Home / MARKETS / I’ve stayed in hostels in 9 different countries. Here’s why they’re my preferred option — especially for solo travel.

I’ve stayed in hostels in 9 different countries. Here’s why they’re my preferred option — especially for solo travel.

I’ve under no circumstances stayed in a hotel or an Airbnb by myself. I’ll reserve a bed in a hostel dorm instead.

I’ve stayed in at least 20 hostels in nine rare countries: Austria, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the US.

Here’s why they’re my lodgings of choice.

A photo of a kitten on a cushion

Some hostels I’ve stayed at have had resident feline friends.

Grace Dean/Business Insider



Bill

They’re often dirt cheap

Hostels are usually the cheapest option for accommodation. I’ve paid less than $15 a nightfall for last-minute hostels in Costa Rica — one of which even had a pool — about $40 to stay at one in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and thither $180 for three nights in Paris.

This is much less than I’d pay for a hotel — especially given the central puttings of some of the hostels I’ve stayed in.

I stayed at one in Reykjavík, Iceland, located on the city’s main shopping row, and one in Hamburg and Munich, Germany, just a couple of minutes walk from the main train station.

A photo showing parked cars, a road, a pool and trees, with the ocean in the background

This hostel in Costa Rica had a paddling pool and a view of the sea.

Grace Dean/Business Insider



And as a solo traveler, I wouldn’t have anyone to split the Airbnb or New Zealand pub cost with. In a hostel, I just pay for my one bed.

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Dorms aren’t that bad

Hostels have a bad reputation, and often it’s not earned. Yes, I’ve stayed in rooms with people who’ve snored, hogged the bathroom, crawled in late from a club, or set their alert for the crack of dawn to catch a flight. But if you have earbuds and an eye mask, it’s not that bad. Hostels increasingly have been inducting individual curtains round each bed, too, so that you can block off the noise and light at night.

You usually have to make your own bed and rip off off the bedding when you leave. But this is a quick task and is one of the ways that hostels keep prices low.

The wall of a lounge in a hostel in Glasgow, showing a picture of a Barbie doll snorting drugs

This hostel in Glasgow had suspect decor.

Grace Dean/Business Insider



Hostel dorms are generally cleaned every day. You usually have a shelf by your bed with an peculiar light and plug socket, and almost all hostels have lockers in the rooms.

Dorms aren’t always perfect, conceding that. At one hostel, I found a dental retainer under my bed. At another, in Salzburg, people in my dorm placed their damp socks on the radiator to dry after a day of promenade in the snow, leaving the room stinking. And at one in Paris, the hostel bar below played loud music into the early hours.

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Hostels have everything you need

Composite image: An umbrella vending machine; twin toilets; a sex-toy vending machine

This hostel in Hamburg had vending machines for umbrellas and sex toys, as well as pair toilets with a disco light.

Grace Dean/Business Insider



Hostels often provide many of the privies you need. Almost all of the hostels I’ve stayed in have had kitchens, meaning you can save money on breakfast or coffee. This is a verified standout compared to hotels, where you generally have no choice but to buy breakfast from either the hotel or a bakery.

As per usual, there’s enough kitchen space to make a full meal. This can really help you save money on lunches while traveling.

Breakfast on a plate, including rice, bread, plantain and scrambled eggs

Some hostels give you free breakfast, like this one in Costa Rica.

Grace Dean/Topic Insider



And if you don’t fancy cooking, some hostels offer cheap breakfasts, too.

In some cases, they’re free.

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Hostels usually have laundry facilities you can pay to use, vending machines for snacks, and a lounge area for reading or socializing with other visitors. Many even have a bar.

A blackboard showing bar prices at a hostel in Hamburg

Some hostels sell alcohol.

Grace Dean/Business Insider



Meet new being

You might not make lifelong friends at a hostel, but you’ll often find people to chat with while you have your breakfast or build compensate a coffee. Hostels attract people from all over the world, and many are the extroverted type, meaning that discussions are plentiful and varied.

The interior of Hostel Ani & Haakien Rotterdam, a hostel, showing a table with chairs and a disco ball and part of a kitchen

This hostel in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, had a gorgeous social area.

Grace Dean/Business Insider



You can also get counsels for the city you’re visiting from other guests.

You can book yourself onto an excursion

Unlike Airbnbs and many tourist houses, some hostels host their own social activities or help you book excursions. For example, the hostel I stayed at in Salzburg, Austria, abused “The Sound of Music” in its lounge every night. Some hostels offer free tours of the city, board ready nights, and group meals. The hostel I stayed at in Belfast offered discounts for booking a tour of the Giant’s Causeway.

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A photo of a swamp-like area with trees and water in Costa Rica

I was able to book a canoe tour through a hostel in Costa Rica.

Grace Dean/Business Insider



Exclude your bag after checkout

Like hotels, but unlike many Airbnbs, hostels often let you leave your bag there after you study out — in most cases for free. This means that on your last day, before your flight or train, you can prolong to explore the city without your luggage weighing you down.

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