How to choose the best Hostel / My experience living in a Hostel
Today was my last day in a hostal that I lived for almost 6 months. I´ve had never thought that I will live for so long in a hostel, but my economic conditions ( and party) made me stayed there for that long.
I still remember my first time in a hostel, was in New Zealand. It may sound exaggerated but I was shocked, worried, and very surprised when I saw for first time a hostel. The fact of sharing everything with a completely bunch of strangers was crazy for me.
Share with strangers is not easy. I was taught that your room is like a sanctuary where you can rest and enjoy yourself you know. Is your space.
Well, when I arrived this hostel for first time each bed has like a curtains made of sheets, for “privacy”.
A girl was crying in the hall, the toilets were mixed. I was terrified to be honest. I´ve never shared my house other then friends and family.
In an hostel you share the kitchen, toilets, fridge, cupboard, absolutely everything is to share :Plates, pots, pans, sheets, living room etc.
People who goes and come back every day, or people who stay longer that becomes your family, and there is the nice part.
Meet new people, theirs tories ( their tricks also) make new friends, share meals, a cup of tea, a party. To learn new recipes from all over the world, share road trips, explore the city together.
Some of those “strangers” can become you travel mates for the rest of your trip. And as I said more then friends they become your family.
Obviously everything has their bad and good side. Trust me I had such an not good moments in the hostel, like they eat my food, people peeing in the room, vomiting in the room, people don’t let you sleep because they are having sex, breakdown of the bunks, you fight because of the temperature of the room , thefts, people sleeping in your bed etc etc. I had a friend who told me that one day the police came in to his room!
To learn to share all this things, to adapt to different awkward situations, places, make friends of all over the world has been more important and beautiful then all the “ bad things” If you ever have the chance to live in a hostel, do it!.
I was scared and I would never ever ever thought that I would do it once, but it has been one of the experiences of traveling that made me grow. I enjoyed it so much and I don´t regret of have done it.
This are some advices that I share with you, if you ever need to live in a hostel, or you are just passing through you know, hostels are the cheapest accommodation. 😉
This are some of my advices on searching and living in a hostel, on the whiling to have the best experience 😉
Previously of booking have a look on the pictures / references.
There are many websites you can look for hostels or simply google maps.
Personally I do it on hostelworld.com . This website is very easy because you just type the place you are heading to, range of price, number of people etc. And then it gives you a wide selection with pictures, price everything.
Take on consideration the comments in Trip Advisor, friends, google etc.
99 % of the comments in Trip Advisor ( good or bad) are true.
Sometimes I was reading something and I was like “naah, this couldn’t be true” but yeap, it was. But don´t take it like law, you know everybody speaks of the fair, depending of how they enjoyed it.
Visitar el lugar antes de pagar Si es posible visitar el hostal a donde piensas llegar y así puedes ver con tus propios ojos que tal se ve tu proximo hogar.
Visit the place before paying If it is possible prior to pay visit the hostel, that way you can see personally hot it looks your new home.
Do screenshot of your booking. You will never know what can happened, so it is better to keep proof of what you have booked and payed. It actually happened to me that I paid and everything and they lost the record.
Check the dates and schedule time of “Check in” It happened to us that we were checking in early morning of X day, and we got confused and it was actually the next day so we got cancelled. You know, we were been smart..
Book with time Its always better to book with anticipation ( not the previous day of your arrival)
Is cheaper and convenient. You never know if there are some special events that affect the price, or availability. You don´t want to end sleeping at a Mc Donald’s.
Check different options Don´t take the first option, or the one your friends tells you. Do your research, and make your decision.
Take insect repellent It is important to spray your bed before sleeping there, may sound exaggerated but I got bitten by bed boxes in a hostel that looked perfectly clean and tidy and it wasn’t.
Always carry a padlock It´s nice to trust in humanity, but is never too much to keep your dearest expensive things safe.
Be open mind, and with an adaption attitude Remember that you are not in your hose, you won´t have the same facilities and confort. And everything can happened, everything.
So, the more relaxed and open minded you are the easiest will be to find any solution to any problem.
Enjoy, enjoy enjoy Enjoy what you have, be grateful . For me the best part of been in a hostel is to meet so many people, so make friends!
Something that helped me to survive in the hostel is to always find the good side of the things, ( at least try), recognize the qualities and adapt of what I had.
Don´t spend your time yearning your home because you wont have it for the moment.
Enjoy what you have, and see the good side of have the fun and rich opportunity of leaving in a hostal.
If you have any doubt, or you think there is something missing on this list.
Comment bellow,
I love you and see you later 😉
Nataly Vargas
