Do you want to experience new countries and cities around the world but not worry about the cost of your accommodation?
Why not try staying in a hostel?
Staying in a hostel may not just save you a substantial amount of money but will also enable you to interact and mix with other like-minded travellers, who will have local recommendations, making your stay all the more authentic.
Generally hostels are much cheaper than hotels with prices as low as £8, depending on the destination you are planning to visit. For an even cheaper budget option, guests also have the option to stay in a dorm room and save even more.
However, if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your room with random people and your budget is a little less stretched, there is always the option of booking a private room, which the majority of HI hostels offer, where you can experience a little more luxury, your own en-suite and a bit of privacy.
The sort of tangible benefit of staying in the hostel is quite obvious, more interesting are the communal areas, bars and spacious shared rooms in the hostels which allow travellers to meet new interesting people who may become your friends and fellow travellers on your journey. These days having the right connections can be quite key in setting your future, so what would be the better way of networking than while you are in a relaxed travel mode.
Besides, staying in a hostel with a bar may be a great way of having a night out with reasonably priced drinks. On the other hand in a hotel bar, you would end up paying much more.
One of the expenses you can’t simply exclude from your budget is food. Hostels enable you to save a rather large sum of money by allowing you to use a communal kitchen. This way you are not entitled to eat out every night and you can cook yourself a healthy, well-balanced option rather than opting for fast food.
Moreover, the vast majority of the hostels are well equipped with all modern amenities including free Wi-Fi, whereas in hotels, it is likely that a specific charge is allocated to a certain period of time spent using the Internet.
Another critical element of hostelling is the fact that they are normally located near the transport links which may help you to conveniently get to various tourist places you are interested in.
In addition, you may benefit from knowledge of the local staff that is likely to give you suggestions to what to see and where to go. Their advice may allow you to see places which are not in any touristic guides and which may give you more insight into the local culture and its identity.
Another hint which may enable you to save some money are cool and emerging tours arranged by the hostels. These tend to have much lower rates than the ones you can find in the hotel. Besides, some of the hostels are likely to hold various activities/theme nights which are free and may help you to enjoy yourself while being educated.
Many travellers worry about the security and safety of staying in hostels, perhaps having heard horror stories from several years back. However, HI hostels place the security and safety of their guests as top priority, to provide its visitors with a comfortable experience, limiting events which could frustrate you on your trip. Today, hostels tend to have a variety of security options ranging from safes behind reception, lockers in the rooms, electronic swipe cards for you to use when getting in or out, 24-hour security on site and CCTVs recording common areas.
