Budget travel is pretty much synonymous with lodging at one or more of those backpackers’ hostels as this is pretty much the cheapest form of accommodation you can get anywhere while still being able to enjoy a decent night’s sleep and a good all round experience of the destination you’re visiting. For those of you who haven’t actually experienced even a single night lodging at a hostel, I’m pretty sure you’d like a first-hand account of what it’s actually like.

It’s about picking out the right hostel

The hostel experience pretty much hinges on your choice of the right one and while different backpackers may have different requirements and preferences, when it comes to staying at a hostel there’ll definitely have to be some compromise. For one, getting a private room at a hostel pretty much defeats the purpose because it can get as expensive as staying at a hotel. So you’ll have to get comfortable with the issue of not quite having the privacy afforded to you by a private room, but you will be sharing your space with other people who are probably conscious of the same privacy issues.

It’s really not bad at all hey – all you have to do is make sure to pick out a hostel which isn’t stuffy and has a good amount of space available. This can be done by reading reviews written by other guests who’ve gone before you.

Typically you’ll stay in a dormitory room which has from four to eight bunk beds, with some housing up to 10-12 beds. Personal space is maintained well enough and it’s really nothing like bumping into your dorm mates every time you try to turn around. Your bed itself will likely offer you the most personal space as well and the shared bathrooms offer all the privacy you need.

You’ll probably have access to a spacious lounging area and/or study as well, so too an outdoor area as well, so as long as you select a decent sized hostel to stay in then you can have a really comfortable stay. Some people (mostly locals) even live at hostels on more of a full-time basis, receiving their mail there and everything.

The hostel experience

If you know anybody who’s been to boarding school in their lives, ask them about their experience and they’ll pretty much describe to you what you can expect of staying at a hostel. It’s like meeting strangers and then instantly becoming family for the duration of your stay. Bonds which often go on to remain intact once you’ve said your farewells and you’ve gone your separate ways form naturally.

There’s a spirit of togetherness at any backpackers’ and all the activities you get invited to become that much cheaper since they’re experienced as a group and the staff at a hostel are typically extensively clued up about budget entertainment to get lost in, such as free food tours and many others.

Try it at least three times, each time choosing a different hostel to stay in. You might like it so much that you’ll end up extending your stay to up to three weeks, as was the case with me on a trip two years ago.