Before solo traveling to what has now topped 40 countries, I had wondered if staying in hostels was safe. Horror stories (and a certain movie franchise) didn’t exactly assuage my fears. Yet, I knew that staying in luxury hotels would not take me very far on a backpacker’s budget.
By utilizing the free Hostelworld app, buying a trusty lock, and respecting hostel rules, you too can safely enjoy stays in hostels all over the world. Along your journey, you will be able to save your hard-earned dollars, and even turn once strangers into lifelong friends!
While booking the average hostel stay may seem easy enough to navigate, below are helpful pointers to save time and build confidence in booking your next journey. Also, read about what locks to buy, and hostel rules to follow so as to contribute to a safe and enjoyable stay for all.
What is a Hostel?
Hostels are establishments that offer inexpensive lodging for travelers; generally, but not limited to, young adults and students. By sharing the kitchen, living room, and sleeping spaces, hostels have the unique ability to build trust and community while saving guests lots of money.
Oftentimes, the best hostels offer free experiences to bring guests together such as movie nights, bar crawls, or trivia nights. These events are not compulsory, but a great way for travelers to meet, connect and have fun. In fact, I met many of my all-time favorite international friends in hostels, simply by striking up a conversation at these engagements.
Familiarize Yourself with Hostelworld
While hostels can be fun and friendly places, you need to equip yourself with as great a possibility of staying in the cleanest and safest establishments possible. By downloading the free Hostelworld app through the App Store or Google Play, you can search for the perfect fit based on your particular standards.
On the app, backpackers from all over the world rate their hostel stays, including their opinions about staff care, overall cleanliness, value, and, most importantly, personal safety. Hostels post daily vacancies, hoping to woo guests-to-be to book their stay.
Individual listings also include photos of the hostel and a deep well of reviews of past verified guests. The best spots inevitably rise to the top of search results. Increase your chances of a great stay by utilizing specific search filters.
Utilize Filters in Your Search
When staying amongst strangers, your personal comfort level is key. Fortunately, Hostelworld helps make customizing your experience quite easy. After plugging in your destination and dates, you can refine your search results by price, distance, and, most importantly, rating.
I will rarely consider staying at hostels rated lower than an overall score of 8.5 out of 10. If it passes that initial test, then I will begin clicking on individual listings to read backpacker reviews, examine location, view photos, and potentially add it to my list of maybes.
When narrowing your search, exercise common sense. Within seconds, it is obvious if a particular hostel is intimate or large, quiet or party-like. Read reviews to reinforce your intuition (or confirm your suspicion!).
Hostel experiences are customizable in that they offer a variety of types of rooms. Generally, there are multiple dormitory rooms, each set up in a bunk bed format. Usually, there are mixed-gender and female-only room options available. My gal pals have emphasized, for both safety and peace of mind, how important the latter option is for hostels to offer.
Generally, the more people you share your sleeping quarters with, the cheaper the cost. While 12- and even 16-bed spaces are available for penny-pinching hostelers, I generally choose to share a 4- or 6-bed room. Fewer disruptions often occur here; snoring, folks coming in at all hours, or, even, canoodling! Private rooms are available but can begin to rival the price of hotels.
Incidentally, bathrooms are generally divided by gender, although in-suite bathroom options exist, and are listed at a premium, when available.
Book It!
Once you have found your ideal hostel and room type in your Hostelworld search, securely pay with a credit card to book your stay. You will generally front a non-refundable deposit of about 15% to secure your spot, and pay the remainder upon arrival.
I usually book two nights ahead of arriving at a new destination. It strikes a nice balance of not having to check out the very next morning, but also offers an “out”, if the chosen hostel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
In the rare instance, I have ever had a problem with a rowdy roommate, most commonly an innocently loud snorer, the hostel employee on duty has always helped me immediately relocate to a comparable, quieter room.
Purchase a Good Lock
Hostels will provide a locker for you in your room, but the lock is your responsibility. I have never had anything stolen from me through my hundreds of hostel stays. A big reason for this is that I lock up my valuables. I travel with at least two locks to accommodate different locker styles, and, also, if one gets lost along the way.
If you prefer to keep a hidden key with you, this durable Master Lock is the way to go. Otherwise, if you like the option of a resettable combination, go with this Brinks Home Security Lock. I personally like and use both types.
Follow the Rules
Upon check-in, a hostel employee will run through a list of your rules and expectations. You will likely have to sign a document promising to abide by these guidelines with the possibility of being removed from the premises if in violation.
The biggest offenses include drug use, sneaking in outside guests, destroying property, or disturbing guests during quiet hours. Fortunately, our collective universe of hostelers understands these guiding principles, and everybody largely respects one another.
If another hosteler is ever harassing you in any way that makes you uncomfortable, consult an employee, who will help find a discreet solution that helps keep you safe.
Key Takeaways
Properly utilizing Hostelworld to book your hostel stays will help keep you safe while traveling. By familiarizing yourself with its key features, you will find the safest hostels that also help connect you with awesome like-minded travelers from all over the world. Buy a good lock, follow hostel rules, and have fun exploring!
