Tips for Traveling Part 2a: Hostels

When you travel, naturally you'll need a place to stay if you're going to be there overnight.  For us poor college students, conventional hotels are too expensive to even consider.  When traveling through Europe, you don't want to be stuck in some boring hotel room all by yourself anyways.  There are other options that are much more affordable, and offer a much better way to meet others and learn about the area.  In this article, I will focus on staying in hostels.

Before I get started, I'm going to restate something I said in my post about finding transportation.

*** Plan ahead!  You will waste hundreds of Euros if you wait until the last minute to book everything.  Make your reservations at least a week in advance!***

It's a bit pathetic that the only image many Americans have of hostels is from the movie Hostel.  Honestly, if you've seen that movie, you need to wipe it from your memory.  Some people are actually apprehensive about staying  in a hostel because of it.  This is ridiculous, and it's sad that some people are so afraid of the world that they will miss out on all these great experiences.

Hostels are like hotels, except instead of having a room to yourself, you will typically be sharing a dormitory with other travelers.  The best hostels are the ones that have their own interesting quirks.  Sometimes they have an interesting theme, or offer special amenities such as a bar on the first floor.  They are a great place to meet other people who are staying in town, and there is usually a lot of information there about things to do in the area.  Usually a large city will have dozens of hostels available, so make sure you browse all the options when you are choosing where to stay.

Our Hostel in Amsterdam

Hostels typically range from 10-30 Euros a night.  Again, make sure you book in advance because the prices are much higher when you book the day of.  For example, I paid 50 Euros a night when I stayed in Amsterdam because I booked it that day.  My friends, who were staying in the same hostel, paid only 20 Euros a night.  So frustrating! 

 If you're traveling with a group, you can usually make arrangements for everyone to be placed in the same room.  The rooms are typically coed, but they can sometimes be separated by gender.  Hostels usually offer breakfast in the morning, sometimes free, sometimes for a small extra charge.  Make sure you bring your own towel if the hostel dosen't rent out towels for the shower.

Pay attention to when you are allowed to check in.  Some hostels have a 24 hour desk at the front, so you can arrive whenever you want, but not all will do this.  Make sure you know when you need to check out on your last day.  They will not be shy about waking you up and getting you and your stuff out of the room. 

If you're traveling alone and you are staying in a hostel, don't be afraid to start up conversations with the other people there.  It takes a bit of a leap of faith to break the ice, but often the best part of your trip will be meeting other travelers in hostels.  They can be great travel buddies to go out and see the sights with, or they can offer great advice about what to see and what to avoid in the city.  They will always have an interesting story to share.

Here is a list of the hostels I have visited with a short review for each:
Jugendherberge Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany -- OK. Unfortunately there was construction when I arrived.  Nice cafeteria for breakfast.
Hostel des 2 Empereurs, Paris, France -- Good.  Great location, right up the street from the Louvre.  Staff are about as nice as Parisians can be.
Hostel Meetingpoint, Amsterdam, Netherlands -- Good.  Decent bar on the ground floor.  Great location, right in the heart of the city.
Hostel Elf, Prague, Czech Republic -- OK.  A bit outside of the city.  Interesting color scheme, and great staff.  They sell beer for less than a Euro!
Jugendherberge Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany -- OK.  We stayed here when we visited Heidelberg on my high school exchange.  A bit outside the city, but easily accessible.