From the very first hostel I stayed in when I went to Europe for the first time on my own, I was hooked. I have been trying to convince everyone I know that hostels are not what you think and that they truly are the best way to travel the world.

Especially for the solo female traveler.

Want to know how I stayed in Paris for three nights for less than $115?

Or how I knew which elephant sanctuary was a true safe haven for the elephants, and not some frontin’ hell hole, in the Northern mountains of Thailand?

How about how I am always finding the best food in a town or major city that I have never been to before?

The answer is: hostel

Inexpensive

In Barcelona, I stayed in the nicest accommodation I had since Vegas and LA trips.

Where I stayed in the W and Aria. I was out hundreds of dollars and I was barely in the rooms or using the facilities.

In Barcelona, I paid $20 a night for a four-bedroom female dorm. Generator hostel also hooked me up with some free walking historical tours and free breakfast in the morning. You can see the amenities, prices, and facilities here.

In Tokyo, my first time ever in Asia, I stayed in a capsule hostel, the cleanest, quietest place I have ever been in my life. $26 a night got me a safe place where I made friends and was clearly directed what sightseeing I should engage in and how to get there. For an idea of what it looks like click here

Please keep in mind that these are relatively expensive hostels since they are in big cities. Also, understand that a basic hotel room in Tokyo can easily start at  $350.

I have stayed at amazing hostels and paid as little as $3 per night and gotten free breakfast a locker, laundry facility, bike rentals, some places provide basic “family night” dinners, kind of like a night dedicated to breaking the ice, and so much more.

I have stayed at some pretty sus places, but all in all, I did know what I was getting myself into. I was just being cheap, cheap.

Informative

Tours

Most hostels offer their own tours, and if there is no room for you they can easily recommend and book you on a similar tour provided by someone else.

depending on where you are, there are bar hops and club hopping nights. There are also cultural tours and education as well as historical tours.

These are sometimes free or operate on tips bases. Meaning you tip what you can. Other times you are charged a fee, but it is rarely expensive and always worth it.

Directions

Have no fear. staying in contact via email and asking a million questions before you arrive is encouraged. Communicate to the hostel that this is your first time being somewhere and whether or not you are alone and they will take care of you.

Be patient and don’t panic if your meaning gets a little lost in translation.

Many hostels have maps of the area and will give you one and circle everyplace you should visit and eat and dance. A lot of the time in the family room or lobby they will have one giant map up with a recommended drop byes. Take a picture and zoom in when you need to use it to get around.

This saves from a bunch of maps being in the trash. Don’t litter.

Make Friends

This is a big part of going out on your own. Bumping into new people.

Don’t be shy, and don’t go looking for other people from the States, because first off there are none.

Second, what would be the point of doing that?

Be open and ready, when people see you alone in a hostel, they will come up to you. They will ask you where you are from and how long you are staying there.

Answer.

Ask questions back.

Say yes when they invite you out with them. Join them for dinner or a tour. If someone invites you to catch a train or bus to the next town, go!

Exchange social media and keep in touch with everyone that you meet.

I ended up staying at someone’s house in Holland after meeting them in South Africa. You never know where life will take you if you just let it.

I also went on a road trip around the South West with someone else that I met in London, two years prior.

I met someone in Austria and ended up flying to the south of Italy and having the time of my life in Naples.

Hostels are truly networking heaven for travelers, take advantage.

Safety

I feel hostels are much safer to sleep in, especially if you are traveling alone.

I remember being at a hotel in India and in the middle of the night and the manager was banging on my door non-stop for a few hours. I slept with my pepper spray that night.

It was scary, I didn’t have anyone to call(there was no Wifi), and I will say this will never happen to me again.

I have never had anything like this happen to me in a hostel. I have stayed in rooms with 18 beds before and have never had anyone steal anything from me or invade my personal space in an aggressive manner.

Giving Back

Many hostels have roots in the communities they are located in. Employing locals, trading bed and food for work, and helping with inexpensive or free volunteering opportunities and some of the ways hostels try to do their part to help make this world a sweeter place than it already is.

Email the hostel you are thinking of booking at and ask about any of these things before you commit.

Well, that’s it. The six main reasons I prefer to stay at hostels over boring expensive hotels. I hope this has helped you to look at the idea of hosteling differently than before you read.

Sound off in the comments below if you have ever stayed in a hostel or are thinking of staying in one.