Hostelling Guide

Staying in youth hostels is one of my favourite aspects of travelling overseas. They are usually cheap, well located and afford the perfect atmosphere to meet fellow travellers. Although my first stay in a hostel was pretty daunting, several years and about 100 hostels later I'm ready to offer a few:

HOSTEL SURVIVAL TIPS

Before you get there:

Plenty of people have hostel horror stories - from abusive staff to bed bugs and yellow stained bedding. Although there are awful hostels out there, I've always managed to avoid them by booking online using a website like Hostelworld or Hostelbookers. The public feedback offered on these sites has always been accurate.

While maintaining a somewhat flexible travel plan is usually desirable, I always book accomodation for weekends and public holidays at least 3 or 4 weeks in advance. Theres no real downside because if your plans do change, the booking can be cancelled for only a small fraction of the total cost.

When choosing a room, less beds is always better. Girls snore less than guys and also tend to be quieter and cleaner so I take a mixed room where possible.

Surviving after you arrive:

Sleeping in a dorm room can take some getting used to. Between snoring, coughing and drunk people you're going to be woken up. To combat noise, some people use ear-plugs and an eye-mask but I prefer to sleep with my iphone/ipod handy. Combined with in-ear headphones it offers the ultimate in noise cancellation.

Getting eight consecutive hours of uninterrupted rest in a dorm room is only a realistic option for the heaviest sleepers. I prefer to head to bed after everyone else to avoid being disturbed. In the morning I expect to be woken up at the same time as everyone else. Then if i'm still tired in the afternoon/evening I'll nap for an couple of hours while the room is quiet and empty.

Most hostels clean their bathrooms and showers in the early afternoon so the showers can sometimes end up pretty disgusting by the morning. To avoid this, I usually shower in the afternoon or evening. Wear a hat in the morning if you've got hair issues.

Although most hostels are very safe, it still pays to be careful. I've heard of a few things being stolen but they were usually left lying around. I have my wallet and iPhone with me just about all the time and keep the rest of my valuables out of plain site, either in a locker or stashed under my bed.

As much as I love staying at hostels, after a few days in a row they can start to feel less like fun and more like hard work. Occasionally splashing out and getting a private hostel room or a hotel room is the best way to recharge your batteries.