How To Choose A Hostel 101: The BEST Way To Book Hostels
When you’re on a long-term trip, hostels are the way to go. They are by far the most cost-effective way to keep travelling for months on end! As a solo-traveller myself, I actually prefer staying in hostels than private accommodation! However, mastering how to choose a hostel takes time.
Through trial and error I have learnt the ins and outs of working out how to choose a hostel that’s right for me in almost any location. One that will give me the best chance of meeting people! Also, i’ve found some great ways to get discounts and even some added benefits!
This is my complete guide on how to choose a hostel, enjoy!
This post may contain affiliate links to things like hostels and products. These help me earn a small commission to keep the blog running at no cost to you!
A Bit About Hostels
If you’ve talked to friends, family or ANYONE, I can almost guarantee that at least one person has had a weird reaction to you telling them that you’ll be staying in hostels on the road.
There seems to be a big misconception about what hostels really are. Some people think they are run-down, mouldy shacks where everyone sleeps in the same bed!
Let me tell you right away, and quash any worries you have in your head – hostels are not like that! You really have to go out of your way to find a hostel that once you walk inside, makes you feel like you’re about to catch every disease in existence.
Fret not! After following this guide you’ll never come across a place like this. Instead, you won’t have to worry about how to choose a hostel.
But, here are some things you should know:
1. All Hostels Are Not The Same
There is no “one-size-fits-all” policy when it comes to hostels. They come in all different shapes and sizes. Because of this, if you’ve never travelled before, working out how to choose a hostel can be annoying.
Depending on what kind of traveller you are, you should keep an eye out for hostels that sound like you!
You’ve got your classic party hostels, small and homely ones, but also some more slick, boutique hostels that are bigger and perfect for someone not quite ready to take the plunge into the dark and mysterious world of backpacking…
Once you figure out what type of hostel suits you, working out how to choose a hostel becomes 10x easier.
2. They’re A Unique Way To Travel
Hostels aren’t just a place to stay for a cheap bed. They are a fantastic way to make friends from all over the world!
You might be thinking, “they can’t be that unique, it’s all I hear about!” and yes, nearly every budget traveler stays in hostels. But outside of that, I think you’ll find that most people have never stayed in a hostel dorm in their life.
How To Choose A Hostel As A Solo-Traveller
But first, a little reality check – you’re not always going enjoy the hostel you booked. Whether that be down to the people, it’s location or anything else, that’s okay! It’s a natural part of life on the road.
It can be hard in cities that only have a couple of options, but after reading this hostel booking guide you will know what to look for to choose the best one possible.
I hear you – “why don’t I just book the cheapest one?”. A lot of the time, you’ll get by fine and save a lot of money! However, if you book the cheapest hostel, expect that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. This can mean you’re in a dirty place with people who don’t respect hostel etiquette!
In my experience figuring out how to choose a hostel in a location, it is FAR superior to choose a place that has a great location, social atmosphere and is clean. Even if it means paying a few extra bucks a night.
Your definition of what makes a great hostel might be a little different to mine – but here’s what I think are the 4 most important factors you should consider when working out how to choose a hostel!
- Social atmosphere
- Location
- Cleanliness
- Price
There are other factors like the facilities they have (kitchen, microwave etc.) whether or not they have a free breakfast as well, but they are not important to every traveller (I will touch on them later though!)
Let’s break down all of these factors that impact how to choose a hostel:
Social Atmosphere
It can be super lonely when you’re travelling by yourself. There’s no worse feeling than staying in hostel after hostel where no one wants to talk! I’ve had a couple of runs like this myself.
Thankfully, there’s some things you can look for when booking your hostel that can make it easier for you to meet people.
Hostel Size
In my holy opinion, the best size for a social hostel is one that is somewhere between small and medium sized (think 20-30 beds roughly). It’s actually harder to avoid other solo-travellers, and you are less likely to come across large groups that don’t care about you!
“Wow, that big hostel looks super social and the photos look like everyone is having fun! I’ll book that then”. This is usually a big mistake! Unless you’re the most extroverted person on the planet, it can be harder to meet people.
The main downside with big hostels is that people tend to spread out and not interact with each other because there’s so much room!
Sure, if there’s drinking involved – it’s piss-easy meeting people (pun-intended). But if you want to meet someone in the day to go to a museum or do a hike, it’ll take some more work!
Independent VS Chain Hostels
Independent wins this battle my friends, every time. I think chain hostels lose the charm that independently-owned hostels have.
Throughout my travels, i’ve been more happy and excited to be in a location when the hostel is welcoming, fun & cosy to be in! This rubs off on the other travellers and boom, everyone fancies a chat!
I noticed this when I was volunteering in a hostel in Belgrade. The hostel was small, independent and so so charming with a cool horror theme. People enjoyed it and made people excited to be there!
Keep an eye out for places like this when working out how to choose a hostel where you’re visiting!
Common Areas
Make sure to look thoroughly through the photos of hostels during your search. The two main things I look for are a kitchen (saves me money) and of course, the common room!
Hostels aren’t just places to sleep, they are the place to meet budding travellers. There’s been a couple of times early on in my travels where i’ve stayed somewhere with no common room! Without a common room, you are left to meet people in your room, which happens all of the time but where are you going to hang out?
Some of the best nights i’ve had at a hostel were sat in the common room with a few people, playing cards and chatting shit over some beers!
On the flip-side, the size of the common room matters too! Like I mentioned before, too big, everyone spreads out! So find one big enough that everyone can sit at and hang out together, rather than separately.
Type Of Traveller
Most hostels have their target demographic, and you will be able to tell by the photos, reviews and hostel description.
Don’t worry about how to choose a hostel, do yourself a favour and book one with people like you!
If you’re into partying, book a party hostel. If you’re young but not that much of a partier, find a hostel with a younger crowd but also respects quiet hours (again you can find this in the description of a hostel). If you’re in the over 30s crowd, look for something not so targeted to groups of 18 & 19 year olds!
Location
Location is a key ingredient in working out how to choose a hostel! It can make your stay easier or much, much harder than it needs to be. There’s two main things you should consider – what you’re interested in seeing and how far you are away from them!
What Do You Want To See?
Try and book hostels that are close to what you want to see! If that’s not possible, try and make sure they are easily accessible from the hostel.
Your life will be a whole lot easier if you do this. If you’re not interested in the nightlife of vibrant Lisbon, don’t book a hostel in the Bairro Alto district. Book elsewhere!
What if you’re relaxed about what to do? That’s alright! Book close to the centre of the city. Hostelworld & Booking.com have “___ km from the centre” on the accommodation listing. That will help you!
Saving A Few Dollars Isn’t Always Worth It
Believe me, you can be in a world of hurt if you book a hostel a further away to save money.
Great! You can use those extra few bucks on a snack! But, you’ve forfeited 40 mins each way to and from your hostel walking up a mountain. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do after an exhausting day of exploring is a hike.
My time in Dubrovnik was amazing – I truly miss it. What I don’t miss, is the walk back to the hostel every day! Even going to the supermarket took me 20 minutes up and down the steepest staircase i’ve ever seen.
Cleanliness
If you’re happy stepping in a hair-ball in the shower because the staff haven’t cleaned it out for 2 days, good for you! But chances are, that’s not your type of fun.
Here, the reviews of the hostel are your best friend. They will give you an idea of how clean the place is and how regularly the staff clean it all!
Hostelworld also has ratings for categories like atmosphere & cleanliness. It can be used to get a quick read on how clean a hostel is.
Price
The price of a hostel largely depends on what country or city you’re travelling to. In peak season in Western-Europe you’ll be paying an arm and a leg for a night in a dorm room! 30 EUR you might spend in Austria can get you more than a week in Cambodia!
But above all, no matter where you’re travelling to you can find a good deal.
I usually go for somewhere in the middle, the sweet spot. A hostel that may not be the “best” hostel but is the most cost-effective whilst still being a good hostel!
Other Ways To Find Good Hostels
What you’ve just read is what I always do when figuring out how to choose a hostel, but every now and then i’m able to try out some other methods!
Here’s what else you can do:
Good Ol’ Word Of Mouth
This isn’t something you’ll do all of the time, but when you’re on the road you naturally come across people that have been to places you’re going to go to! Ask these people where they stayed and if they would recommend it. Even if they don’t, they might have another recommendation from someone else they met!
This goes the other way too, you’ll be able to recommend hostels to fellow travellers as well!
Travel Blogs & Reddit
Despite owning a travel blog myself, I don’t do this as much as I should! You can find blog posts on places you’re travelling to like “10 Best Hostels In Kraków, Poland (2023)” that can really help you! People that write these posts usually have been to most of the hostels they recommend, so pair this with your own research.
Reddit as well can be a great platform to find people who can recommend you hostels!
Personally, I frequent the r/solotravel subreddit for many things. On occasion, I have posted a question asking for recommendations for hostels in a place where i’m struggling to find one I like!
How To Choose A Hostel: Going About It
You are ready to book your hostel! But what’s the best way to go about it? How do you find the best deals and ultimately make sure you do have a bed?
Here’s how I do it:
Step 1: Browse Around
Once I know where i’m going, and what dates, I use Hostelworld as a search engine for hostels in a certain location. Hostelworld is the most popular website used by budget travellers to book their accommodation! All of the best hostels use the platform to advertise their business, so look here first.
If for whatever reason i’m not overly excited by my choices on Hostelworld, I go to Booking.com and look on there as well. Sometimes, more options will pop up!
Make sure you check the reviews religiously when working out how to choose a hostel! They really do tell the whole story. I remember I booked a non-refundable hostel in Zagreb, Croatia that appeared to be good, but days out from arriving, the ratings plummeted and the reviews all mentioned bed bugs!
Looking back, there were always red-flags in the reviews but we looked past them all! Don’t do what we did.
Step 2: Pick Your Room
In the majority of hostels, they have different sized dorms with more or less beds. These rooms tend to range from 4-bed to 12-bed dorms but it is definitely not uncommon to find a whopping 24-bedder!
There are pros and cons to each room. With a smaller dorm, they are best to get a good nights sleep and are more intimate, meaning it can be easier to meet people. Unfortunately, these are usually a couple of dollars extra!
When you go larger, it’ll always be cheaper! But, you also have a larger chance of having the infamous snorer in your room.
(Pro-tip: From experience staying and working in hostels, the smallest dorms don’t always book out and sometimes if you book one, you’ll essentially have a private room!)
Step 3: Find The Best Price
Great! I’ve found the best hostel and room for me. Now, I LOVE a bargain and i’m always looking for them when it comes to hostels.
Most people start figuring out how to choose a hostel with a search on Hostelworld and never leave the website! Big mistake! What I like to do is search the hostel name on Google to compare the prices between platforms.
As you can see here, the cheapest website to book this hostel is Booking.com! But be careful, sometimes Booking.com doesn’t include city taxes and it can end up being more expensive!
However, if you dig just a little deeper, you’ll find somewhere cheaper…
9 times out of 10, booking your stay directly with the hostel through their own website or emailing them is cheaper or the same price that you’ll find on the big websites.
A massive benefit to doing this is not only saving money, but sometimes hostels reward those who booked through their website. These rewards can be a free breakfast, a towel at no extra cost and discounted tours! You wouldn’t have got these otherwise!
Step 4: Book It!
Your journey in working out how to choose a hostel is almost done. There’s only one thing left for you to do, press that book button! Depending on who you book with, you’ll usually have to fill out your personal information and sometimes your credit card info. Hostelworld charges you a small percentage of your total booking cost to confirm it with the hostel. But don’t worry, this is not extra! It will be taken off the cost when you arrive.
How To Choose A Hostel: Best Resources
As i’m writing this, I am 6 months into my first solo-backpacking journey between Europe and Asia. Time and time again I come back to these websites to book my hostels.
(Disclaimer: These are NOT affiliate links, as sick as that would be, I just recommend them)
Hostelworld
Did I mention Hostelworld already?Well, I AM MENTIONING IT AGAIN. This is my first stop when working out how to choose a hostel – it is super user-friendly and makes booking hostels on the road a breeze. They also have a cool chat feature, so you can make friends at your hostel before arriving!
Booking.com
Another great website to use to look for hostels is Booking.com. I always use it as a secondary option as it’s not only for hostels. You will have to filter out big expensive hotels but once you’re past that, you can find some places Hostelworld doesn’t have!
How To Choose A Hostel: Final Thoughts
At first, figuring out how to choose a hostel can seem like quite a daunting task. Realistically, it’s not that bad! Once you’ve booked a few hostels this way, you can easily pull it off in under 10 minutes.
Check out all of my posts about hostels
Book Your Trip With My Favourite Resources:
Cheap Flights: I always use Skyscanner to browse for cheap flights. It offers so many options to help you find a good deal! It even allows you to search for “anywhere” if you haven’t decided where to go yet!
Accommodation: I start my hostel search with Hostelworld. Most hostels are now on this platform making it the place to find the best hostel for you.
Travel Insurance: If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. It is so important to have when travelling as it will save you from illness, injury, theft and cancellations! I always use Worldnomads when travelling on a budget as they have the best deals for me.