Has anyone ever stayed at a Hostel?

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nathaniel_elkins

Expect crazy deranged killers and cannibals hunting you down!

hahah jk, nah its nice, I've never been to one either but i do know that its a comfortable little place....

minimaker

So you've already hosteled in the UK? Well, then you'll pretty much find the same thing in the mainland. Hostels differ from place to place. Some are fun, some are not. Some are clean, some are not. Etc. In general you can say that if you don't put your standards too high you should be ok and will be having a great time.

Some general things I can think of.
- City centre hostels are often more expensive while offering a fair lot less.
- Official "youth hostels" are often beter in quality but also often harder to reach (outskirt of towns etc). In any case, before booking anything - make sure you can get there.
- Carefull with those people offering lodgings when you arrive at a bus/trainstation. Some of those can be rather dodgy (bad location, dirty). No generalisation though.
- You may want to check what kind of hostel it is. Some are party places with a lot of socialising and little sleep. Others are quiet and better if you need to relax and sleep. And there are those which are more set-up for holiday workers.
- Keep an eye out for special hostels like the art prison in Prague and thsoe set up in antique or special buildings. They can be fun to visit.
- Check if they have lockers etc. Unfortunately a necessity.
- Internet access can be handy to keep in touch with everybody (I like to drop a line from time to time so I'm traceable).

Some things to take along:
- sandals (for going to the shower).
- padlocks.
- possibly sheet sleepingbag (some hostels require them and sometimes it's more comfy).
- cutlery, including a small sharp(!) kitchenknife if you want to cook yourself. Most hostels will have them but they are not always good quality.

What I usually do is that I check the lonely planet guide and internet on sites like http://www.hosteleurope.com. There I have a look at comments, ratings and locations. During busy periods like the summer I will book in advance as the risk of hostels being full is very big.

Ok, all I can think of right now. Hope this helps. Have fun! Travelling is a great experience.

melissa r

In 2003 I backpacked through Euro and UK. I stayed in hostels only. Its a great way to stay in a city on a budget. What to expect? All hotels are different. But the general idea is a bunk bed and shared bathrooms. These bathrooms can be well made for a traveler or just a regular bathroom like in anyones house with no shower curtain, LOL. The people you meet in hostels are really cool. Theyre like us, young and love to travel. And in general broke, lol. Just remember hostels are NOT at all like hotels. Being from the US I know friends and family who would take one look at a hostel and run....That's their loss. You'll love it. Pick the hostels you wanna stay at and try and find reviews for them on the intetrnet. www.bugeurope.com, www.tripadvisor.com and www.eurotrip.com are a few. Listen to what people say, if they say stay away, don't stay there. They will tell you the low down. Hostel was quiet, had a great kitchen, but was 10 miles from town....ect.
Things to remember:
1. It's not a hotel, don't expect the same lushness.
2. Always bring shower shoes or an old pair of flipflips for the shared showers
3.Invest in a neck wallet , bring it in the shower with you, never leave it alone.
4. buys small locks for your backpack.
5.HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats the easiest one:)

toots

We stayed in one in Narvik, Norway, and it was great. I understand it is wise to sleep with your valuables in the bed with you rather than just in your bags.

Don't listen to any scary stories here. I have traveled through out Europe and America and Australia and the youth hostels are mostly very nice and VERY safe.
They aren't always in the best part of town, so don't leave valuables there while you're gone. The rule is: take your passport, cash of any kind--ie traveler's checks etc, with you at ALL times. Some have lockers with locks so carry of combination lock with you to lock your stuff up. The ones in Europe and outside US are mush nicer than the USA ones.
Call ahead and make a reservation so you're sure to have a bed, otherwise they fill up and it's first come first serve.
Sounds fun..I'm jealous. Bon Voyage'.

Ravin

Do you really put that much weight into movies? Seriously... you don't actually think that those horror movies are based on reality, do you? It drives me crazy whenever I tell people I stayed a few days in a hostel in downtown Bratislava (or Switzerland or Germany for that matter) and the first thing they do is widen their eyes and go, "OOoooo! But didn't you see that movie?? Didn't you know that was dangerous!??" UGH! I mean no offense, but really... come on. Bratislava is one of the most charming, inexpensive, and delightful towns I've visited in Europe, and I've been to a lot of places in Europe; and the hostel was one of the best parts of that experience... the same can be said for the hostels I stayed at in Berlin, Germany and Interlaken, Switzerland. I'd highly, highly recommend hostels to any European traveler, at least younger European travelers who don't have kids, at any rate. They're tons of fun, and are a bargain; bigger cities tend to have quite a few of them, and almost always you can find several of them very, very close to the center of town and/or interesting sights in the city... the hostel I stayed at in Bratislava, for example, was maybe 100 feet from the Presidential Palace. The hostel I stayed at in Berlin was probably two or three U-Bahn (subway) stops from Checkpoint Charlie AND the Reichstag; the hostel I stayed at in Interlaken was only a few blocks from downtown and was also near all the byroads that went to interesting places like Lauterbrunnen, Brienzersee, Thunersee, and several mountain passes. If you go to Eastern Europe, they get even cheaper; I never got the chance to do either trip, but I initially had made plans to visit both Sofia, Bulgaria and Bucharest, Romania before I left Germany to return to the U.S.; hostels in both Sofia and Bucharest were maybe 10 or 11 dollars a night... you can probably figure what that'd be in euros or pounds. Either way, that's dirt cheap... and even hostels in Western Europe aren't really that expensive, either. Regardless of the hostel, it's usually cheaper if you reserve a spot for yourself at least a day or two or three in advance, not to mention it guarantees you a spot (some of them actually fill up during the busy season and they have to turn away drift-ins). Also, the multi-person dorms are always the cheapest, compared to one or two person rooms; the more beds the room has in it, the cheaper it is. I recommend looking at websites like www.hostels.com or www.hostelz.com since they not only let you make reservations but also let you see where the hostel is in the city, the prices, the amenities, and so forth.

Whatever the case and regardless of the city, don't be afraid of them! If you believed everything you saw in movies, you might as well believe that aliens are out to get you and that there really IS a Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good (although it'd be funny if there was).

EDIT: The answerer before me, Melissa R, had some REALLY good points. She's absolutely correct.

banksd74

I have had friends stay at em and they aren't what the movie makes them out to be. I've heard they are quite nice and elegant. The ppl are nice as well. I guess it all depends on where your going and who you are going with.

Where in England? My mom is from Liverpool and the majority of my fam (aunts, uncles and cousins) are there while we are living in the states.

ivy_la_sangrienta

I've stayed in many hostels in various places for various amounts of time. They're fine.

Gaby

i stayed in a youth hostel in Bergen - Norway and i was quite pelased with it. we were a group of 12 and they've given us a discount too.

well... the room had 4 beds...with a sink, cupboards, a nice couch..... The sowers were out of the room.... shared ones.. but quite ok. not like a hotel, but we were pleased.
We had to bring or own bed sheets (or we could buy them there)... the kitchen was very nice too... everything u need.... cool! The living room was very big, and very cosy and lovely!
we didnt stay in much, coz we were out most of the time but it's good.
so dont believe all the stories u hear!

MarkS

I recently stayed in a hostel in Paris. It was reasonably clean and although not in the best part of the city it seemed quite safe. It is not fancy living and the shared bathroom/shower facility took a bit of getting used to.

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