There are hostels in any major cities that are established primarily for backpackers. With the growing number of hostels, we could find more and more alternatives. Many times, when we arrive at a hostel, we could feel that the place is run by sincerity and heart, instead for money. Running a hostel business can be difficult, but many people are willing to do this sincerely and provide the best services for their guests. After all, backpacking travellers are paying customers and they could recommend the place to others. We shouldn’t trust websites too much, because photos posted are often different with the reality.
Backpackers should have an idea about a perfect hostel. Here are examples of ideal hostels that we could choose
1. A hostel with their rooms and beds at the condition as advertised in the brochure and websites. The location of the hostel should be added in any map, such as in Google Map and other mapping services. Alternatively, we should be able to get a map from the local tourism information point, which shows us how to get to the hotel with bus and train network. In general, the hostel shouldn’t be more than 45 minutes away from our main destination locations. Travellers shouldn’t waste the time and money by choosing hostels that are too far from their preferred destinations. When it comes to choosing hostels in crowded, large cities; such as Paris, Barcelona and Tokyo; we should check their location, because paying for local transportation for longer trips could add up to our overall budget.
2. Hostel with dorm rooms for less than $18 each night. However, some dorm-based hotels could charge for about $25. We should be aware that some hostels could provide affordable pricing but they charge extra costs for breakfast, using the kitchen, accessing the Internet and others. For this reason, we should ask more before agreeing to stay.
3. Hostels with kitchen and all facilities included with the price. Many backpacking travellers choose to stay for more than 3 days in an area and it would save much money if they could get groceries from local markets and cook meals in the kitchen. Obviously, we should check the kitchen and make sure it is not consisted of only a toaster and microwave. This could force to eat unhealthy, expensive pre-packaged food throughout our stay in the hostel. Some hostels could initially provide a great deal but require us to eat the nearby restaurant that’s owned by a similar management.
4. If possible, hostels that don’t allow other guests to sleep in our dorm room. Some hostels may have five beds in its dorm room, but we pay only for four bed. In this case, we could be surprised to know that a new guest has slept at the fifth bed when we return to the room. We should be clear whether the room will be shared with other guests. This way, we could be sure that our belongings will be safe, because a stranger won’t stay in our dorm room.