European Travel: Part I--Hostels

Hostels are kind of like a mix between a hotel, motel, and college dorm...and they're all over Europe! If you're looking for an extremely nice place to stay, then a hostel is probably not what you want. However, if you want a relatively inexpensive, decent place to spend the night after exploring a city, then check out a hostel. I never really had any problems with hostels, except for the one in Pisa...but that whole trip was something on its own. (I'll eventually get to blogging about that!)

I have stayed at hostels in (I added some prices to give you an idea):
-Frankfurt, Germany
-Salzburg, Austria: 3 nights (6 bed room) = 57 EUR
-Berlin, Germany
-Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 2 nights (18 bed room) = 62 EUR
-Dublin, Ireland: 4 nights (8 bed room) = 76 EUR
-Pisa, Italy: 2 nights (6 bed room) = 36 EUR

So if you take the most expensive room from that list at about 31 EUR for one night, that's about 42 USD. May be pricey to some, but it's actually not bad at all when compared to a US hotel or even motel. I'm not sure if this needs to be said, but weekend rates are usually higher than weekday rates. Also, try to make your reservations as early as you can, because sometimes the room that you want does get fully booked.

You can meet a lot of different people when you stay at a hostel. It's actually pretty cool! In Frankfurt, I met a guy there and we ended up touring the city together. In Salzburg, I got to hear a lot of travel stories from an American who was making her way to eastern Europe. In Amsterdam, I met people from a Christian youth group who were visiting from the UK. In Dublin, I hung out with a young woman around my age, who is originally from Australia and we bonded over tennis. Like I've said before, just be smart about who you trust and how much you trust them. At the same time, you don't really know a person unless you talk to them. I know it sounds a little contradictory...I guess all I can say is this: think before you act.

Hostels have different rooming options--how many people in a room, same gendered rooms, mixed gendered rooms, community bathroom, etc.--and these factor into the price. I personally always went for an all-female room because I was traveling alone at 5 of those 6 cities--In the 6th city, I roomed with the other ladies in my Germany within Europe class. I've been in rooms with one other person, and I've been in rooms with 6-12 people--there's not that much of a difference. Generally, mixed-gendered rooms with many occupants is the cheapest option. My advice would be to get a room that would make you content and fits within your budget.

Hostel bunk beds & closets (Frankfurt, Germany)

Some hostel rooms come with a sink. (Salzburg, Austria)

Side note: One of my friends had a bad experience one time at a hostel where she woke up and found out that a guy peed all over her backpack..not pleasant. At all. Just so you are aware--hostels are like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates...you never really know who you'll be rooming with when you're there (unless you're traveling with people you know).

The main things that I took into consideration when choosing hostels were: proximity to the train station, lockers, all-female rooms, and price. Just like hotels, hostels may have amenities/services, including, but not limited to: internet, meals (may or may not be included in the price of the room), bars, walking tours, available washers/dryers, linens/towels (sometimes you have to rent these or put in a deposit), special activities (such as at the hostel I stayed at in Amsterdam--they had an open mic night, and I got to play guitar and sing which was pretty sweet--I missed playing!), and ticket sales/tour bookings (I was able to get my ticket for The Sound of Music tour through the hostel I stayed at in Salzburg).

Random fact: some hostels have very interesting decoration...such as this one in Berlin. (I didn't choose this hostel--we went to Berlin for our class trip and our teacher made the hostel arrangements.)

...This was the ceiling in the hostel lobby...there were Milka cows?? (Berlin, Germany)

I hope to check out a hostel in the USA sometime--I was surprised when I learned that they existed here! If you have any hostel tips, feel free to leave a comment below! If I think of anything else to add this, I will be sure to update this post! Safe & happy travels, friends! :)


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR