4 Reasons I love Hostels
Antigua, Guatemala (2020)
1. Social Atmosphere
Hostels have the best social atmosphere. It’s very easy to make friends in hostels. It’s basically what they were meant for. While traveling, I met so many people from around the globe who love to travel just as I do. I met a lot of travelers who were planning to travel for several months. I even met some who had already been traveling for years. It felt really good to know I wasn’t crazy for quitting my job to discover the world. There are plenty of people successfully doing just that and if they can, then so can you and I. Also, as a solo traveler you need to make friends so they can go on adventures with you and take your photos.
2. Budget Friendly or Free Activities
Because hostels are meant to be a social space you can usually book tours with them. They understand that most of their clientele (backpackers) are on a budget, so they offer budget friendly activities. If you were at a hotel you would probably be charged a bit more for the same activities. A lot of hostels offer free walking tours, free breakfast, free dinner, free yoga, free cooking classes and some even offer free alcohol. Most hostels also have regular activities like pub crawls, boat parties, etc. depending on where you are staying at. If you stay at a Party Hostel there will most likely always be some type of daily activity going on.
3. Laundry/ Kitchen facilities
Most hostels have a kitchen and laundry facilities. When you are traveling for an extended amount of time with a backpack or a carry-on bag you will need to do laundry eventually. Also, when traveling you may not want to eat out every day. Its helpful to have a kitchen and refrigerator if you want to grab food from the grocery store instead.
4. Cheap
The most I have paid for a hostel was $45 USD a night. That was expensive. The least amount of money I have paid for a hostel is $4 USD per night. Most hostels provide private rooms if you don’t want to stay in the dorms, but they will cost a bit more. The fact of the matter is, why spend $200 a night staying somewhere, when you could $200 a week to stay somewhere and use the money you saved for activities, food, transport, etc.
