Budget travel – is there the right hostel for you?
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Hostelling was once considered an exclusive area for college students traveling to Europe for the first time. However, hosteling has come to cover all ages and all types of people. When traveling on a budget, staying in a hostel can be a great experience for the adventurous traveler.
Of course, hostel travel isn't for everyone. Some travelers prefer to spend the extra money and stay alone. In general, boarded trips are best suited for solo travelers or groups of young people traveling together. Hostels are generally not recommended for families with small children. Many hostels do not accept children under a certain age.
Most hostels are set up as dormitory-style rooms, with numerous his bunk beds placed throughout the room. The number of his bunk beds in the rooms varies, with an average of 4-10 beds per room. Each traveler is assigned a specific her bunk bed at check-in.
Nearly all hostels in the United States separate their accommodations by gender, with female guests in one block and male guests in another. In multi-floor dormitories, each gender is often assigned a specific floor or group of floors.
However, in many European locations and elsewhere around the world, many mixed-gender dorm rooms share rooms.If this is a concern, be sure to ask. As a female solo traveler, I have personally never had a problem with this arrangement and have stayed in hostels all over Europe, including Rome, London and Amsterdam. I was surprised.
Bathroom facilities in hostels also vary: some rooms have shared bathrooms and showers, while others have showers and bathroom facilities down the hall. If this is an important consideration, be sure to inquire about toiletries when booking.
Also, reservations are becoming more and more important in hostels, especially during the summer months in popular locations. Travelers usually just drop by a hostel to secure a bed, but it's not uncommon for hostels in popular tourist destinations to be fully booked for months.
The main attraction of staying in a hostel is of course the price. Hostel nightly rates he rarely exceed $25 or $30 per night, and most hostel accommodations are much cheaper. Given that the average hotel room is in the $100-$150 range in many places, it's easy to see why hostels are becoming more popular.
Additionally, most hostel staff are very friendly and knowledgeable of the local area. Many staff at some luxury hotels travel from the suburbs and rarely see the city they live in, while hostel staff tend to live in their own city and ask which attractions to visit. etc. have a deep knowledge of local attractions...don't miss it, this is a waste of money.
Additionally, hostels often have access to discounts and coupons for local area attractions and restaurants, and hostels can provide valuable information about the best restaurants at the lowest prices in the area.
Hostel stays aren't for everyone, and the local hostel can never be mistaken for the Ritz-Carlton, but hostels are affordable accommodation for travelers on a budget. After all, the purpose of travel is to get out and see the world, and with boarding travel, you can use your limited travel budget to do just that.
