Hostels (not Just for International Travel): A Warm Introduction
It’s nice to see an article that casts a positive light on hostels.
In the same way Jaws left millions of kids afraid to swim in a swimming pool, movies like Taken and Hostel have left people with badly distorted views of hostels and hostel-based travel. Suggest hostelling and what jumps to mind for most people? Abduction, theft, rape and murder. Yikes! The truth is these misperceptions are all hype and no bite. Your chances of finding movie-style danger? About the same as getting attacked by a great white shark in the local suburban swimming pool.
The author clearly likes independent hostels, especially those with a bar and an active social scene. She’s not so fond of more “traditional” hostels.
There are two hostel models in operation: The traditional (outdated) model and the modern model.
Hostels that adhere to the traditional model tend to be older and date back to the late 80s and early 90s. Frankly, these should be avoided.
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Modern hostels are built around the concept that travel should be social. They take into consideration that many of the travelers staying at them are solo-travelers eager to meet people while targeting their key demographic: 20-30-somethings who are eager to see the world on a budget.
I found her commentary on hostel ratings to be rather surprising.
I typically target hostels with ratings in the 70s and 80s. I avoid hostels in the low 70s, and unless absolutely desperate would avoid hostels with a 70 or lower rating. Similarly, I’m not overly fond of hostels in the high 90s as they tend to be over-priced, too sterile, and lack the social culture I need as a solo traveler.
What do you guys think?
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