Savvy Advice for Choosing a Hostel

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Need help choosing a hostel? Read on!

Quick Rundown

If you’re trying to see the world city by city, hostels are a great lodging option to utilize along the way. Choosing a hostel, however, can be tricky and daunting. If you’re heading to Europe or Latin America, there will likely be a TON of choices.

If you’re wondering if hostels are right for you and want to read up on them a bit, check out this post on hostels vs hotels.

Choosing a Hostel That’s Right For You

Here, we’ll go over the criteria to consider when looking for a hostel and choosing the one to grace with your business. When searching, you’ll want to consider the following criteria:

• Location
• Price
• What’s included
• What else is offered
• Reviews

Let’s take a look at each of these and wrap things up with an overview of how to choose the best hostel for you.

Choosing the Location of the Hostel

When I’m choosing a hostel, location is the first thing I look for, though it is not the deciding factor. I usually have a general idea of where I would like to stay based on cursory research of the city, its activities, and the sites I’d like to visit.

Most lodging search platforms out there have a map feature that will show you where all of your options are located. That’s where I usually start. Proximity to the important things you want to be involved in during your visit is important.

If you’re within walking distance of many of the things you want to do, not to mention restaurants and bars and nightlife, you’ll save a ton of money on transportation.

You’ll want to do a little cursory research about the safest area of town also. While in general, hostels are safe and a great option, not all areas in all cities are safe. Keep that in mind.

Is the Price Right?

Obviously, price is going to be a factor. With hostels though, the price is not going to be much different from one place to the next. When hotel searching, there could be a difference of hundreds of dollars per night. With hostels, it will only be a few dollars, maybe ten at most.

Still though, everything is relative to the topic at hand. And hostels are our topic at hand, so you’ll want to take note of prices and compare them, with the other criteria below to help decide which one is the right one for you.

What’s Included?

This is a big one for me and should be for you too. Usually, I simply make recommendations, but here I’ll flat out say: choose a hostel with breakfast included.

The prices are usually about the same as the places without one included, so you might as well take the breakfast.

Take note of other inclusions and extras on the hostel’s description page on the booking platform. Some charge for use of the lockers. That’s a negative for me. The common practice is free use of the lockers but offering locks at an additional price.

This leaves it up to the traveler to bring their own lock. But since we are savvy travelers, we know to do that, right? (I have a whole post about hostel lockers to catch you up.)

You’ll also want to note what else is included. Towels are usually available at an additional price but are sometimes included. That will save you a few dollars if you didn’t pack a travel towel.

Sometimes there will be a drink at the bar included with each night of your stay. This is an added bonus that I’ve always found attractive.

What Services/Activities are Available?

Hostels that offer a 24-hour reception or concierge are a good choice. If they put this in their description, it adds trust to booking activities or tours directly through the hostel.

I recommend doing this whenever possible. The prices are almost always better than out in the tours and guides you find out on the streets.

Some of the best hostels offer tours and activities of their own. This is a good sign, to me. It means they have enough volume of travelers to make their own tour, and the price is good enough to compete with the larger companies.

I usually find activities booked or provided by the hostel to have better value than the ones I find by advertisements, walking into a tour office, or being approached by guides or salespeople. If the hostel provides or books the experience, they will likely stand by it.

This gives me some comfort. When you go on a tour and something goes wrong, or it’s a bad tour, the tour company doesn’t care, they’ve got your money already.

If the hostel puts you on a bad tour, they’re likely to help you get reimbursed or otherwise compensated. Especially if they provide it, and something goes awry, which does happen sometimes. Flat tires, inclement weather, bad things happen. When they do, I find it much easier to work with the hostel to fix it.

Reviews: What to Look for When Choosing a Hostel

During my process of choosing a hostel, I always spend time, probably too much time, if we’re being truthful, on reading reviews. When reading through reviews, I’m looking for comments on the following:

• Cleanliness
• Friendliness of the staff
• The comfort of the beds
• The temperature of the showers
• Bathroom situation

Cleanliness

The cleanliness of hostels is important. There are a lot of people walking, eating, and simply laying around. If the staff isn’t on top of cleanliness, there can be funky smells, mold, and the transmission of athlete’s foot.

When reading reviews, if you see more than one negative review about cleanliness, dig deeper to see if it’s a recurring theme, or if they’re outliers. Sometimes, there will be a few bad comments about cleanliness.

Then there will be a bunch that say, “I’m not sure what these bad comments on cleanliness are about, this place is great and super clean!”

If you find a bunch like that, it might still be worth a try. Lots of comments on good cleanliness are a great sign!

Staff Friendliness

This factor has a lot to do with how your overall experience at the hostel will be. If you choose a hostel in the perfect location that offers every activity you want to do but the staff isn’t friendly, you won’t have a great overall experience.

Hostels know this, and usually keep up quite well on keeping bad eggs out of their staff. The majority of hostels I’ve stayed at have all been quite friendly. When choosing a hostel and reading their reviews, look for comments on this.

The Comfort of the Beds

This one isn’t a total dealbreaker, but more of a bonus. If you see comments about the beds being new or comfortable, that’s a great sign! In my experience though, an uncomfortable bed in an otherwise great hostel does not take away from the experience at all.

When traveling on a budget, you sort of expect to experience a bit of discomfort. The old saying, “You get what you pay for,” rings true here. So, if you see reviews mentioning very comfortable beds, it’s a great sign, but take everything else into account as well.

Another thing I look for now is curtains around the beds. This is becoming more popular since 2020 (gee, I wonder why). This is a trend I can get on board with. The main knock on hostels is the lack of privacy.

Well, now some places have put a sliding curtain on the bed, giving you the ability to transform your bed into a personal space. With the curtain closed, you can worry less about leaving the light on late if you want to read.

You can sleep in your underwear (or less) if you’re somewhere really hot that doesn’t have good air conditioning, or if you just want to.

The addition of that curtain gives you an entirely different experience that allows you to draw your own line of privacy. If you’re a new hostel traveler and try a place with curtains on the beds, you’ll be hooked!

The Temperature of the Showers

Speaking from experience, a cold shower can ruin a day. I just said how an uncomfortable bed in a great hostel won’t put a damper on the overall experience. Well, the opposite is true of a cold shower.

If I take a cold shower in an otherwise great hostel, I walk away pretty salty about it. This could be a personal thing for me, but it’s definitely worth taking note of and watching for reviews that mention it.

Shared Bathroom Situation

Let me tell you what I mean by this. I’ve stayed in a six-person room, with three bunk beds and one bathroom. That one bathroom had two stalls and two showers. That’s a pretty good situation.

I’ve also stayed in an eight-person room that didn’t have a bathroom in it. There was a bathroom in the hall that had two stalls and two showers. There was also another eight-person room across from us sharing that bathroom.

That’s almost three times as many people sharing the same amount of bathroom space. And get this, one of the stalls didn’t have a door on it, and one of the showers didn’t have hot water!

Talk about two very different experiences. Going back through the reviews of the latter hostel, I saw some comments that mentioned this sharing situation (not the maintenance issues, I try to give them a break for that).

Learn from my mistakes. Watch for reviews that mention the bathroom situation.

Where to Look and Book

There are a lot of options for finding information on and booking hostel beds. Some are even hostel specific like Hostel World.

I have however had the best luck with Booking.com (Booking dot yeahhh, if you have seen the commercials). I’ve found it to be a far more flexible option.

Some websites require prepayment in advance, or upon check-in. This makes it very difficult to make changes and almost impossible to get your money back if you leave early.

Let’s face it, changes happen. Things come up that you didn’t plan. You may want to leave early to a different destination you didn’t plan on. You may want to extend your stay where you are to enjoy it a little longer.

Maybe you met a local and want to add some time to your stay and see if the chemistry is real. Hey, a guy can dream.

Booking.com reservations I’ve found to be the most flexible. This is important to me. The few issues I have had were handled gracefully by their customer service team. I also find the interface of their app to be very user-friendly.

They have a rewards program too that offers additional discounts and perks. I have found it to be the best way to research and book rooms.

Hostel FAQs

Is It Dangerous to Stay in a Hostel Alone?

No. In fact, most people that stay in hostels are traveling alone. Couples usually stay in hotels for privacy. Friend duos or groups will stay in hostels sometimes for the experience, but it can be close to the same price to split a room sometimes.

Most of the people you’ll see and meet at the hostel are other solo travelers. People trying to see the world and not break the bank. That’s the hostel lifestyle.

Don’t forget what we went over above. Oftentimes hostels have more security rules and precautions than regular hotels.

Is staying in a hostel dangerous if you’re alone? Absolutely not. In fact, it’s ideal. We even have a whole post about hostel safety!

Are Hostels Scary?

This one might seem silly to you. I hope it does, actually. This question is like the warning label on products that everyone wonders why it’s even there. Because believe it or not, there are people that need it.

I’d be embarrassed to tell you the number of times I’ve mentioned staying in a hostel and someone responded with, “Isn’t that scary?”

No! It’s not scary at all. Usually, when you walk into a hostel, you’re greeted by a receptionist and see the common area immediately. Since it is the first impression, hostels put a great deal of effort into making sure the common area is clean and welcoming.

You’ll see a few people scattered around with laptops and earbuds working. Or maybe they’re grouped together and talking about the day they had and comparing experiences. Sometimes there’s even a theater room where everyone can gather to watch a movie.

Does that sound scary? I think not!

What Are the Advantages of Staying in a Hostel?

If you want a deep dive into the advantages of staying in a hostel, check out our post about how hostels compare to hotels.

We’ll touch on them here too since you’re here. When you stay in a hostel the advantages are:

• Breakfast – If you’ve followed our advice on choosing a hostel, you’ve chosen one that includes breakfast. Take advantage of this even if it’s not exactly what you want in the morning. It’s a good chance to meet people or plan out your day over a coffee.
• Price – Hostels are the most budget-friendly way to travel, hands down. There are reasons for that, of course, but if you’re trying to travel on a budget (even if you’re not), stay in a hostel.
• Meeting People – The opportunities to meet people and make friends while staying in a hostel will be more than any other lodging choice you can come up with. With all the shared spaces you won’t be able to help but make some new friends
• Activities – When you stay in a hotel, you get recommendations aimed at tourists. These will always be the most expensive options. When you stay at a hostel, they’ll give you budget-friendly recommendations and even help you find the best deals.

What Are the Disadvantages of Staying in a Hostel?

Are there some disadvantages? Sure. I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, but we should mention them in the interest of covering everything.

• Privacy – This is the big one. There are a lot of shared spaces, spaces we’re used to having to ourselves. This takes a bit of getting used to.
• Can be Noisy – Some hostels have bars where music plays late into the night making it hard to sleep if you go to bed early. One of our 15 tips for sleeping in hostels is don’t forget your earplugs and sleep mask from our hostel packing list to give you the best sleep possible.
• Shower Time – Sometimes it can be hard to catch a shower, depending on how many people are sharing it, and what everyone’s hostel etiquette is like. I’ve grown to not plan my showers, but instead to take one whenever I get the chance.
• Easier to Lose or Misplace Items – In a hotel, you just dump your stuff wherever and pick it all up when you check out. In a hostel though, I find it easier to keep everything sort of packed and only take out what I need when I need it. This can make it easier to lose or misplace something. Not to mention, if you do, there’s the chance someone else will pick it up.

Summing Up Choosing a Hostel!

I’ve given you all the information you need to go about choosing your hostel. All that’s left to do now is pack up and do it!

Wherever you’re going, and whatever method you use for choosing your hostel, use this information to help you. Take everything we talked about into account and choose the one that has the right combination of all these criteria for you.

If you find one and enjoy it, shoot me an email and tell me about it! I love hearing about adventures, especially if you used any of my writing to help you.

Have fun out there!