Rookie Vagabonders

1. What is a hostel exactly?
2. How much is this going to hurt my bank account?
3. What kinds of rooms can I book?
4. Do I have to share a room with the opposite sex?
5. Should I bring my own pillow and blankets?
6. How does the bathroom situation work?
7. What kinds of amenities and services do hostels provide?
8. Where can I store my stuff while I’m out vagabonding?
9. What’s the food situation…I’m hungry!
10. What’s the deal with lockouts and curfews?
11. What is Hostelling International (HI/IYHF) and why should I care?
12. What are Independent Hostels?
13. How do I make reservations to stay in a hostel?
14. Do hostels have bedbugs?
15. Thanks for NOT answering my question. Where can I go to get more info?

---

1. What is a hostel exactly?

A hostel is an affordable accommodation for travelers that can be best described as part-dormitory, part-hotel. They provide the bare essentials: a bed equipped with a pillow and blankets (most require that you rent sheets, and sometimes a blanket, but you may also be able to bring your own) and bathroom facilities. Many hostels offer breakfast as part of the price and often have a kitchen available for guests to use as they like. Remember kids, hostels are really only made for sleeping, because you’re supposed to be exploring and experiencing the sights, so don’t expect too much. Oh, and bring your own towels!

Back to Top

2. How much is this going to hurt my bank account?

Hostels are really affordable and will quickly become your best friend as you traverse the globe. They usually range from $10.00 - $35.00 (per person, per night), but they average around $20. Larger cities are obviously more expensive, and depending on the currency, some places will be cheaper than others (i.e. London is on the Pound, so if you’re converting from American dollars…yeah, it’s probably gonna hurt a little bit). Also, hostels determine the price by how many beds are in each room, so if you want to save a buck, go for the dorm style rooms, which may be more crowded but are definitely cheaper (and really fun!)

Back to Top

3. What kinds of rooms can I book?

Most hostels offer a choice of private or dorm-style accommodation. Private rooms usually house one to two people and are slightly more expensive, but they’re nice if you want your own space or are a little worried about your stuff getting stolen. Dormitories can range from 4 to 20 beds in a room, usually in bunk bed style.

Back to Top

4. Do I have to share a room with the opposite sex?

Absolutely not, boys and girls, it all depends on your preference. Almost every hostel gives you the choice of staying in a single-gender room or mixed dorms, so it’s completely up to you. You’ve probably all heard the horror stories of mixed-gendered rooms (or can imagine them at least), but, having stayed in both types, I really didn’t find too much of a difference between them.

Back to Top

5. Should I bring my own pillow and blankets?

Hostels almost always provide a pillow, but it’s a little touch and go as to whether they’ll give you blankets, sheets and pillow cases. If they don’t provide them, they will always give you the option to rent linens from them and some hostels might even require that you do this (i.e. they don’t let you bring your own stuff). If you do decide to rent, you’ll usually pay for this ‘luxury’ when you check in, along with other added fees/deposits for things like keys etc. Check the fine print either on the hostel’s own website or whatever search site you’re using (hostelworld!) to see what is included in the price.

Back to Top

6. How does the bathroom situation work?

You guys can pretty much expect to share a bathroom, and I can’t promise that it won’t be unisex either. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, hostels offer en-suite bathrooms in their shared dorms, meaning you don’t have to walk down the hall to do your business (but you’ll still be sharing it with everyone in the room.) Some private rooms have their own en-suite bathrooms, but this is pretty rare. Sharing a bathroom in a hostel is really no different than in a college dorm, so it’s honestly not too bad. But I would recommend reading user reviews before you book a place, because people almost always comment on the bathroom, especially if they’re gross!

Back to Top

7. What kind of amenities and services do hostels offer?

It’s different from hostel to hostel, but here is a short list from Backpack Europe of things that most hostels will provide to us vagabonders:

• Key or key card for your room (usually a small deposit is required)
• Sheet, blanket, & towel rental (small fee or deposit)
• Train station and/or airport pick-up (usually free)
• Continental breakfast and/or coffee & tea (usually free, sometimes for a fee)
• Laundry facility access (small fee)
• Kitchen access (free)
• Internet access (sometimes free, but usually for a fee)
• Pay phone access
• Discounted meals
• In-house bar, cafe and/or restaurant
• Satellite TV (free)
• Travel & reading libraries, sightseeing material and book exchanges (free)
• Pool tables (usually free, but sometimes for a small fee)
• Bike rentals
• Book your next hostel (usually for free)
• Bookings for backpacking tours, day trips, city walks, walking tours, pub crawls etc.

Back to Top

8. Where can I store my stuff while I’m out vagabonding?

Almost every hostel offers some sort of storage room or locker to put your stuff while you’re out exploring the sights, either in the rooms themselves or someone else in the hostel. There is often a fee involved and it’s a good idea to bring your own lock if you want to be extra safe. A lot of times, rooms have outside locks so people will just leave their stuff on their bunk and take all their valuables with them in a money belt. I never had any problems with other vagabonders stealing my stuff, but just be smart and cover all your bases so as to not temp anyone looking to go shopping in your backpack.

Back to Top

9.What’s the food situation…I’m hungry

Many hostels have self-catering kitchens, so this is a great option for those who want to buy their own food and avoid having to go out for din dins. Also, a lot of hostels have their own restaurants and bars, which provide relatively good fare for vagabonders on a dime. Oh, and definitely try to book a hostel that provides breakfast, because even if it’s just a bag of bread and a toaster, it’s better than nothing!

Back to Top

10. What’s the deal with lockouts and curfews?

Some hostels practice these policies, although it’s definitely becoming less common. A lockout is basically when the hostel kicks you out for a certain period of time during the day, but this isn’t really too much of a problem because you’ll be sight seeing anyways! Some hostels have curfews at night, meaning you have to be back by a designated time or they lock you out. But don’t worry, there is almost always a clerk sitting at the front desk, so they’ll let you in if you have a key. Watch for this though, because if you forget your key or the hostel has a really strict policy, you might be out of luck!

Back to Top

11. What is Hostelling International (HI/IYHF) and why should I care?

Hostelling International is a non-profit hostel association that a lot of hostels belong to and offers membership to travelers. HI hostels don’t require that you be a member to stay there, but there is usually a supplementary charge on top of the nightly price for those who don’t have an HI card. I never became a member during my travels, but if you’re planning on staying in a place for more than 6 days, they advise that you buy one because it does save you money in the long run. Check out these pros and cons for staying in a HI hostel.

Back to Top

12. What are Independent Hostels?

As the name implies, independent hostels are owned and operated by individuals, families, or groups that are not associated with a large worldwide corporation like Hostelling International. From my experience, independent hostels tend to be less, well, corporate, meaning they aren’t as strict and have fewer rules and regulations (i.e. curfews and lockouts). But, whereas HI hostels are held to a similar, fairly high standard, independent hostels really vary in price and quality depending on who owns them. Check out these pros and cons for staying in an independent hostel.

Back to Top

13. How do I make reservations to stay in a hostel?

The best way to make a reservation is online through one of the large hostel search engine sites. It’s really only a matter of clicking on the “Book Now” button on any of these sites and choosing the dates and type of room you would like. Have your credit card handy, because every site I’ve used always requires that you pay with plastic. But if you’re uncomfortable putting in this information, you might want to try calling the hostel directly and booking that way, so you can pay when you get there. For the most part though, they’ll always want a credit card number so if you don’t show up, they can still charge you a cancellation fee…nice huh? Some of my favorite search sites are:

• Hostelworld
• Backpack Europe reservations
• Hostels.com

Back to Top

14. Do hostels have bedbugs?

This is kind of like the urban myth of hostels, and for the most part, this just isn’t true. Finding a nice, clean hostel does take some research though, so make sure you put in some quality time if you want to be guaranteed a nice place to stay. A little tidbit from a fellow vagabonder: the only time I ever got bitten by bedbugs was when I stayed in a hotel in Venice, so there you go.

Back to Top

15. Thanks for NOT answering my question. Where can I go to get more information?

Here are some more FAQs and tips you might want to check out:

• Backpack Europe
• Kathleen Crislip’s Student Travel Blog
• Hostelworld’s Tips
• Eurotrip’s FAQ

Back to Top