Forget images of decrepit buildings, dirty mattresses and mouldy showers – as more travellers explore the world on a budget, the quality and choice of hostels continue to rise, rivalling hotels and costing much less. Plus, they are a great way to meet fellow travellers and provide a great little hub for tourist information and providing local tours – something that hotels don’t typically offer.
It can be difficult and overwhelming in deciding which hostel to choose from.
A combination of factors can make or break your accommodation experience and even your overall experience and memory of the place you’re visiting. That’s why it is important to find a hostel that’s right for you. Cheapest is often not the best but neither is the most expensive.
Since you’re a savvy and budget-conscious traveller, you want to get the most bang from your buck.
To help you save money and have an enjoyable hostel experience, here are the top essential things you should look for or consider when deciding which hostel to stay in.
Is reception open for check-in when I arrive?
While not a problem for most of us who arrive during the day, it can be a bit tricky if you arrive late at night and reception isn’t open for you to check in and crash on your bed, especially after a long day of travel!
Make sure the hostel is open late for check-in or mentions the option of a pre-planned entry after hours (such as an allocated security code and key, along with an emergency contact phone number).
Decent WiFi
Any respectable hostel should have decent WiFi that you can use to research, plan and book your immediate and future travel adventures, along with checking your emails and general browsing. Without access to the internet, it’s obviously harder to plan and book ahead.
Hostel reviews often has information about WiFi and internet connection and speeds.
I’ve stayed in hostels where the WiFi barely worked where it might as well not have existed!
Are the dorm sizes reasonable?
Does the hostel offer a range of dorms with different number of beds available?
Are there both mixed gender dorms and female-only dorms, and even private rooms?
The smaller the dorm and number of beds, the more comfortable your space is but the bed will be more expensive per night.
The larger the dorm and number of beds, the cheaper the bed but also the greater chance of sleep disruption whether it’s in the form of guests arriving late at night or waking up early in the morning, or, most annoying, snorers! But hey, more chance of meeting other cool travellers!
Is the hostel clean?
No one ever wants to arrive at a hostel teeming with filth, especially in bathrooms and beds. Bathrooms should be cleaned regularly and have a bathmat or two to help dry your feet (no one likes fungi on their feet!). There should also be a good bathroom-to-dorm bed ratio so there isn’t a huge queue and wait for a free bathroom (you probably won’t know this until you arrive unfortunately but you can always contact the hostel or read the reviews for any hints).
Beds should be cleaned with all linen removed after the departure of each guest, along with the general dorm room.
Not only are unclean bathrooms and beds uncomfortable, uncleanliness can be a health hazard, increasing the possibility of bugs, especially bed bugs, that may bite you. The last thing you want is to be bitten and carry the bugs with you to infect another hostel!
Hostel reviews by fellow travellers and photos provide an indication of how clean (or unclean) a hostel is for a comfortable stay.
Location
As a traveller, you want to be close to the things you want to see or do. No one wants to spend significant time walking or commuting to the places you want to go, especially if you’re limited on time.
Ask yourself:
- Is the hostel far from my sights of interest?
- Would it cost a lot and/or take a long time to travel (via public transport) to the hostel and also to the city centre from the hostel (and back again)?
- Would I save more money (and/or time) being in the centre compared to being out of the centre (as you may need to spend money to commute into the centre)?
Look closer at the photo gallery
Look closer at photos uploaded online by the hostel to see anything that will make your stay a lot more comfortable.
Look for:
- A bedside wall power socket (a bedside light would be great – it’s a common combination). It’s not a deal breaker but it’s always good to have your phone charging by your side for convenience and security reasons.
- The size of lockers (or if there are even lockers) – are they big enough to put your large backpack or luggage in, or at least your valuables?
- The kitchen – what is available there? Are there actual cooking facilities like a stove top or hot plate?
- Clean and comfortable facilities, including showers that are not based on timed-button presses!
Bear in mind that uploaded hostel photos can be often out of date and may not reflect the current state and look of the hostel! This is why the next point is so important…
Have you read the reviews?
No matter what hostel you are interested in, always read the reviews for the latest in positive and negative feedback to get a feel of what the hostel is like beyond its description and uploaded photos. Always consider the mentions of:
- Security
- Staff friendliness
- WiFi speed
- Cleanliness
- Kitchen amenities
- Neighbourhood and noise
- Hostel atmosphere
- Quality of the free breakfast, if applicable
A dealbreaker for me is any mention of bed bugs in the past few weeks or month – nothing aggravates your travels quite like bed bug bites and make you paranoid about them still in your clothes and backpack!
Does the hostel have a kitchen?
For any budget-conscious traveller, having a decent self-catering kitchen at the hostel is a must; It‘s cheaper making a meal at a hostel than dining at a restaurant or buying already made meals at a supermarket (and reduces plastic use).
Always try and stay at a hostel with a kitchen, especially if you are staying multiple nights – you’ll save more money in the long run since you don’t have to spend more money than you have to on dining out.
HOT TIP:
Always look at the hostel’s photo gallery to see what the kitchen looks like; some hostels only have a kettle or toaster or microwave, counting such appliances as making up a ‘kitchen’. I once stayed in a hostel where the ‘kitchen’ consisted of just two microwaves and a kettle!
Have a kitchen recce before shopping!
Before going out grocery shopping, always check what’s available in the kitchen for you to use, especially electrical appliances, utensils and basic shelf staples like oil. This will help you in making decisions in what to buy and what to cook.
Is there a can opener? If not, there’s probably no point in buying canned goods if you have no way in opening them.
Is there cooking oil? If not, you will need to unfortunately buy some if you need it for cooking.
Is there free food left by other travellers, such as pasta and rice? If so, you may not need to buy as much, or at all!
Security and Lockers
Your backpack is your mobile home and you must always keep your home safe at all times.
A decent hostel should have large lockers to secure your backpack and valuables, or at the minimum have a small locker to keep your valuables safe; a locker is an essential element a good hostel must always have for you.
A respectable hostel should also have CCTV and/or a lockable dorm or room and restricted entry to the hostel, whether entry is via pincode, physical key or keycard.
As a traveller, you should always have a padlock or two with you as not every hostel provides a padlock for you to secure a locker (some hostels may have padlocks for rent or sale).
Have a thick shackled padlock!
Have one padlock with a thick shackle or two thin-shackled paddocks that, when combined, act as one thick shackle.
Some lockers have lockholes (for your padlock shackle) that require padlocks to have shackles with a thick millimetre diameter (such as 8 or 9mm) – this means your padlock’s shackle must be as thick or more to secure the locker.
Why does does having a thick enough padlock shackle matter?
If the padlock shackle diameter is not thick enough to prevent the lockhole from turning, anyone can fully turn the lockhole and open the locker!
Always test to make sure your locker is actually secured before leaving the dorm or room.
Special mention:
Consider social atmosphere, free breakfast, and luggage storage
Depending on the type of traveller you are, solo or with others, introverted or extroverted, working or relaxing, it’s also good to think about whether or not the hostel has a great social atmosphere and planned social activities so you can meet and chat with fellow travellers.
Some hostels offer a free breakfast which is great for keeping your stomach full until lunch time or for most of the day.
It’s often a basic continental breakfast that includes sugary cereals, plain white toast with butter and jam, tea and coffee, along with some pre-packaged and heavily processed croissants and muffins. Some hostels offer a more gourmet free breakfast that includes fresh fruit, cheese, cold meats, numerous spreads, and boiled eggs. It’s always best to read reviews to get more details about the free breakfast.
Depending on how much you spend on breakfast typically while travelling, the free breakfast could be a enticing drawcard and could save you money in the long run if you select the more expensive hostel with the free breakfast over the slightly cheaper hostel option without a free breakfast.
Most hostels would have space to store your luggage so you can make most of the day if you’re leaving later in the day. Be aware some hostels charge for this service.
Consider using luggage storage apps
If you can’t store your luggage at your accommodation, there are many luggage storage apps that allow many partnered places to store and secure your luggage at affordable rates, such as BAGBNB.
Summary
When are you are researching for hostel accommodation that suits you and is value for money, consider the following things:
- Late check-in: If you’re arriving late at night, make sure the hostel is open late for check-in or allows pre-arranged entry.
- Decent WiFi: WiFi should be good enough for you to do online research and plan your travels.
- Dorm room sizes: Do you want a dorm with minimal people or more? The less people, the quieter the dorm is.
- Cleanliness: A clean hostel makes for a more comfortable stay.
- Location: Is the hostel close to where you want to go or within walking distance?
- View hostel photo gallery: Look closer at the hostel’s amenities (or lack of).
- Read hostel reviews: Get an idea of what the hostel is like from other travellers.
- Kitchen: Save money by cooking at the hostel instead of dining out.
- Security lockers: The hostel should have lockers to secure your valuables.
That’s all the recommended essential and general things you should look for when deciding on hostel accommodation. Have I missed anything? What are the other important things you look for in a hostel?
Let other travellers and myself know what you look for in a hostel!
Know someone who should know about the essentials before deciding and booking a hostel?
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