Hostelling appears to be a growing trend as more people are packing their bags and jetting off with every passing day. Post graduation, recent dropout, gap year adventurer and even those recently retired are taking off in the name of travel and experience. With destinations being anywhere and everywhere in the world the idea of joining the #HostelLife is one to be considered. Comparing the pros and cons will be a no-brainer decision for some, but we’ll leave that for you to decide.
PROS
Cheap prices aside, hostels will time and time again prove to be the most useful information hubs throughout any country.
A building filled with like-minded backpackers wondering around an unfamiliar country in search of adventure. How perfect? It really doesn’t get any better for destination advice, information and recommendations.
Hostelling pushes you to interact in a different manner then any other atmosphere and provides a genuine sense of community.
This isn’t a college dorm with one roommate and 8 months of living together with the same neighbors. You are constantly throwing yourself in the midst of strangers. Sharing a living space with people of every background and culture, speaking a language you may have never even heard before. It’s an experience like no other
You’ll make lifelong friendships.
It’s equally intimidating as it is fulfilling to put yourself out there. Making friends never seems as easy as it was on the primary school playground, until you start hostelling. You will undoubtedly create some of the most influential and lasting relationships. With the added perk of having friends from all over the world, meaning free tour guides and places to stay.
CONS
Your comfort levels with most defiantly be tested.
Situating dorm room life to interacting with endless strangers to acceptance of little to no space for your belongings. Throwing yourself out of any and all comfort zones is never fun at first, regardless of how necessary it may be.
You leave behind the comforts you’ve grown accustomed to.
Welcome to the life of roommates, bunkbeds and living amongst other peoples messiness. There is also the exceptionally high chance of waking up on more then a few questionable mattress adjacent foam rectangles. But then again no one should be expecting posturepedic mattresses.
Privacy becomes a very loose term.
Dorm rooms, co-ed stall style bathrooms and a constant flow of people coming and going will become your new norm. The time you do get to be alone will be more appreciated then you could ever of imagined.
The pros and cons of hostelling vary for every backpacker, and more importantly for every destination. For that reason this list is extremely generalized and does not focus on any specifics. It is important to understand the culture of the country you are travelling to. Remember that not every country you go to will have the same cleanliness standards as wherever it is you call home. Toilets are not a worldwide necessity in bathrooms, neither is toilet paper. Be sure to do your research to save any gruesome surprises. Happy hostelling!
