Sometimes a hostel is simply a place to shower and sleep in-between days spent exploring the lesser-known quirks of a city centre or venturing out on exciting day trips into the jungle. Other times you may find you spend a good amount of time in a hostel - perhaps it's a hub of activity when the sun goes down or you need to take a couple of days to just chill, send a few emails and update your blog. Whether you're using it as a base to sleep or calling it home for the next week, there are numerous things to consider when getting your search underway for the perfect budget hostel. Here are my top 10:
1. Location, location...
Whether you want to be in stumbling distance of the best rooftop bars in Manhattan or at a safe distance from any political strife (remember to check https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice if you're worried about a certain destination), location is usually your number one concern. You may be booking weeks in advance; you might be frantically searching for a hostel the day before you turn up - either way, do your research. Where's all the action? What kind of vibe are you looking for? Where are the safest areas (particularly pertinent if you're a solo traveller)? Staying slap-bang in the city centre may be more expensive, but being in such close proximity to its main attractions and restaurants will save on cab fares. Weigh it up before throwing your cash at the first decent looking hostel - it'll be worth it in the long run.
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2. 24-hour reception/security
You'd think there's nothing worse than running out of toilet paper when you wake up in the middle of the night in a Brazilian hostel shitting and spewing simultaneously (#ithappened) from suspected food poisoning/dodgy water/heat stroke - until you drag yourself to reception only to find the desk alarmingly empty and the lights decidedly out. Arse. The ensuing debacle - scurrying across the road to another establishment in Winnie the Pooh pyjamas and crouching on the floor doubled over while the one member of staff on duty conducted a painfully slow search for bog roll - could have been avoided if the place I was staying in was alive and functioning 24/7. Having a particularly explosive case of the shits isn't the only reason to keep an eye out for this facility - you never know what you might need in the early hours of the morning, and it's nice having the peace of mind that someone will always be around to help.
3. Common room/bar
If like me your evenings are best spent in good company with several bottles glasses of wine, a common area or, better yet, a bar in the hostel premises should comprise a key element of your search. Sure, there'll be bars around every corner 'out there' but you risk sitting on your tod like a chump all evening. Head to the hostel bar, however, and it's virtually guaranteed that you'll be chatting away to fellow travellers in the same boat as you within a few short minutes. Common rooms serve the same purpose, and many come equipped with pool tables, ping/beer pong tables and hammocks. These are especially appreciated if your roommates are crap (this has only happened to me once, but they were so anti-social I literally couldn't deal with it and asked to move rooms). The best backpacker hostels go all out to create a fun, sociable and interactive environment - and there are loads out there, so take your pick!
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4. Lockers
All good hostels should provide free lockers in dorm rooms - although you may need to bring your own padlock (or hire one from reception for a fee). If the hostel you're considering doesn't supply lockers, it might be worth looking elsewhere: wandering around an unfamiliar place with your passport, cards and money on your person because you're worried about leaving them on show at the hostel is asking for trouble, so check whether this facility is offered before making a reservation. Equally, no matter how nice your new roommates are, it's still advisable to lock your valuables away. Generally fellow travellers are lovely, lovely people - but there are always exceptions. Plus, while looking for hostels in Phi Phi the other week I read a ton of reviews that complained about phones and money going missing after rooms had been cleaned. Better to be safe than sorry.
5. Free wi-fi/internet café
I'm a bit biased because I have a blog I like to update religiously when I'm travelling, but free internet access is definitely something (in my experience) that most backpackers consider important. From staying in touch with friends and family to booking the next part of your trip, wi-fi serves a very practical purpose for those on the road - and clearly Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages need to be maintained #duh. Because I (naively) bought a camera sans wi-fi before my trip, I get far too excited when hostels have computers you can use for free - saves me trudging around town trying to find an internet café that takes less than 10 minutes to upload one sodding photo. Having said that, it's actually quite liberating when finding a wi-fi hot spot is absolutely off the table. I enjoyed three very peaceful, undisturbed days in the Uyuni salt flats during which I only used my phone as an alarm clock.
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6. Personal reading light/plug socket
This ingenious invention, which I first came across at The Milhouse hostel in Cuzco, has definitely pushed up my standards when it comes to hostel booking. Reading lights are great if you don't want to disturb sleepy roommates, and having your own charger point means you don't have to worry about your camera/phone/iPod getting pilfered/trodden on in some random corner of the room. Some hostels even have curtains for each bed to give travellers some much-appreciated privacy after a long day of exploring and meeting new people.
7. Free breakfast/dinner
FREE breakfast, you say? Sold! Everyone loves a freebie, and with accommodation and food generally budget travellers' two biggest expenses in any one place, not having to shell out for a meal is nothing shy of fricking AWESOME. Don't go in expecting a full English - generally it's cereal, bread and fruit (which you may want to avoid if the tap water's a bit dodge) - but it means you can get up, have a quick and easy breakfast and be on your way, perfect if you're a bit tight on time. Some hostels even offer free, or incredibly cheap dinners, for example New York Budget Inn did pizza and karaoke night and Banana Bungalow in Hollywood did free taco night when I was out there. Yeehaw!
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8. Tour desk
'Backpacker' is often synonymous with 'adventurer', which is why it's super convenient when there's a tour/travel desk located in the hostel itself. Designed specifically with budget travellers in mind, you can trust that any day trips and expeditions offered are good value, safe and that you'll be sharing your experience with like-minded people in a similar age bracket.
9. Laundry service
Thrifty travellers tend to stray from hotels when laundry day swings around in a bid to find a better deal. However, reliable laundry service at a hostel - or washing machines at the very least (some hostels even provide free washing powder) - can be a godsend, especially if you're only stopping off for a couple of days and need a fast turnaround. I had a laundry-induced panic in Quito during my first stint of travelling: after handing in practically all of my clothes (I'd just returned to Ecuador after a sweaty seven days in the Galapagos Islands), I was assured that they would be ready for collection at 10am the following day - perfect as I had a flight to Peru late afternoon. However, when I went the next day, the building was shut at 10am, still closed at 11am and STILL no luck at midday. Luckily when I went back for the fourth time it was open, but at one point I found myself wondering what would be more cost-effective: buying a new flight to Cuzco once I got my stuff back or catching my flight anyway and stocking up on cheap clothes when I arrived...total 'mare!
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10. Spacious dorms
The ability to make the best of every situation is key to a backpacker's capacity to mentally survive the challenge of travelling (it's not ALL hammocks, beaches and cheap cocktails, y'know). No-one expects luxury when they book a dorm, but a decent amount of floor space is necessary for comfortable room sharing, the painful process of repacking and simply so you don't feel cooped up. It's quite tricky to judge this when booking online: one hostel can have many different types and sizes of room which may not all feature on their site, and watch out for those pesky wide-angle lenses that can deceive even the most seasoned globetrotter!
Keeping a keen eye out for the above can help your trip to run smoothly, leaving you to kick back and soak up the excitement of being somewhere new. I use Hostel World and Hostel Bookers religiously - hostels are awarded an overall rating powered by honest reviews from customers based on aspects such as location, security, atmosphere, facilities, value, cleanliness and staff. Plus, you can list hostels according to price (low to high, obv). Bang tidy!
