In the last article, we discussed reasons why you should consider staying at a hostel on your next budget trip. It’s cheap, you meet a lot of interesting people and it can be a memorable experience.
But to be honest, hosteling isn’t the best match for everyone. Perhaps you’re used to a certain level of amenities while traveling. Perhaps the idea of communal living isn’t your idea of a relaxing trip. Each person is unique in what they need to enjoy themselves while traveling on a budget.
So in the interest of presenting both the good and bad of hosteling, here are some reasons why you might not want to book a stay at a hostel.
- You Like Your Privacy. Sleeping four or more to a room can be trying enough…now picture those extra people being complete strangers. Yikes! If the idea of sleeping in a room of strangers will make you uncomfortable, you may want to skip hostels, or at least consider paying more for the private rooms.
- You Don’t Like Sharing Bathrooms. If the bedrooms are communal, it stands to reason the bathrooms may be, as well. If the idea of showering in a room full of strangers with nothing more than a thin plastic curtain for privacy makes you uneasy, you’ll probably want to skip hosteling.
- You Need Peace and Quiet To Sleep. With so many communal areas and so many strangers in one room coming and going at different times, it can get pretty noisy. Not to mention there’s no guarantee your bed neighbor won’t be a heavy snorer. Again, you can try to book a private hostel room, but if you need to make sure it’s quiet when you sleep, you’ll probably want to skip the hostels.
- You Don’t Like Paying a Lot of Little Deposits or Fees. Some hostels charge deposits for room keys or items like towels and blankets, to guarantee that they’ll get them back when you leave. Some will even levy actual fees for these or other amenities. If this bothers you, hostelling may not be for you.
- You Overly Worry About the Safety of Your Belongings. Staying in a room full of strangers may make you worry about if your stuff will get stolen or not. While there is the small chance one of your roommates may be a bit shady, most hostels have locked doors on the rooms (with keys only given to the room occupants) and many have secure areas to store valuables like electronics while you’re out and about. But it’s not like having them hidden in an in-room safe in a hotel room. If carry a lot of expensive items while you travel (which you really shouldn’t anyways), you may not feel comfortable staying in a hostel.
- You Don’t Want to Share a Room With a Drinker, Smoker or Worse. Unless you travel with friends and book the whole room as a group, there’s no guarantee your roommate won’t have a few habits you disagree with, whether it’s drinking, smoking (cigarette or pot) or some other recreational habit. If you’re not open to this or have problems walking away and asking for another room, you might want to avoid hostels.
Now, if you have decided that you want to give hosteling a try, the next two articles will give you a primer on hostel etiquette and a checklist of things that will make your stay more pleasant.
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