With summer travels around the corner, hosteling can be one of the most memorable experiences of any trip. Cheaper than your standard forms of accommodation, it allows you to visit a destination and meet other people from around the world. If you have never stayed in a hostel before, don’t worry; here is a quick, up-to-date guide on how to choose, book, and use a hostel.
SIMONE SANTERRE/THE VARSITY
Picking a hostel
I find that HostelBookers is the easiest hostel-booking website to navigate, and have been around for a long time, so the hostels in its listings have the most reviews. Here are a few things to consider when you’re searching for your next hostel:
- High ratings, low price: The key is to find a hostel that has both a high rating and a low nightly price. I start off with putting a low-to-high price filter, and reviewing which of the cheapest hostels get the best ratings.
- Location, location, location: Find a place that is close to all of your desired destinations, whether it be nightlife, the beach, or all the key sightseeing places.
- Size matters: Book a larger dorm if possible. It will be cheaper (every extinct penny counts), you will meet more people, and once you’re in any room bigger than a four-person dorm, the experience is essentially the same (earplugs are a dorm-sleeper’s best friend).
- Meals make the deal. See if the hostel has any meal deals or meals included. A free continental breakfast saves a lot of cash, and a cheap hostel with a free hot breakfast is like hitting the jackpot!
- Bathroom checks. Check where the bathroom is. All prices and other variables equal, I would choose a hostel with an eight-bed dorm with an ensuite bathroom over a hostel with a six-bed dorm but no bathroom nearby. It makes life a lot easier.
- Consider lifestyles. Decide what you ultimately want from the hostel. I personally go for smaller, more communal hostels, while many people love the craziness of a party hostel.
- Peruse the pictures. Finally, check out the pictures to see if you like the overall look of the place and to get a general feeling of what the vibes are like. Your number-one priority should be safety and comfort, and pictures are usually a huge factor in your final decision.
Booking a hostel
The booking process is simple. You have the option to pay in the currency that suits you, and it is generally required of you to pay 10 per cent up front as a deposit. If your trip is more on-the-fly, then you don’t have to make a reservation, and can just show up and pay on-site. However it will obviously be a gamble when it comes to the hostel’s availability. Sometimes, a hostel will have a better rate on its personal website, so if you have the time, give that a look as well. Once you decide on the hostel and room size, consider staying more than one night. Book a few nights at least, that way your trip becomes less about packing and unpacking and more about exploring!
Using a hostel
Check in! Most hostels operate just like a hotel: they have check-in and check-out times, front desk staff, and will kindly show you to your room. If you pick a dorm room, then find your bed — either chosen or assigned — and make it yours. Then check the place out: Where are the bathrooms and showers? Where is the hostel pub? You want to be able to make it back to your bed and bathroom if you happen to be stumbling home late at night after some pints. Most hostels will have lockers for your bags, either in the room or near-by, so make sure to use them if you are going out(safety tip: if you really don’t feel safe in any way, don’t be scared to just leave and head to another hostel; you don’t have to see these people again, and most hostels will simply refund your money and beg you not to write a bad review). Finally, the most important part of checking in to your hostel is to be sure to meet your roommates. They just might be your future best friends!
