Now that we've covered hostelling basics, here's what you need to know to book your stay.
So you’ve read through the hostel series and you’ve decided that staying in a hostel is the perfect way to save money on your next trip. Now what?
Of course, you want to book, and thanks to modern technologies, hostels around the world are mere keystrokes away.
Once you’ve decided on your itinerary, you’ll want to visit one of the online booking engines such as Boots’n’All, Hostel World, or Hostels.com. One of the nice things about booking through these sites is that they not only offer the ability to reserve your space, but they have property profiles and even ratings and reviews from other travelers who have used those hostels.
Search for hostels in your desired areas…but don’t book just yet.
Read the listings for the hostels you choose, taking care to note things such as rules and regulations, amenities and any age restrictions (some welcome all travelers, while others are aimed at college students). Make sure the hostel is located near areas you want to see or at least near public transportation such as a bus line that will take you around town.
Then utilize the power of the search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) and do a search for the hostel(s) you’ve chosen. Often times, if travelers have had a very positive or very negative visit, they’ll have it posted on a blog somewhere, along with photos of their stay at the hostel.
You also may find the hostel’s own website and this can be a wealth of information. There may even be specials listed on the site that are not available through the booking engines, in which case you may want to book directly with the hostel. If you have any further questions, there should be contact information on the website. Shoot them an email or call. It’s important that you don’t have any major questions about the hostel left by the time you’re ready to reserve a space.
Once you’ve done your research on the hostels, you’re ready to book. Regardless of whether you use the booking engines or go direct, note the cancellation and deposit rules. Either print out the pages or write them down in a notebook. And of course, once you book, also note the confirmation number or print out the confirmation page. You’ll want to bring these with you, just in case something should happen with your trip or reservation.
About two weeks before your trip, send the hostel an email with something along the lines of “I’m writing to reconfirm my reservation and by the way, is anything cool happening in town or at the hostel during my stay?” Often you’ll end up finding something fun to add to your itinerary. It’s also a good way to make sure there’s no advance problems with your reservation.
Remember that while you’re giving up luxury and a level of privacy, you have the opportunity to not only save money, but interact with other travelers that you might never had gotten to meet had you stayed in a hotel. Enjoy your stay!
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