So when I travel I mostly stay in hostels, not only because it is (or can be) really cheap, but also because you get to meet a lot of really cool and nice people! Especially when I travel alone I enjoy this experience. I book a dorm bed and then I stay some time at the common rooms and talk to other travellers about their plans and tips.
So far I’ve never made any bad experience such as theft or unkind people. Of course I never leave my purse or camera on my bed and leave the room, but there are a few simple rules to follow:
If there is a locker, put all your valuable in there, if not, take your wallet and camera and other things with you when you leave the dorm (also when you just go to the bathroom!).
If someone makes you uncomfortable try to change the dorm, the staff will be helpful if you point that out! If there is no other dorm available plug-in your music and ignore the other.
Some tricks on choosing the right hostel
- Read the ratings
- Look at the photos
- Chose the right location for you
- Hostelworld is a great site you find great hostels
Packing list for hostels
- Locks for lockers – some hostels have them, some don’t, make sure to stay on the save side
- ear plugs, just in case that your dorm mates snore
- flip flops for the shower, because you never know how the bathroom really looks like
- business cards or how I like to call them: ‘remember me’ cards. Mine includes a picture (because during longer trips you meet a bunch of people and sometimes you simply can’t remember everyone’s face and name), my email, blog, where we met with a blank space to fill in and something funny on the back of the card 🙂
- stay safe!
I’ve only met great people in hostels, with some you’ll keep in touch and others you’ll lose out of sight the moment you step outside the hostel. New people will get you new experiences and great possibilities 🙂 Why not give it a try?
Keep on travelling!
