Usually, while I am travelling I will stay at hostels. Being a 20 something traveller, I find hostels to be a fun experience, and have been great places to meet other travellers and a great choice when trying to stick to a budget. For some reason, sometimes when I suggest to people to stay at a hostel they seem a little hesitant. While I have heard of some hostel horror stories, I can confidently say that I have only ever had one bad hostel experience and it was a hostel that one of my travelling campions booked.
That being said, I have had like hundreds of good and amazing experiences in hostels, and after booking so many of them I have come up with some tips that I think will help anyone find a great hostel to stay at in any country you travel to.
4 tips for finding good affordable hostels:
- READ THE REVIEWS!
OK this may sound obvious, but I know so many people who do not read the online reviews before booking accommodations. No matter what sort of accommodation you are looking to book, PLEASE ALWAYS READ THE REVIEWS. This can literally save your life. While you are reading the reviews make sure to read the good and bad reviews. If anywhere in the reviews it mentions bed bugs DO NOT stay at this hostel, swipe left and find something else. Check the reviews on the hostel’s website, Facebook page, Google and other social media accounts.
- Don’t stay at a hostel that has lower than a 4 star rating.
In my experience, unlike hotels, hostel star ratings have little to do with the price of the hostel and more to do with the overall cleanliness, staff, activities etc. You can find 4 star rating hostels that are super cheap. For example this hostel in Sydney is an award-winning hostel with a 4.5 star rating but has rooms starting at $40/night. Booking a 4 star or higher hostel is a good guarantee you are going to have a good experience.Â
- Research
Don’t be afraid to search different sites to find the best hostel for you at the best price. Check sites like Hostelworld, Bookings, Hostelbookers and of course Google. It is always good to check the hostel’s actually website to see if they have any promotions.
- When in doubt go HI!
HI stands for Hostelling International, and is a charity that manages a group of not-for-profit youth hostel associations in over 80 countries. I personally have never had a bad experience at one of their hostels. They are clean, have friendly staff, cool vibes and are affordable. If I am travelling and am looking to stay at a hostel, they are the first I check, because I have had great experiences time after time.
Those are my four tips to find good hostels that are only going to add to your trip! Hopefully these help you out!
Wishing you only happy, clean and fun hostel experiences,
Love you,
