Trust me, when I say that daydreaming and incepting your holidays is the easiest part of the trip. But when it comes to planning an itinerary, booking flights, choosing accommodation, setting budget, life becomes a roller coaster. Once you have decided to stay in a hostel, the next crusade begins of choosing the right one, and it is very crucial to success of your trip. Hostels are not just a bed or a shelter, day after day they are becoming experiences with so much to offer. So I recommend you pay extra attention while choosing a one. Here are few tips.
Mine for the reviews! It is a great place to start with. You can read from Google Reviews, or Tripadvisor, or Facebook reviews. But remember few bad ones are always there, but if overall rating is bad you got to move on. In reviews search for stories, and all that once a while amazing stuff.
Hostel means usually you are on a strict budget which means public transport and hitting the roads not the cabs. So you got to have access to a clean cosy bathroom where you can wash up the dirt of entire day. It’s vital and you shouldn’t compromise on it.
Personalized care or Industry standards, you have to pick one by choosing a family owned hostel or one of a hostel chains. Yes it makes a lot of difference in hospitality and fun customs.
Internet these days is a life support and wifi is obviously its facilitator. You can’t rely on free hotspot zones, airports, cafes, look for a hostel that has internet, free the better, or if paid then decide whether the hostel is worth that stash. It will keep you connected, and updated.
If you think Free Airport Transfers are not a big deal, then think again about safety and handy dollars you can save when you are on strict budget. Not convinced, try convenience on top of it.
All good hostels are in great locations, or we can also phrase this as, a great location makes a hostel good. But few hustlers will make hostel anywhere, stay away from them. It has to be centrally located, well connected, in vicinity of entertainment hubs, eating joints, and hangout points.
Wouldn’t world be nice place if Hostels had 24 hours Check in and check out time. Well here you can be the master of your own destiny. Match the hostel with your timing, if not then haggle a bit.
A hostel got to have baggage rooms or at least lockers. The first one for early check ins and outs, and second one for safety which applies to every traveller. These can save you from a possible trouble.
As I have already asserted that hostels are becoming more experiential than just accommodation. Many people seek hostel because of fun element. You too one of them, then look for indoor bars, pools, large common rooms or perhaps halls, a rooftop hangout area, board games, etc. etc.
In house F&B scene (Free breakfast, indoor bar) has to be good if you are travelling to expensive nations like Britain. But if to Vietnam, you can skip this criterion to choose on cheap local food.
Make full use of booking websites, they have lots of filters like price, location, room size, hostel size, amenities provided, and trust me lot more. It will help you in short listing the type of hostel you want. Once you do, you begin the best phase that living the hostel life.
In continuation to the above tip, I suggest you might do all the search, but don’t book online. Reasons are that walk in customers get attractive deals, and reality can’t be displayed in pictures.
Don’t take hostels too lightly, thinking this kind of bed and room (which is in bad shape) is worth the money I am paying in a HOSTEL. Guys hostels are not at all creepy, in fact standards have never been high to this date in hostel industry. It may be that you are just at wrong place.
If you don’t want to sleep a night, drink almost every hour, have games to freshen up, choose a large dorm, but on a contrary for little peace a little dorm will suit well. Your priorities, your choice!
Hostels been built lately or being revamped lately have great aesthetics, and are often invigorating. Before choosing a hostel, you might want to check how will you feel enclosed within those yellow, or may be red, or green walls. Interiors can gravely affect your mood.
Strict budgets can be one of top reasons you are choosing hostels. But don’t let that compromise your comfort. Cheapest hostel is not when you win. You win when experience is worth it.
IF you have always been a hotel person, and never ran short of budget during travels, and obviously has a good disposable income, do choose hostel with a private room. Trust me, you will cherish the hostel life in your own comfort zone. I personally believe that as a traveller you should try.
What happens in hostel, not always stays in hostel!
