I was surrounded by sleepy travelers. It was hard for me to find a place to relax while I was staying here. There was a gender-neutral shower room for which I had the utmost respect. But there was no lock on the shower room door, and each shower only had a curtain. This scared me because there was no lock between my vulnerable self and a random man, for example. But I was there for a short time, so I didn’t run into this problem often. Nothing ever happened during my stay, but it did scare me because something could have happened. I paid $22 to stay here for two nights.
There are more affordable ways to stay in hostels and more expensive ways to stay in hostels than what I experienced. I was very picky about what kind of room I stayed in which raised the cost. I only felt fully safe if I was in a female-only dorm. But, if you are willing to stay in a co-ed room, then it is cheaper. Or if you want a private room, it is more expensive.
My recommendation for anyone staying in hostels is to bring a towel. I usually had to pay 5 euros each for a towel. If I had brought one with me, it would have saved me a few bucks, which I would have liked to spend on something a little more enjoyable. If you have trouble sleeping because of noise like snoring, bring good earplugs and/or headphones. I loved having a sleeping mask so that if the lights were still on in the room, I could still go to sleep. Also, always check where the hostel is. You don’t always have to be in the center of the city, but make sure you are near transportation if you aren’t in the center. I forgot to bring shower shoes when I went, so I had to wear my Birkenstocks in the showers, and they never truly dried, which caused many problems in my suitcase. Another thing is to look at check-in and check-out times. There was a time when I had to request a late check-in because my train was coming in late.
I loved staying in hostels for the trip I was on. They are cheap for a reason, so you have to have lower expectations. I felt very safe most of the time and I would recommend any person to use this method of stay while traveling.