Sleeping in a hostel

With the twenty-something traveller, hostels are the most obvious option. You might cringe at the thought, thinking it worse than camping for 4 days at Reading festival - but in reality, they're very cheap and convenient alternatives to hotels or villas. For the sake of it, a hostel is somewhere with X bed dorms and perhaps some private rooms - though you may come across them being called 'guesthouses' or 'homestays', the same applies. When debating the values of a hostel, remember this: 

It doesn't have to be a dorm room. Plenty of hostels have private rooms with en suite bathrooms - yes, it costs more than the 12 bed dorm, but you have to make a decision about cost vs being social. It's still probably cheaper than the same thing in a hotel. 

If you're in a big enough group, book out the whole dorm. Rather than go for private rooms, if you're in a group of 4+ book out the whole dorm, it will save you money, give you some extra security knowing everyone in the room and keep you all together. Then you know you and your friends always have your safe haven against anyone in the hostel who "doesn't get you".

Check reviews where safety is your number 1 concern. If you're staying in a hostel alone, safety should be top priority - you explore the city/island while your bags are left in a 6 bed dorm that is being ransacked. Check with the hostel beforehand whether they provide lockers and padlocks so you know if you need to bring anything.

Of course a hostel is not the best of places to be 100% of the time, but I'm an advocate of mixing it up - villa one week, hostel the next. It gives you a chance to experience it all. The most important thing to remember (besides the above) is that, if you're going to stay in a hostel - the cheaper alternative - make sure it's in a good location, if it's not you won't find any other travellers there and will spend what you saved on transport to the area you want to be visiting in the day.

Do you think you could hack hostel life? Please leave a comment to endorse that it's not so bad for any doubters out there!

x