Do Hostels sound like a scary movie, No, and please don’t be swayed away with that unreal piece of fiction created by Hollywood. Hostels on the contrary are cool, absolutely safe and need we say cruelty free. Ask those students or backpackers who are on shoestring budget, or you might want to read a review by that solo female traveller who is little scared of this big world. They all will sing the same song that I bet. Merely because you ‘might’ have to share some things you shouldn’t refrain from this most diverse real estate property. So here we are with tips to stay in hostels.
Pick the right hostel. Yes you will have a choice and a mandate. These days there too many of them, especially in Europe! If you would like to party, pick one with bar, and without one if you want sound sleep. Look for amenities you need, like free wifi, free breakfast, free airport transfers, etc.
Making best out of hostel starts with getting out of the bed as early as you can, getting into bed as late as you can, and in middle of it try talking / connecting to most of the people on board. There is simply no place for privacy in hostels, but of course you’ll have closed enclosures for bathing!
Don’t carry plastic bags. They are great infiltrators of noise. They make very unpleasant sound that can disturb even the soundest of people. Stuff your belongings in packing cubes, they are best.
Hostels will not necessarily provide bed linens, toiletries, or towels so plan ahead and bring your own stock. You might also want to pack things like Ear Plugs, Eye Masks, and Hair dryers for obvious reasons. Trust me, the last thing you want to be stuck with is a towel less bath.
Try booking the hostel room with minimum number of beds. Less people, less disturbance, and comfortable stay! More people, more ruckus, and probably sleepless nights!
Always check if the hostel you are booking has locker facility or least lockable wardrobes in the room. Your safety is in your hands. Your passport, money, cards, camera, smartphones surely deserve a more secure place rather than lying loosely on bed, or under pillow.
More people in the room will mean more odours and probably germs too. To avoid spreading bad smells or catching up bacteria’s, have more showers per day. You will keep clean and also fresh.
There is usually a lot of rush in the hostel kitchen, because they don’t have many of them and obviously it is shared by all. So keep the dishes and recipes simple and quick. Try to include ready to cook meals in your gastronomy plans.
When booking the bed in hostels, try booking the bottom bunk. It is more convenient staying nearer to ground rather than be few foot up in air. It will also help you in charging your electronics easier. Another benefit is that you can hang your essentials down under the upper bunk.
Keep your plans flexible and subjected to change. Here is why. You will probably meet an awesome traveller in hostel with whom you will want to hang out, or you will probably learn about a new place that is uber cool which missed your itinerary. Trust me, these things will happen.
The idea was hostels is sharing rooms, but also it doesn’t hurts to book a single room especially if you are tired, or have to rush into another tiring journey two days from now, situations like these. With a single room too, you will stay in hostel and have all the perks of it.
Regularly wash your towels. They smell very easily, and also are great agent of germs. Wash them to avoid embarrassment of owning a stinky towel or catching up your next flu.
Hanging out in the common room is a great start to make most of the hostel stays, but do not sink your heads into your smart phones or tablets. This is the place where you got to keep your head high, and hands ready for a high five.
Free stuff is often not taken seriously. But Hostels can throw you some great free activities like walking tours, pub crawls, and in house parties. We bet that once you attend these, you will want to stay in more of hostels. We also suggest that you do not miss these great socializing opp.
Always keep extra locks for safety purpose that you are going to use on the lockers. Before hitting the night party at a hostel or even someplace out keep essentials like sleepwears, facewash etc. on your bed. This will make you not disturb your room mates in middle of night.
