Personally, I've had great experiences in hostels and met some awesome people through staying in them. However, a lot of people seem to have bad impressions of them or think they're dangerous. What do you think? Have you ever stayed in a hostel?
In my younger years when traveling I slept only in hostels. They are cheaper than a hotel and with proper online research you can find the best ones and avoid any unpleasant situations. Sure, you don't have the same level of comfort that a hotel delivers but when you're traveling who needs it? These days I travel with my family so no more hostels for me. But I sure do miss those times when I met all kinds of interesting people in hostels.
As long as you research the place and know what to expect, I think they're fine. We've never stayed in a hostel for out of the country trips (we have only been to Canada so far!!) but we have stayed in a total of 3 hostels in the state. Each was unique and some were "nicer" than others, but it made sense because we were still in college at the time and on a very tight budget!
I agree that good research is definitely the key to a successful hostel stay! But most websites like HostelWorld provide reviews and feedback for their hostels, and I always makes sure to leave one as well! The only "bad" experience I had came after foolishly disregarding the reviews...It wasn't unclean or unsafe, but it was VERY far outside the city and was more of a sports complex for traveling soccer teams that was trying to bill itself as a hostel. It was weird.
I have travelled all over the world and stayed in many hostels and backpackers. I always asked fellow travellers where I could find the best places to stay. That's why I have mostly had good experiences, finding accommodation in small, family operated hostels where I felt safe and at home. For me the most important thing has always been a good quality mattress, shortly followed by silence. I found the less rules a hostel has, the more relaxed everyone is, and people naturally have more respect for each others needs and behave accordingly.
I stayed in a hostel in London once when I went on a church youth trip in my teens. It was very basic but the food was good and it was clean. It is not an option I have ever considered since having my own children. However, I have a friend who stays in hostels wherever she goes because it is a cheap option.
I've never stayed at a hostel, but have heard good things about them. When I was doing a bit of traveling in my younger days, I used the services of a hostel that rented out lockers to the public. The place was really clean and inviting from what I saw. The people coming in and out were laughing and enjoying themselves. Made me want to be part of it all, I guess.
I have only stayed in a hostel once in LA, and even though it's pretty simple, shared bathrooms, shared room, noisy, it was clean enough and I loved the atmosphere. Also, I was travelling solo so that was the best option I could have hoped for, the hostel was in the heart of Hollywood and I met a bunch of awesome people! I loved the experience of staying in a hostel and definitely plan on being on more hostels on my next trips!
Yeah i have experience of the hotels and i really like the hostel life and i had 6 years experience of hostel life and during the hostel life i also take many tour toward the European countries..
I used them often when I was younger and never had a bad experience. They're great if you don't mind the lack of privacy. It's a good way to save money while traveling and I don't think people should judge until they give it a try. I prefer to stay in hotels now but I still shop around to save money on them.
I have never stayed in hostel but my cousin had a chance to live there for two years. He told me the charm of this life. According to him he really enjoyed this life and eager to go their again. During his hostel life he has done many parties and took many tours toward Florida, London, Paris and New York. I think people hesitate to leave their home and its all facilities otherwise it is not a bad place.
I've never stayed in a hostel but the concept seems appealing especially for a young person trying to save some money. And it also seems like a great way to meet some new people when your in an unfamiliar city. My only thing is I would be worried about theft with having so much shared space. Yet, I'm guessing at least some of them have lockers or something.
