Why You Should Ignore What You See in Movies and Not Be Afraid to Stay in a Hostel

Staying in a hostel is synonymous with international budget travel. You can find rooms for as low as $10 a night, make new travel buddies and be in the heart of town. Though in the US, we don’t tend to think to book hostel stays while traveling within the country or sometimes even realize that there are hostels in the US. Reserving a night or two in a hostel in major US cities could be a great alternative to motels or hotels for a variety of reasons from atmosphere, cost and location.

My boyfriend Seb and I prefer fairly low-cost accommodations while we’re traveling because we spend more time out exploring than we do in our room, so we’ve found that staying in hostels is sometimes the best value for us. On a trip to San Francisco, we stayed in a hotel right off Union Square for about $100 a night. We thought this was a steal because we were there for Outside Lands Music Festival and most hotels in the area bump up their rates for weekends with big event going on. Again, we didn’t plan on spending much time in the room, so it shouldn’t have mattered that there was a dead bird outside our window all weekend… right?

Last November, we took a road trip up to Portland, Ore. and stayed in the fantastic Northwest Portland Hostel. We stayed in a private room in their beautiful guesthouse for about $60 a night, which was hardly any more expensive than if we’d each rented our own bed in the dorms.

We had a really great experience at the Northwest Portland Hostel; the shared bathrooms were clean, there was free coffee and baked goods from the café across the street every morning, and the hostel offered plenty of free and low-cost activities for its visitors. We took advantage of the free downtown pub tour (which turned into a self-guided tour with the coolest bunch of misfit travelers I’ve ever met, but that’s another story.)

Alex Burke, one of our pub tour companions, first stayed in an Australian hostel when he was 23. Alex was traveling with friends and says their biggest mistake was not doing their research ahead of time. After hauling their luggage up five flights of stairs, they came to realize their accommodations were not ideal.

“The room was basically the size of a closet [and] for whatever reason, I remember walking in and seeing the movie “It” sitting on the desk, handcuffs hanging from the bed post and a big knife on the bed. Very weird to say the least!”

Save for that experience and some sketchy roommates, Alex and his friends had a fantastic time.

 

 

Seb stayed in a hostel for the first time five years ago on a Pacific Northwest road trip. “My expectation was pretty much how it turned out to be: dorm room style, two beds per room. I stayed with some friends so it wasn’t an issue, but even if I was by myself, it would’ve been fine.” His first hostel experience was at the Green Tortoise in San Francisco. Seb said the hostel served bagels every morning in its beautiful kitchen area, the other guests were friendly, and there was a huge list of events for everyone to take part in. “I’d never done something like that before so I was a little worried it’d be sketch, but there was nothing that was foreboding, no peeling wallpaper, no nails sticking out of the ground.”

The kitchen and halls were always bustling; Seb described the hostel as a hub, messy, but well-traveled and fun. And he was getting a bang for his buck.

“It was what I was paying for. If you’re staying in a hostel, you’re not going to get luxury, but they’re throwing some charm into it.” Seb says he would absolutely recommend hostels to his travel-inclined friends. “If you’re traveling to immerse yourself rather than relaxing in a lavish hotel, hostels are a good way to put yourself in a situation with people like you: new to town, looking to travel, hoping for a novel experience. A cheap hotel is fine and dandy, but in a hostel, you’ll walk out your door and a guy will say, “Hey, you want to come on this pub crawl?’”

While Alex is pro-hostel, as well, he warns that doing your research ahead of time is essential, whether that means planning your hostels stays prior to your trip or just asking around to figure out which local hostel is your best bet. Most domestic hostels have websites with testimonials and photographs of their accommodations, or at the very least a few hits on Yelp. Trust your fellow travelers — they’re exploring the same beaten path you are!

“I feel like hostels are very hit or miss, whether domestic or abroad,” Alex says. “It also takes a certain kind of person who can see past the cardboard beds and zero privacy to adapt and still have fun.”

Hostel booking sites Adrift Anywhere recommends that also offer legitimate and useful reviews from personal hostel experiences:

Booking.com
Hostel Bookers
Hostel World
Hostels.com

If you’re looking for more tips on staying at a hostel abroad or in the US, check out our earlier post, How to Choose the Best Hostel (for you)

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