Deciding where to stay while backpacking is very important to the quality of your trip. As a backpacker who frequently hops around hostels worldwide, I have seen all sorts of hostels, and I will be sharing my process on how I decide what place is the best for me.
Where Do I Book My Trips?
There are several ways you can book your hostel for your next trip. You could start just by searching “hostels in London” (or wherever you’re going). You will get results such as Booking.com, KAYAK, and even local hostels websites. Another option would be to check the App Store and download a book app to try and find the best deals. While there are many ways you can book a hostel, I only use one platform for all of my trips.
My recommendation for booking hostels is Hostelworld. I have used it for all of my trips and it is very user friendly. Once you create a profile you can keep track of how many countries and hostels you have stayed in. You can even add personal interests and details about yourself so that it is easier to connect with travelers who are similar to you.
One of the biggest advantages of using the app is their chat feature. When you book a hostel, you will be added to a group chat for everyone in your hostel. You will also be added to a group chat for everyone in the city so you can meet people who are staying at different hostels. It is a great way to plan with other travelers and is how I have met hundreds of other backpackers.
Dates and Destinations
The first step in booking is knowing where you want to go. Hostelworld has over 36,000 locations across 179 countries, so you will most likely be able to find a place to stay. They also run several promotions where you can save up to 50% of select hostels.
You should be aware of any festivals or holidays that may overlap with the dates of your destination. For example if you were to go to Edinburgh during the summer (already more expensive prices) you can expect to pay anywhere from $35-$80 a night depending on your hostel selection. If you go during Fringe (most of August), those same hostels have at least a $25 a night markup. If you are traveling on a tight budget, go to popular locations during their off season and avoid festivals. But if you are willing to spend a few extra dollars, you will get a glimpse.
Also when deciding on your destinations, the countries you want to visit will play a large part in the price of your accommodation. Western Europe tends to be more expensive than Eastern Europe hostels. In Madrid I stayed in a hostel that was $35+ a night, while in Krakow the hostel I stayed at was only around $15. So once you have weighed in the factors and decided what city to visit and when, how do you pick the right hostel?
Quality or Quantity
Picking the right hostel can seem tricky at first, but with Hostelworld they lay out all the information for you so that you can easily find the right fit. After selecting your date and destination, you will be given a list of all the hostels in that city that have rooms available.
Hostelworld uses a 10 star rating system that focuses on value for money, security, atmosphere, cleanliness, staff, location, and facilities. These reviews come directly from travelers who can rate their stay on the app. You can also read reviews to see how people feel about the hostel. So should you just pick the hostel that is closest to 10 stars? Not necessarily.
You can also see how many reviews a location has received. Sometimes you may see that a hostel has 3 reviews and is 9.7 stars. While it may be highly rated, the sample size isn’t enough to prove consistency. You may also see a hostel that is 8.8 stars with 15,000 reviews. When I stayed at Wombat’s City Hostel Vienna Naschmarkt in Vienna, it had over 28,000 reviews (32,000+ now) and was rated 9.2 stars. This is the nicest hostel I have stayed at to date, and even though it was slightly more expensive than others in the city I booked immediately.
At a minimum when it comes time for me to book a hostel, I tend to pick one that has at least an 8.0 star and over 1,000 reviews. While price is a factor when deciding where to stay, and I will choose a slightly less rated hostel on occasion if it keeps me within budget, having a good place to sleep at night will make your trip significantly better.
When looking at these three hostels in Lisbon, I may go with Lost Inn even though it is rated slightly less than the others and has less reviews. The reason being I would save $20+ a night but it is still a highly rated hostel.
Location Location Location
The next step in my decision making process is looking at the locations of the hostels. Hostelworld will tell you how far away from the city center a hostel is, and generally being closer will keep you within walking distance of a lot of activities.
Once you click on a hostel and go to their page, scroll to the bottom and you will see a map with the hostel location. Click on the map and you will be able to get directions from the hostel. Generally, they will tell you the best way to get there whether it’s from the airport, bus, or train station. The map will also show you any historic locations, museums, and nearby restaurants.
Dorm Size
I tend to look through all the hostels a city has to offer, and I will narrow down my selection to the top three based on location, reviews, and rating. After that, there are a few factors that play into making my final decision.
The first thing I will do is look at the dorm options the hostel has to offer. While there is the option to book a private room, if you want to save money you will need to book a dorm room. These typically range from a 4-12 bed dorm, but I have seen some hostels that have 30+ beds in one dorm. While most dorms will be mixed genders, a lot of hostels also offer female only accommodation.
I find that 4-8 beds are going to give you the best experience. When you book a room that has too many people, I guarantee one of them will smell awful, someone will come in drunk at 4am making a lot of noise, and somebody will snore so loud that you need earbuds in with music just to try and sleep. In the smaller dorms people tend to be a bit more polite and it is a great way to make new friends as they are more likely to be traveling solo.
Facilities and Amenities
The next step is to look at what the hostel has to offer in terms of facilities and activities. Some dorms may have an ensuite shower and bathroom which can be really convenient, but they will generally cost a few dollars more a night. Hostels oftentimes will have towels that you can rent for a few dollars, but there are some that include the towel for free. I have seen hostels that have cleaners come every morning, and hostels that just give you sheets for you to make your own bed.
There are quite a few hostels that will have either a bar or place to eat for pretty cheap. Some hostels will even include breakfast with your stay. When I was in Istanbul the hostel included a free breakfast every morning on their rooftop terrace overlooking the city. It was the perfect way to get started before exploring.
Other amenities you could find in a hostel include lockers in the dorm, free city tours, air conditioning and linkups. Linkups are activities that are run by the hostel. These often include free walking tours, drink making classes, chocolate tours, pub crawls, dance classes, and guided tours to popular locations. Guided tours booked through the hostel can also be cheaper than booking online, so be sure to check those activities out.
It’s Time To Book!
Now that all the research is done, it’s time to book. So which hostel do you choose? Before I even look at what a hostel has to offer, I have narrowed down my options by looking at the rating, number of reviews, location, and price. These are the biggest factors in the decision making process.
Once I have a few hostels that fit my criteria, I will look at the dorm sizes, facilities, and amenities. Free breakfast and towels are great to see, but so is an ensuite bathroom. But these benefits are not crucial to my overall experience. If I needed that for all of my trips, I could easily book a hotel or Airbnb.
The best part about booking a hostel is meeting other travelers from all walks of life. You will make friends with people you may never have met otherwise, and you will learn and grow from these experiences.
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