How to Hostel: A Beginner’s Guide to Staying in Hostels
One of my favorite ways to travel is by staying in hostels. They’re cheap. They’re fun. They host events that help you experience more of the city you’re visiting. They makes solo travel less lonely. Here’s a guide on how to find great hostels, what to pack for them, basic etiquette, and ways to meet new travel buddies!
Note that there are a few product recommendations in this post. If you purchase any products using the Amazon links I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you.
Finding a Hostel
Doing your research when picking a hostel can make a huge difference between having a great hostel experience or a horrible one. Luckily, there’s some great resources to help you narrow down the right hostel. Hostelworld is my go-to for finding highly-rated hostels. You can filter your search to be above a certain rating to save you some time in your search. Each hostel listed in Hostelworld has a detailed list of amenities, photos, and reviews.
The information on Hostelworld is usually all that’s necessary. However, there’s additional resources available if further research is needed or desired. Booking.com and Google shows options for hostels as well that may have additional reviews or better prices. Additionally, many hostels have their own websites and social media accounts that showcase the hostel’s atmosphere. Sometimes hostels will offer discount for directly booking with them.
Another factor to consider when researching hostels is the social atmosphere. If a hostel hosts a lot of events, such as walking tours and game nights, that’s a good sign that you’ll easily meet other travelers there. Another sign to look for is photos of common areas in the hostel – common areas are where socializing happens, so a lack of that may indicate the hostel isn’t as social. The most telling information of whether or not a hostel is good for socializing is the reviews. The best part of hostels is the social atmosphere, so that’s one of the main things someone will talk about in their review of a hostel.
Some hostels take the social atmosphere to another level by making themselves a party hostel! If a hostel has pub crawls/drinking games every night, then that’s a great indication that it’s a party hostel. Some party hostels even put “party” in their name to make it even easier to determine the vibe! If you want a social hostel but not so much a party hostel, be sure to look for those signs as well.
One last thing to keep in mind during your hostel search is that not every city has hostels – or if they do, they’re not good hostels. If you don’t find a hostel that’s well-reviewed in the city you’re visiting, then you’re better off finding a hotel or Airbnb. Saving some money isn’t worth risking your safety or comfort!
What to Pack
There’s a few key essentials to pack for hostels. For starters, shower shoes are a must since you’ll be using communal showers. Flip flops are perfectly fine, but if you want fast-drying shoes bring sandals with holes in the soles. Many hostels either include towels or let you rent a towel for your stay for $1-2. If you’d prefer to bring your own, then bring a towel that packs small and dries quickly. Even if you prefer renting towels, it’s nice to have a towel on hand in case you need a beach towel or picnic blanket.
Another essential item to pack is a lock. A good hostel should have lockers available for you to store your personal belongings. A lot of lockers, however, don’t come with locks, so it’s really helpful to bring your own. Longer locks are better to have so they’re more flexible with varying locker sizes. If you don’t have a lock, then many hostels sell or rent them for cheap. My favorite lock is one that I bought at a hostel!
Depending on how light of a sleeper you are, a sleeping mask and earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones are great to have. Since everyone is on their own schedules in a shared dorm, it’s likely that there will be people leaving early in the morning for a flight or coming home from a pub crawl late at night. Usually people try to be considerate of others, but noise happens, so having items to help you sleep is handy. If you find yourself needing ear plugs, many hostels offer free or really cheap ear plugs. Hostel beds usually have one power outlet, so it’s helpful to have a wall charger with multiple USB ports. Don’t forget to bring a power adapter when traveling to different countries!
Many hostels don’t have elevators or lockers that would fit a checked bag, so it’s great to limit your bags to carry-on size only if possible. Backpacks are a very popular option amongst hostel-goers – my favorite is the Osprey 70L, especially since it comes with a detachable daypack that can count as your personal bag on planes. Admittedly, I can pack a lot more in my Away carry-on suitcase, so that’s my preferred choice for longer trips. It’s an expensive bag, but worth every penny!
As an avid overpacker, I use compression packing cubes to fit a lot in carry on sized bags. The compression packing cube set I linked also comes with a clear toiletry bag that is London-Heathrow airport security approved (iykyk). There’s also many packing cubes that don’t compress if you tend to pack lighter, such as this one. Another bonus of packing cubes is that they help you stay organized, which is crucial when having your belongings in a shared space.
Unlike with hotels, many hostel showers don’t have complimentary toiletries – if they do, it’s usually just body wash. If you’re normally a toiletry-moocher like myself, then don’t forget to pack your own toiletries. Also, since you’ll need to keep your toiletries in a bag, it’s a great idea to use a toiletry bag that makes organization easy with a hook for hanging.
Hostel Etiquette
Since you’ll be sharing space with other travelers during your hostel stay, there’s some etiquette to keep in mind. The most important one is to respect quiet hours. If someone is sleeping in the room, be considerate of that. Don’t slam things around if you need to pack up your bag (ideally, pack up your bag the night before if you have an early morning flight). If you’re traveling with a friend and need to talk to them, whisper to them – or even better, communicate via text. Another important etiquette is to clean up after yourself. It’s usually a good idea not to leave your toiletries laying around in the shared bathroom space. When you use dishware in the kitchen space, hostels usually ask you to wash them when you’re done using them.
Tips for Mingling
Remember freshman year of college when everyone was open to meeting each other in the dorms? Hostels are usually like that. Don’t be afraid to join a group of people in common areas and introduce yourself! As an introvert, I understand how daunting that can be. Luckily, with many hostels hosting activities like walking tours and pub crawls, it’s really easy to meet people through these activities. As a woman, I’ve had an easier time meeting people in my room when staying in an all-female dorm, so if you’re a female traveler that’s a great way to meet other travelers as well. Hang out in the common areas, and it’s likely that other people will come and join you – just don’t look too busy if you’re wanting to meet people!
When you’re at the right hostel with the right people, your experience can greatly enhance your trip. Some of the travelers you meet may even become your future travel buddies! Hopefully with these tips you’ll be prepared to have an amazing hostel experience for yourself!
