trip in hostel reviews

Hostel Recommendations & Reviews

• Categories: Backpacking , Travel Guides

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Hostels are quite easily the pinnacle of backpacking these days. Over the past few decades they have really evolved and stepped up their game to become something that isn’t just a bunk bed in a room, but a place to feel safe, socialise, have fun and make memories. Over my years of backpacking I have stayed in my fair share of hostels, both good and bad, and in my opinion, a bad hostel can ruin a trip – which we obviously don’t want. 

In this post I have compiled a list of every hostel I’ve stayed in as well as my thoughts, a rating out of 10 and a link to their Hostelworld page, in case you want to book your own stay! These thoughts are based off my personal experience, and if I did not like my stay at a hostel, that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy yours – and vice versa.  As I continue to travel I will regularly update the list for you to revise, so if you see me somewhere on my Insta, make sure to check back here to get the lowdown on my thoughts!

Europe Hostels

LONDON, ENGLAND  

WOMBAT’S CITY HOSTEL

Located a 10 minute walk from the Tower of London is Wombat’s. The hostel has won numerous awards over the years and is a great hostel to stay at. It’s social, has a kitchen, bar, co working spaces and isn’t too expensive. 

Only thing I didn’t like is the location, as the District and Circle tube lines can be a little long winded. 

Book your stay at Wombat’s here

THE DICTIONARY HOSTEL (no longer open)

Located in Shoreditch (one of my favourite areas in London), clean but didn’t have a huge amount of atmosphere while I was there (November), however Shoreditch is a great part of London for meals and going out so I’m sure it’s great in the heart of summer.

Book your stay at The Dictionary here

PARIS, FRANCE

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S INN

Great location, comfy beds each with its own curtain and has it’s own bar (expensive though). I paid €50 for one night which is ridiculous, not sure if it’s the best option in Paris but it’s in a good location and is a popular choice for a lot of travellers.

Book your stay at St Christopher’s Inn here

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

STAYOKAY VONDELPARK

Great location, however the whole ‘vibe’ of the hostel was completely off. There was around 4 school trips when I was there and it really didn’t feel like a hostel. The rooms were large, clean and adequate for the stay, however that’s about it. Would recommend Flying Pig hostels instead of staying here. 

Book your stay at Flying Pig Downtown here

BARCELONA, SPAIN

THE BLACK SWAN

One of my favourite hostels I’ve stayed in. Small and a little pricey but feels very homely with free family dinners, free sangria, free pub crawl, great social vibe. They have a kitchen you can use and a little sitting area to socialise.

Book your stay at Black Swan here

MEDITERRANEAN YOUTH HOSTEL

Not amazing but had comfy beds, kitchen and common area. Not much of a social vibe while I was there but in a great location for sightseeing. 

Book your stay at Mediterranean Youth Hostel here

KABUL PARTY HOSTEL

Amazing hostel for socialising, in house bar, cheap and great location. I stayed in a 20 bed dorm which was pretty hot but each bed comes with its own little curtain so doesn’t feel as invasive (this is good option if you’re tight on money). Kabul is designed for people who like to party so they have drinking games and pub crawls you can join.

Book your stay at Kabul Party Hostel here

AMISTAT BEACH HOSTEL (no longer open)

Great if you want to be close to the beach but is quite far out from the centre of Barcelona (there is a metro very close though). It’s a pretty large hostel with lots of rooms and a large common area/kitchen. They offer drinking games, walking tours and pub crawls.

Book your stay at Amistat Beach hostel here

MADRID, SPAIN

THE HAT HOSTEL

A large hostel with a buzzing rooftop bar/restaurants. The rooms were large and spacious with several en suites and large lockers. They offer free welcome sangria which is a nice way to meet people, as well as a pub crawl in collaboration with Cats hostel (a good party alternative) .

Book your stay at The Hat hostel

VALENCIA, SPAIN

RED NEST HOSTEL

Very social and clean, events on every night and its own in house bar upstairs with a little terrace. Great location and super friendly/helpful staff.

Book your stay at Red Nest here

LUXEMBOURG CITY, LUXEMBOURG

LUXEMBOURG CITY HOSTEL 

Great location, quiet and clean, felt a little bit like a hospital but it’s one of the only options in Luxembourg city and I would definitely stay again.

Book your stay at Luxembourg City here

VIANDEN, LUXEMBOURG

HI VIANDEN 

Very quiet, weird vibe and unfriendly staff but great location and beautiful town (I’m pretty sure this is the only hostel in the town). The town itself is a must to see, so would stay here again for sightseeing purposes!

Book your stay at Hi Vianden here

LAUTERBRUNNEN, SWITZERLAND

SCHUTZENBACH BACKPACKERS

Great location with unbelievable views of the Alps, cosy cabin vibes and has a ‘club’ downstairs (it’s more of a dark room with some lights and a laptop plugged into speakers), however super fun and I loved my time there. The managers are quite strict and you have to pay to use appliances in the kitchen + pay to use the shower (I think it’s a Swiss thing), however I managed to find a secret shower where I didn’t have to pay. Definitely one of the more affordable options in Lauternbrunnen.

Book your stay at Schutzenbach Backpackers here

ST JULIANS, MALTA

Location was a little strange, and was only moments away from the strip clubs, but also walking distance within St Julian’s for sightseeing and public transport. In house bar, kitchen, and super social with a roof top. I really liked my time here and some of the rooms have balconies, as well as the beds having their own curtains for a bit of privacy! 

Book your stay at Marco Polo here

ROME, ITALY

Right near Termini train station (which is a little dodgy of an area, so I don’t recommend walking around alone at night), very social and staff were super friendly. Free pasta every night and discounts at the Yellow bar. Really social hostel, perfect for solo travellers – it’s by far one of my favourite hostels I’ve ever stayed in and I couldn’t recommend it more!

Book your stay at The Yellow here

THE GENERATOR

Clean rooms, but you have to make your own bed and not very social when I visited (August). The hostel is very modern which lots of great facilities to use and also located relatively close to Termini (not as close as The Yellow).

Book your stay at Generator Rome here

THE BEEHIVE

Stayed here on my first backpacking trip when I was 18, it’s meant to be a hip vegan/vegetarian hostel but the atmosphere was incredibly weird and I really didn’t enjoy my stay!

Book your stay at the Beehive here

POSITANO, ITALY

HOSTEL BRIKETTE

Unfortunately the only hostel in Positano and wasn’t the best. Atmosphere was quiet during my stay. There is a small bar you can buy drinks and food from, they also have a breakfast menu for the mornings, which is super tasty. Would have been okay with the stay… except I got bed bug bites during my stay. Definitely wasn’t best pleased!  

Book your stay at Hostel Brikette here

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

CINQUE TERRE HOSTEL

Beautiful views and a lot of fun. It’s located right at the top of Manarola so you can see all the way down to the sea, unfortunately there isn’t a kitchen, however it’s a really great hostel and is a cheap option for Cinque Terre. 

Book your stay at Cinque Terre Hostel here

BOLOGNA, ITALY

DOPA HOSTEL

Quite a small hostel with only around  4 – 5 rooms, but a great option and I really enjoyed my stay here. The beds are fully separated and each has their own curtain so you can get full privacy. There is a common room and a fully functioning, modern kitchen with spices, oil, salt and pepper that you can use. It was very clean and super cute, definitely would stay again!

Book your stay at Dopa here

FLORENCE, ITALY

PLUS HOSTEL

PLUS is a chain throughout Europe and they have a number of different locations including Berlin and Prague. It’s a super big hostel with 6 floors, a rooftop terrace where you can look over the whole of Florence, an indoor and outdoor pool, common room, a small kitchen with a fridge, and a spa! The room was super clean with a large ensuite, and due to COVID they were only doing half capacities in each room so it was only myself and one other person in my room. It was about 15 minutes walk from the heart of Florence and 10 – 15 minutes from the train station. Loved staying here, however didn’t have an overwhelming social vibe!

Book your stay at PLUS Florence here

LAKE COMO, ITALY

OSTELLO BELLO HOSTEL

Lake Como is a must while in Italy and Ostello Bello is a great hostel to stay at while in Como. It’s a 5 minute walk from the train station and right by the city centre, lake and ferry stop. The beds are 3 tiered bunks and the rooms are light and airy! It had a great vibe and it also had its own bar, court yard and garden for you to hang out in. 

Book your stay at Ostello Bello here

TURIN, ITALY

ATTIC HOSTEL

I only spent one night in Attic hostel and it was very quiet during my stay (as in it was just me and one other boy in the whole hostel), however the hostel was cute and had a nice vibe. It was clean with a kitchen and a little common area to hang out in. 

Book your stay at Attic here

VENICE, ITALY

ANDA HOSTEL

Venice is notorious for expensive accommodation and Anda is a great option for a cheap, fun and social time. The hostel is massive with 7 levels, several kitchens, its own bar, large common room and outdoor area. My room was really nice and super modern with comfy beds (you do have to make your bed when you arrive though). The hostel isn’t located on Venice island and you do have to get the train across, but it only takes 10 minutes. 

Book your stay at ANDA here

MILAN ITALY

COMBO MILANO

Spacious rooms with a nice courtyard, cafe and friendly staff. Definitely quite expensive (it’s to be expected in Milan) and it’s not right in the centre close to the Duomo, however it’s in a really lovely neighbourhood, Navigli. Only a few minutes walk from dozens of bars and restaurants, as well as a cute weekend market. 

Book your stay at Combo Milano here

CORFU, GREECE

PINK PALACE

Pink Palace is one of the most famous hostels in Europe and even though COVID stopped a lot of their events there was still a great vibe. The hostel could easily fit 500 + people so I’m sure during ‘usual’ times the hostel would be thriving. The rooms have air con and you can opt to pay for breakfast in the morning which costs €5. Events they host are quad tours, boat trips, kayaking and more. 

Book your stay at Pink Palace here

METEORA, GREECE

METEORA CENTRAL BACKPACKERS

Located in the heart of Kalambaka, this hostel is comfy and perfect for your time in Meteora. There isn’t too much atmosphere, but people are chatty and the owners are more than happy to help with any questions you have for your time there.

Book your stay at Meteora Central Backpackers here

MYKONOS, GREECE

PARAGA BEACH HOSTEL (no longer open)

Paraga is the famous hostel in Mykonos and it’s definitely a lot of fun. The rooms are SUPER basic, and feels more like you’re camping than staying in a hostel. You can choose between wooden cabins or fixed ‘tents’. Neither option has aircon so it is incredibly hot! The hostel has a pool bar and you’re right by the beach, along with a small supermarket shop on site. It is important to note that the hostel is located far from Mykonos Town, but the hostel provides free transfers from the port and airport and a shuttle bus once an hour from the hostel into town (or the reception can call a taxi).

Book your stay at Paraga Beach Hostel here

PAROS, GREECE

PAROS BACKPACKERS

Paros Backpackers  is a small hostel that is super social and a great choice for your time in Paros. It is a 5 minute walk from the beach and 10 minute walk from the centre of town. There is a small kitchen you can use, a pool and a rooftop that is perfect for watching sunset or bringing your own drinks up to sit and socialise. 

Book your stay at Paros Backpackers here

RHODES, GREECE

STAY RHODES

STAY Rhodes is an amazing hostel with a great common area, bar, garden and kitchen. Each bed are individual single beds (instead of bunk beds) and the rooms feel very private, with their own balconies too! The staff were great and it had a great atmosphere too. 

Book your stay at STAY Rhodes here

SOFIA, BULGARIA

A very basic hostel that is affordable and comfortable. The beds were single beds (instead of bunk beds) and each floor was small, with a communal shower and bathroom to share. There’s a small kitchen and reception area, as well as a back garden to chill in. 

Book your stay at Hostel 123 here

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Located right on the edge of the Old Town in Bucharest, this hostel is pretty basic but has great and friendly staff that are more than happy to invite you out for a drink or tell you the best spots to discover. 

Book your stay at Sleep Inn here

BRASOV, ROMANIA

JUGENDSTUBE HOSTEL

A lovely, homely hostel that is right in the centre of Brasov. The hostel was basic but well looked after, with lovely staff and everything you would need, including laundry services (delivered to your bed) for only £2. 

Book your stay at Jugendstube here

KOSICE, SLOVAKIA

A super small family run hostel that feels like a cosy cabin. The hostel is basic, with single beds and a shared bathroom. There isn’t much of a social atmosphere, but works well for a short stay in Kosice. 

Book your stay at Happy Bull here

KRAKOW, POLAND

GREG AND TOM’S HOSTEL

The OG Greg and Tom’s was a great choice for Krakow. It was clean, right next to the train and bus stations (as well as a big shopping centre), with a kitchen and  common areas free to use. The hostel is small and quiet, so great for a good night’s sleep.

Book your stay at Greg and Tom’s here

GREG AND TOM’S BEER HOSTEL

Greg and Tom’s beer hostel is the sister hostel to the OG Greg and Tom’s, with a stronger focus on partying. Every day you get free breakfast (which consists of veggies, cheese, meat, waffles, etc), free dinner which changed every night but usually involved roasted veggies, burgers, pasta, meat of some kind, etc and one hour of free beer. The hostel costs around €8 so it’s great value for money, they also offer pub crawls every Friday and Saturday night, plus they have a common room which is incredibly sociable. The only downside was my room was located right above a restaurant/bar so it would super noisy during the day and night if you didn’t go out and wanted to sleep.

Book your stay at Greg and Tom’s Beer House here

LET’S ROCK

I volunteered at this hostel for a brief time and really enjoyed the social atmosphere here. They work closely with Krakow Party Animals pub crawl, so each night pre drinks are hosted in the common area, making it a little crazy at times. The rooms and bathrooms are very standard and it’s definitely more of a party orientated hostel, so it depends what you’re looking for. 

Book your stay at Let’s Rock here

ZAKOPANE, POLAND 

TARGET HOSTEL

A 5 minute walk from the bus/train station, this hostel is great for your time in Zakopane. It’s a little further out of the centre than other hostels, but works well if you’re planning on hiking a lot (the buses from the station take you to the beginning of the hikes. There is a small kitchen and en-suites in each room.

Book your stay at Target Hostel here

WARSAW, POLAND 

SAFESTAY WARSAW

A safe and secure hostel with a kitchen, breakfast in the morning, bar, as well as comfy, private beds. Each bed had its own curtain and the hostel was cleaned several times each day.

Book your stay at Safestay Warsaw here

GDAŃSK, POLAND

SZAFARNIA 10

Another place that doesn’t necessarily have a lot of good options in terms of hostels, so this is the best out of a bad bunch. The hostel is located inside a hotel so it’s not really social, and the rooms don’t have curtains so when the sun is up… y you’ll know about it. The showers and bathrooms are clean and they do have a kitchen you can use, plus it’s only 5 minutes into the Old Town, so it does the job.

Book your stay at Szafarnia 10 here

MOSTAR, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Nina Hostel

A sweet, family run hostel that is 300m from the Old Town and offers free breakfast every morning (cooked by the Grandmother of the family!). I stayed in a private room which was comfortable, spacious and quiet. The bathroom is functional and has toiletries you can use. I definitely recommend joining their day tour which takes you to some of the best sights in Herzegovina for €40, it’s a great way to meet people and was super informative. 

Book your stay at Nina Hostel here 

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Vagabond Hostel 

Located right in the centre of the Old Town, the hostel is social and clean, plus you get free towels! I imagine the rooms get quite hot in the peak of summer, but during my stay everything was comfortable and it was a great hostel to meet people. There is a small beer stand to buy beer from and a functioning kitchen too, so this hostel has everything you need during your time in Sarajevo.

Book your stay at Vagabond here

KOTOR, MONTENEGRO

Old Town Hostel

This hostel is right in the centre of Kotor’s Old Town and is the perfect mix of chilled and social/party. They hostel two events that they alternate – sunset BBQ and sunset boat party. Both events are great and are the perfect way to meet people, each for €20. The rooms are really clean and comfortable, and the hostel also has a kitchen and common area to hang out in. It’s definitely a little expensive but worth it!

Book your stay at Old Town Hostel here

STARI BAR, MONTENEGRO

This hostel is a converted old olive oil mill that is tucked away in the mountains. The hostel is definitely very chilled out, but super clean and even includes free washing. They host one daily activity and family dinner a few nights a week, which makes it a bit more social, but it’s definitely best for relaxing. You can only book via email and it often books out, so definitely get in early. 

Book your stay at The Grove here

ULCINJ, MONTENEGRO

Pirate Hostel

This hostel has now become one of my new favourites in Europe. Coco the owner is slightly crazy (in a good way) and makes you feel right at home. It’s incredibly social and the rooms are clean. The only downside is the bathrooms as there aren’t that many so you do have to wait, but the hostel hosts a range of activities like boat trips and a daily sunset beach excursion for €5, which I definitely recommend. 

Book your stay at Pirate hostel here

LISBON, PORTUGAL

Yes hostel is right in the centre of the tourist area of Lisbon. It is an amazing social hostel with family dinners, drinking games and pubcrawls most nights a week. If you’re solo it’s a great hostel to stay in and has everything you need including comfy, clean beds, kitchen, huge lockers and a big common area with a bar (the common area even has a bed). 

Book your stay at Yes Hostel here

A large hostel chain in Europe that has several locations including Athens, Brussels and Warsaw. The hostel is nice with a great view over the city, there is a spacious common are with a balcony and a bar. Wasn’t super social when I stayed and it’s a little out of the city centre, but is a nice, quiet place to stay in Lisbon.  ​

Book your stay at Safestay here

WE HATE F***** TOURISTS

When I say this is one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed in! The hostel is perfect, with beautiful facilities, an amazing rooftop with a lovely view, friendly staff and everything else you could need. It takes about 10 minutes to walk into the centre of Lisbon, but it’s in a lovely neighbourhood which is great to explore. The hostel offers activities like Portuguese family dinners, day trips to Sintra and pub crawls 3 nights a week. 

WHFT also has a sister hostel We Love F Tourists , which is located more towards the centre of Lisbon, so don’t forget to check that out too.

Note: the hostel is a little more expensive and has a bit more of a ‘co-working’ feel, so if you’re looking for more of a party atmosphere, YES hostel is better.

Book your stay at We Hate F***** Tourists here

PORTO, PORTUGAL

PILOT HOSTEL

Originally I had booked to stay at Passenger Hostel, which is THE hostel to stay in in Porto, however due to construction they weren’t operating as normal, so stayed at Pilot instead. To start with the good, it’s in a good location with great restaurants and bars and only 15 minutes into the centre. There is a nice courtyard to sit in and a nightly pub-crawl which makes it easy to meet people. Unfortunately for me the bad points outweighed the good – the rooms were ridiculously hot with no air con and each morning the rubbish trucks collect the rubbish at 5am, waking you up. 

If the weather had been a little cooler, I would have really enjoyed my time here. 

Book your stay at Pilot here

LAGOS, PORTUGAL

RISING COCK

The iconic hostel of Lagos is Rising Cock (not sure about the name though). Definitely leaning more towards the party vibe but a very social hostel regardless. They take everyone out on a pub crawl each night so the hostel is quiet after 11pm anyway.

Book your stay at Rising Cock here

HOSTEL CASA PORTAS DE PORTUGAL 

Rising Cock books out quickly, so this is a cheap alternative. Not social but decent for a short stay and very central/close to the bus station. 

Book your stay at Hostel Casa Portas de Portugal here

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

BEST OFFER HOSTEL 

Stayed here in 2018 when travelling on a limited budget. The hostel was very far out of the centre with a weird vibe and sterile rooms. Booked for 4 nights but only ended up staying 1. Paid €13 per night, which is much cheaper than Old Town prices, but would not recommend this hostel at all. An alternative option is City Walls hostel . 

Book your stay at City Walls hostel here

SPLIT, CROATIA 

FIESTA SIESTA

Very social party hostel with daily events such as beach trips. There is a backpackers bar downstairs called Charlies, which is busy every night of the week, so it’s a great hostel for those who want to go out and socialise. The street below Fiesta Siesta is loud so an early night isn’t really possible when staying here. Rooms are basic with communal bathrooms and showers and the hostel is located right in the heart of the Old Town. 

Book your stay at Fiesta Siesta here ​

BOOZE AND SNOOZE

The sister hostel to Fiesta Siesta is Booze and Snooze, which is located 100m away and has a very similar vibe. They have a small courtyard where guests can play drinking games and socialise. Every Friday night they have a pizza and beer pong night which is a great way to meet people, they then all head to Charlie’s Bar to party on! Neither Booze and Snooze or Fiesta Siesta has a kitchen, but the rooms have aircon and it’s also very central to all the restaurants and grocery store! ​

Book your stay at Booze and Snooze here

SPLIT BACKPACKERS 2

Located just outside of Old Town, they have clean, quiet rooms where you can relax and sleep if you’re not heavily into partying. It’s a great option if you still want to be close to Old Town without being right in the heart of it. Split Old Town can stay noisy till pretty late in the evening so it can be nice to escape the noise! 

Book your stay at Split Backpackers 2 here

ZADAR, CROATIA 

TEQUILA BAR HOSTEL 

One of the WORST hostels I have ever stayed in. Smelt horrific, unfriendly staff, loud and uncomfortable. Would not recommend this to anyone. 

HVAR, CROATIA 

Chilled vibe with drinking games and clean room. You can also borrow pool toys to swim with! Located right at the top of a hill so you can get an amazing view over the water and town below.

Book your stay at The Shaka here ​

VILLA MARIJA  (no longer open)

Super social and a lot of fun. Got offered ice cream with check in and also has a burger place underneath. Rooms are basic but there is a great social atmosphere at this hostel, definitely loved my stay here. 

Book your stay at Villa Marija here

​ PULA, CROATIA 

RIVA HOSTEL

Bizarre vibe with no staff to check me in for 2 hours, but great location right by the water. Probably wouldn’t stay again but it’s cheap and central. ​

OHRID, NORTH MACEDONIA 

SUNNY LAKE 

Central with very helpful staff. T he manager/owner was a lovely man who helped me with all my questions I had. Not super clean but homely and social (plus cheap). ​

Book your stay at Sunny Lake here

ATHENS, GREECE

ATHENS BACKPACKERS

Beautiful rooftop bar with a view of the Acropolis, definitely one of my favourite hostels. Very clean and social and is located right in the heart of Plaka and takes 10 minutes to walk to the base of the Acropolis.

Book your stay at Athens Backpackers here

SAFESTAY ATHENS

Located in Monastiraki, Safestay is also around 10 minutes away from the Acropolis. Each morning you can grab breakfast in the reception for €5 and there is a rooftop bar with a stunning view over the city. The rooms are basic but comfortable, the only issue with my room was the shower was located IN the room, with a semi clear glass door? Luckily I was by myself in the room but would not have felt comfortable showering with people being able to partly see through the door.  ​

Book your stay at Safestay Athens here

THESSALONIKI, GREECE

STUDIO ARABAS

Cute and quiet, not very central to the heart of Thessaloniki, but works well for a short stay.  ​

Book your stay at Studio Arabas here

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY 

VITAE HOSTEL

Party hostel with a great social vibe, different events every night, kitchen, clean and really friendly, accommodating staff – read about my time working at Vitae hostel here . ​

Book your stay at Vitae here

HIVE HOSTEL

Hive hostel is a party hostel located in District Seven/Jewish Quarter in Budapest. The hostel is lively, with a rooftop bar that is busy every night. The beds are extremely comfy and the hostel is clean and spacious, definitely recommend. The hostel sits on top of a late night bar/club, so be aware that it is fairly loud in the evenings, it’s definitely better if you plan on going out during your stay!

I would not recommend staying here if you aren’t a party person.

Book your stay at Hive here

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

WOMBATS CITY – THE LOUNGE (no longer open)

Very sterile, hospital like feel. Does have a bar but not much social feel, unfriendly staff and uncomfortable beds, would not stay here again.  ​

Book your stay at Wombats Vienna here

VIENNA BOUTIQUE HOSTEL

This boutique hostel is really small and a great place to chill and rest. Not much of a social atmosphere but is cosy and comfortable. There is no kitchen but a microwave and fridge you can use. ​

Book your stay at Vienna Boutique Hostel here

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA

MEININGER ZENTRUM

A surprisingly lovely hostel with super comfy and clean rooms, good facilities, kitchen and a 10 minute walk into the centre. The only minor downside was the unfriendly check in I had when arriving. ​

Book your stay at Meininger here

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

One of the best hostels in Europe. The hostel is small with welcoming staff and comfy beds, fully functioning kitchen and cosy common area. The hostel only has 20 beds, which creates a lovely ‘family style’ vibe and there is the perfect mix of chill + social atmosphere. There is a family dinner each night for 100 Kc (£3.50) which is always vegetarian, as well as an evening activity that changes each night of the week. ​

Book your stay at Roadhouse here

Madhouse is the sister hostel to Roadhouse and is a little more party orientated, so it really depends what you’re looking for during your stay. Madhouse hosts drinking games each night after the family dinner and the staff take you to different bars, clubs and events. Personally my favourite was the drunk bowling on Monday. Even though it’s a party hostel you can still get a good night sleep and the hostel is only a 10 minute walk into the centre of Prague.

Book your stay at Madhouse here ​

Stayed here in 2019 and was met with rude staff and a terrible vibe with the hostel. The hostel is in a decent location but I would not recommend staying here. ​

Book your stay at Hostel Tyn here

BERLIN, GERMANY

CIRCUS HOSTEL

Circus is highly recommended and was a nice stay in Berlin. The rooms are spacious and clean, there are some nice areas to sit and relax, with an additional cafe attached to the reception of the hostel. Downstairs is a small bar with its own brewery. Only downside is the loud street the hostel is situated on, but definitely not too noticeable in the night time.  ​

Book your stay at Circus Hostel here

HAMBURG, GERMANY

Stayed here in 2016 and have since discovered that the hostel often hosts school groups, which is what happened when I stayed. Would not recommend staying here.  ​

COLOGNE, GERMANY

DIE WOGHNEMEINSCHAFT

Each bunk bed was a double bed size (rather than single), each bed had its own curtain and the hostel was well equipped. Located in the Belgian Quarter, the hostel was in a very central location and not too far from anything.  ​

Book your stay at Die Woghenmeinschaft here

MUNICH, GERMANY

WOMBAT’S HOSTEL 

A popular European hostel chain and a hostel that has clean rooms, big common areas and great locations. Because of Oktoberfest I paid €90 for one night (absolutely crazy) and still had to make my own bed when arriving. It’s definitely not my favourite hostel ever but it does the job and it is a good base hostel (ideal because its close to the train and bus station). 

Book your stay at Wombats here

NUREMBURG, GERMANY

FIVE REASONS

Very large open rooms with clean communal bathrooms and a chilled common area. Only spent one night here but doesn’t strike me as an overly social hostel. Only a 5 minute walk from the metro and walking distance into the centre.

Book your stay at Five Reasons here

FÜSSEN, GERMANY

BAVARIA CITY HOSTEL 

This hostel is small and basic with no kitchen, no convenient common areas and weird reception hours (3pm – 8pm). There are only 2 options in Füssen so you can’t be too picky, it does the job but don’t expect too much!  ​

Book your stay at Bavaria City Hostel here

BRUGES, BELGIUM

SNUFFEL HOSTEL

Located a 10 minute walk from the centre of the city, Snuffel felt a little ‘sterile’, in the rooms, but was great every other way. There was free breakfast in the mornings and a bar with different events in the evenings.  ​

Book your stay at Snuffel Hostel here

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

DOWNTOWN HOSTEL

Very fun, social hostel with a bar and comfy, clean rooms. I’ve stayed here a few times and really enjoyed myself each time.

Book your stay at Downtown Hostel here 

A newly opened hostel with all the amenities you could imagine, like indoor football pitch, cinema room, gym, event space and more. The rooms are on the smaller side but everything is incredibly modern and clean. Only 5 minutes from the supermarket and is in a great location for walking everywhere. 

Book your stay at Next House Hostel here 

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

CITY BACKPACKERS

One of my favourite hostels. Very social, sauna, big showers, comfy beds and free pasta and rice with a great area for hanging out and a pretty big kitchen. The rooms use unique passcodes so there is a high level of security, I felt very safe while I was there and would recommend it to everyone. It is also in a great location (about 20 minute walk from Gamla Stan).

Book your stay at City Backpackers here ​

TALLINN, ESTONIA

TALLINN BACKPACKERS (no longer open)

Really lovely small backpackers right in the heart of Tallinn. Wasn’t overly social when I visited (February) , however I think in the summer months it’s a lot more lively! Quite a small hostel but feels very homely with a kitchen and common area to hang out in. 

Due to this no longer being open, an alternative option to check out is Fat Margaret’s 

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

JIMMY JUMPS

A super fun and lively hostel that made my time in Vilnius. The staff were lovely and super accommodating, with comfy beds and a social reception area and small bar.

Book your stay at Jimmy Jumps here

​ RIGA, LATIVA

NAUGHTY SQUIRREL

A well known hostel that is famous for its social vibes and great atmosphere. The owners are an Aussie – British duo, who know how to look after their guests. Really loved Naughty Squirrel!

Book your stay at Naughty Squirrel here

CINNAMON SALLYS

I volunteered at this hostel as a part of a Worldpackers collaboration (You can click here or use SHETRAVELLEDTHEWORLD for $10 off your membership). The hostel is super small, with a great atmosphere for socialising. They offer free toiletries, small kitchen, spacious and comfy beds and is  2 minute walk from a shopping centre. Hostel also offers free breakfast with waffles, eggs, bread, veggies, cheese, meat and a coffee machine (it’s a great way to meet everyone at the hostel).  

Book your stay at Cinnamon Sallys here ​

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

WILD ELEPHANTS

Wild Elephants was a really great time and was in the most amazing location right in the heart of Bratislava. There was a little ‘bar’ in the attic/upstairs part of the building with small rooms people could sit and socialise/play drinking games in. Really great hostel to meet people and they also offer €5 dinners each night which are always vegan!

Book your stay at Wild Elephants here ​

ISTANBUL, TURKEY 

CHEERS HOSTEL

A 5 minute walk from Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, Cheers hostel is small but very homely with lovely staff. The rooftop bar has the most amazing view and it’s really social, it also has an incredible view of Hagia Sofia. If you’re not at the bar it can be a little loud when trying to sleep, other than that it’s great.

Book your stay at Cheers hostel here

Central America Hostels

CANCUN, MEXICO

MAYAN MONKEY

A fast paced hostel with a lot of people looking for a good time. Mayan Monkey includes free breakfast, happy hour daily and more. I loved Mayan Monkey and really recommend to everyone.

Book your stay at Mayan Monkey Cancun here

Stayed here a few times when flying in and out of Cancun. The hostel is located in the downtown of Cancun and is comfortable, with a rooftop pool and clean rooms. Only downside was one night they had a standup comedian that went until 1am, so hard to sleep with the noise. 

Book your stay at Nomads Cancun here ​

TULUM, MEXICO

Enjoyed my time at Mayan Monkey, but thought the Tulum location was a little inconvenient as it wasn’t in the downtown and wasn’t close to the beach. The hostel also had really loud music all day (starting at 7am), which could be a little annoying. Other than that Mayan Monkey offered a lot, including, bicycle rental, co-working space, kitchen, several chill out areas, pool and bar with different events, including weekly DJs. ​

Book your stay at Mayan Monkey Tulum here

BACALAR, MEXICO

One of my favourite hostels I stayed in during my time in Mexico. The perfect hostel located right on Bacalar lagoon. There were daily events throughout the days and evenings, including neon party, Spanish lessons, margarita making classes and more. They have a kitchen and the bar makes food you can purchase (the food is really tasty). ​

Book your stay at Yak Lake here

HOLBOX, MEXICO

TRIBU HOSTEL

The perfect ‘tree house’ vibe hostel, located 30 seconds away from the beach. The hostel was another one of my favourites in Mexico, however the only downside was there wasn’t air conditioning in the rooms, which made it hard to sleep (I believe this has changed since I stayed in Sept 2021). Other than that, there were daily activities throughout the day and evening that were all super fun to get involved with and made it super easy to make friends!

Book your stay at Tribu hostel here

ISLA MUJERES, MEXICO

I loved Nomads and thought it was a great hostel to stay in. The rooms were well equipped and the beds were comfy and very private. The hostel was right on the beach and had everything you would need for a great stay! They also had several little food trucks right on the road outside the hostel which you could order and they would deliver it to you by the bar/beach. ​

Book your stay at Nomads hostel here ​

ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

Selina’s are always nice and the one in Antigua is no exception. It has everything you need like a pool, hostel bar, chill out areas, kitchen, outdoor workout space and more. The location is a little out of the way but nothing too extreme and it’s a great place to stay if you want some peace and quiet. ​

Book your stay at Selina hostel here

ADRA HOSTEL

Adra hostel has an absolutely lovely vibe and I really loved my night here. They have a 24 person dorm which I decided to stay in to see what it would be like and it was a lot of fun! The hostel feels really clean and homely and everything is really beautiful, including the courtyard and rooftop. There is also a bar and restaurant in the hostel.

Book your stay at Adra hostel here

TROPICANA HOSTEL

Tropicana is the party hostel of Antigua and is known for their crazy nights. I didn’t stay here, however I did visit a few times and I did book my Acatenango volcano hike through Tropicana. This hostel is very standard but has a great social scene and comes with everything that you would need. 

Book your stay at Tropicana hostel here

LAKE ATITLAN, GUATEMALA

Another great Selina located in the town of Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. The hostel is clean and semi social, and is within 5 minutes from the super market and the main street of the town. 

Book your stay at Selina Lake Atitlan here

MANDALA’S HOSTEL

Located in San Pedro, another town on Lake Atitlan (known as the party town), Mandalas is perfect if you want to be involved in the social scene while still getting a good night’s sleep. It’s not the most social hostel ever, but the rooms are clean and it feels very welcoming. It’s a 5 minute walk away from everything, including the popular party hostel Mr Mullets, which is where all the action takes place. The hostel also offers heaps of activities including the Indian Nose hike and is super affordable. 

Book your stay at Mandala’s here

FREE CERVEZA

This is the absolute definition of ‘wholesome fun’. Free Cerveza is located in one of the Lake’s small towns, Santa Cruz. Each night they do a family dinner with 2 hours free beer, there is morning yoga, stand up paddle boarding and more. The whole feel is just amazing and definitely a great stay! ​

Book your stay at Free Cerveza ​

LANQUIN, GUATEMALA

OASIS THE TRAVELLER 

Lanquin in general is known for food poisoning, but Oasis the Traveller really didn’t help with disgusting food from the restaurant and no kitchen to use. The rooms are very ‘tree house’ style, which were quite cute, however overall the hostel isn’t great. Would definitely recommend Zephyr Lodge  instead, which is right up the road and is much nicer. 

Book your stay at Zephyr Lodge here

FLORES, GUATEMALA

LOS AMIGOS 

Such a fun and social hostel that I absolutely loved. In a great location with helpful staff, travel agency, restaurant, bar, and they even have a ‘night club’ in the back. A great social hostel that has everything you need for an amazing time in Flores. They even have pet rabbits and tortoises! 

Book your stay at Los Amigos here

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

Casa Pepe was more on the expensive side but an amazing hostel. It was in Centro (centre) of the city, so relatively central to everything. There was a great social vibe with a lot of people to socialise with. There is also an amazing rooftop bar and restaurant you definitely need to check out!

Book your stay at Casa Pepe here

OAXACA CITY, MEXICO

A cute hostel with great staff and good vibes! It’s well equipped and perfect for socialising. Can be a little loud with the music from the bar but otherwise is a great hostel.

Book your stay at Casa Angel here

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, MEXICO

Selina is located in Zocalo, which is right on the beach and hosts dozens of beach clubs and bars. The Selina itself is mainly used by digital nomads and has a great co-working space, cafe and bar area during the day. It’s not the most social hostel unless you get a good group at the time. I found the staff to be difficult and a little rude, which made the vibe feel a little off. In general the Selina had great facilities. ​

Book your stay at Selina here

VILLA BONOBO

This may take the cake with being one of the best hostels I’ve EVER stayed in. Villa Bonobo is very small but has the loveliest staff, comfy beds, pool and more, it’s definitely more of a hotel feel than a hostel. The only minor downside is the location, it’s a little out of the way but only takes 20 minutes to walk into La Punta.

Book your stay at Villa Bonobo here ​

BONITA ESCONDIDO

We went from very good, to very bad. Bonita Escondido is great for socialising, however actually staying here is a different story. The rooms are overpriced, unclean and really hot. The staff are rude and unhelpful and the bathrooms were next level gross. I found a lot of aspects of the hostel were neglected (like the water tank never being full), and they didn’t have a kitchen or fridge you could use. In saying this, the pool area is social and they have events in the evening, which was the only redeeming quality, but you could get the exact same social experience without staying there and just visiting. 

SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, MEXICO 

PUERTA VIEJA

A basic hostel that was social and welcoming. The staff were really helpful and there were plenty of  activities/excursions to get involved with. The hostel also had free breakfast and dinner each day, as well as a kitchen and a small bar/garden.

Book your stay at Puerta Vieja here

CAYE CAULKER, BELIZE

BELLA’S BACKPACKERS 

I genuinely cried when I left this hostel, which has never happened before. Bella’s has such a family feel and all the staff are amazing. It was very hit or miss if it was social (more based on the crowd at the time), but it was overall a really fun hostel to stay in. Just be warned – there is no air con in the rooms!

Book your stay at Bella’s Backpackers here

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA

This Selina was located a little out of the centre but still within walking distance of everything. As always it is clean and well equipped with everything you need, they also do a welcome drink (traditional Costa Rican coffee and liquor) on the roof every evening, which is a great way to mingle. ​

Book your stay at Selina San Jose here

LA FORTUNA, COSTA RICA

LA CHOZA INN HOSTEL 

A really simple hostel with basic amenities. Only a 5 minute walk from the centre of La Fortuna and has a bit of atmosphere. Definitely on the basic side but is good for the prices and offers heaps of daily tours/shuttles + daily free hot springs visit.

Book your stay at La Choza Inn hostel here

SANTA TERESA, COSTA RICA

PURA VIDA MINI HOSTEL 

Potentially the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed in… EVER. So disgustingly dirty, with stained sheets, tiny rooms and gross bathrooms. The staff were unhelpful and it wasn’t a welcoming experience. The worst part? You could hear rats running through the walls at night. ​

Asia Hostels

KATHMANDU, NEPAL  

I LOVED this hostel and I couldn’t recommend it more! There is a hostel bar which is very social, the rooms are bright and comfy, a rooftop with beanbags and there is even a net on the rooftop where you can lie and stare at the mountains!

Book your stay at Zostel here

POKHARA, NEPAL

KIWI BACKPACKERS HOSTEL

Another great hostel with a great vibe. There is a rooftop with hammocks for you to relax in, a downstairs area to hang out in and you can also borrow hiking gear in case you do any trekking! I really loved Kiwi Backpackers

Book your stay at Kiwi Backpackers here

BANGKOK, THAILAND

BACK HOME BACKPACKERS

This hostel is super basic and the rooms are super hot during the day (they turn the aircon on in the evening though). There is a little common area downstairs that is often full day and night, so it’s a great hostel for meeting people. The showers were ‘wet rooms’, which I didn’t particularly like, but the hostel is affordable so is great if you’re on a budget.

Book your stay at Back Home Backpackers here

HERE HOSTEL

Only spent one night here and rooms were on the smaller side, but it’s a highly raved about hostel with a good common area and their own bar. They even have a slide in the reception.

Book your stay at Here Hostel here

A phenomenal hostel with so much to offer in terms of social atmosphere, friendly staff (and owner), a restaurant, bar, very attentive cleaners, big beds, nice en suites and a well thought out common area. Not to mention day and evening activities which are a must when you’re there. Only MINOR note is that it’s about 15 minutes outside of the centre of Pai, but really not bad at all. 

Book your stay at Nolo Hub here

Stamps Backpackers

The iconic hostel of Chiang Mai that books out well in advance, and for good reason. This hostel is social, central and hosts really fun activities. It’s so good a lot of people from other hostels come here in the evenings to socialise. The rooms also have little pods, so it kind of feels like you’re in a private room even in a dorm. 

Book your stay at Stamps here

CANGGU, BALI

FARM HOSTEL

A lovely hostel with amazing facilities, two pools and comfy beds! Only stayed here one night but absolutely loved my stay. Only downside is you have to top up a bracelet to purchase anything from the restaurant or bar, which is a little annoying. The hostel is in a quiet location and the bar closes early to allow you a good night’s sleep. 

Book your stay at Farm Hostel here

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

PENTHOUSE ON 34

This hostel is on the 34th floor (as the name suggests) and it is absolutely stunning. There is a large open air outdoor area which has incredible views over KL, the beds are comfy with curtains, bathrooms are en-suites, they have a kitchen, access to a penthouse rooftop pool, gym and even a massage chair. There is a small grocery store downstairs so you have everything you need right there. They also do events so you can have an opportunity to meet people. Only downside is it’s a little tricky to find at first. 

Book your stay at Penthouse on 34 here

JRYGALAN, KYRGYZSTAN

MINE HOSTEL 

Mine hostel was really small but has everything you need including comfy beds, big kitchen, clean toilets and showers. The owner is nice and even took us for a little day out to a waterfall..

Book your stay at Mine Hostel here

HANOI, VIETNAM

Buffalo is your standard social hostel, with a bar attached to the pool area, common area, restaurant and spacious rooms with curtains and large lockers. Each night they do a free hour of beer, which is a great way to meet people and break the ice a bit! ​

Book your stay at Buffalo here ​

CENTRAL BACKPACKERS

Central Backpackers is the sister hostel to Buffalo and is right down the road. There is a lively rooftop bar where you can play beer pong, mingle and get ready for the nightly pub crawl they host. The facilities aren’t as nice as Buffalo and this hostel is a lot more party orientated.  ​

Book your stay at Central Backpackers here

​ HA GIANG, VIETNAM

JASMINE HOSTEL

Only stayed here one night before heading on the Ha Giang Loop. The hostel smelt terrible in the rooms, so I’m thankful I only stayed for one night. Most people stay here to do the Loop through the hostel, which you can book here .  ​

Book your stay at Jasmine here

Book the Ha Giang Loop through Jasmine here 

NINH BINH, VIETNAM

BANANA TREE

Banana Tree is a super cute hostel right by the river of Ninh Binh. They have a pool, motorbike rental, laundry, restaurant, bar and plenty of spots to chill. It’s a pretty relaxed hostel and is super affordable. 

Book your stay at Banana Tree here

HOI AN, VIETNAM

BED STATION

There are a few different Bed Stations in Vietnam. The one in Hoi An is a great social (more party based) option, with 30 minutes free drinks and 100k (£3.50) 1 hour and a half unlimited drinks for 1 hour and a half. There is a pool and motorbike rental, some local restaurants around, but the hostel is a 15 minute walk into the Old Town. The rooms are very basic and on the smaller side, so don’t expect the most peaceful sleep, but it’s a great hostel for meeting people.

Book your stay at Bed Station here

DA NANG, VIETNAM

This hostel is absolutely beautiful, and only a 10 minute walk from the beach. The rooms are VERY small, so hard to find space to put your luggage, but the beds are comfy with curtains and everything is very functional. 

Book your stay at The Memory here

PHONG NHA, VIETNAM

A very social hostel with spacious rooms, pool table, pool, 30 minutes free drinks and motorbike rental. The rooms are very spacious and comfortable, and overall this hostel is a must stay in Phong Nha.

HUE, VIETNAM

A-MÂZE HOUSE

A small and cute hostel with a very traditional layout. I paid £10 for a private room which was like a private pod in a dorm room. Each pod had a fan and the room overall had air con. The hostel was very clean and was a good option for a short stay. 

Book your stay at A-Mâze House here

PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINES

This hostel is great. Very clean with a restaurant attached that has good food (although notably a little expensive). The rooms feel nice with very private pods and lots of storage. 

Book your stay at Guni Guni here

PORT BARTON, PHILIPPINES

A fun, lively hostel with an amazing boat trip you definitely have to do. They do both a party boat tour and a non drinking one, I recommend the non drinking one because you see some amazing things, however the party one sounds fun too. They do free drinks for 30 minutes and live music, while also having a restaurant and nice outdoor common space. I stayed in a 20 person dorm, which is really fun and the room was big/long, so it didn’t feel that crowded and each bunk has it’s own power point and curtain.

Book your stay at CocoRico here

EL NIDO, PHILIPPINES

This hostel is absolutely huge, 5 stories, with a gorgeous rooftop pool and bar that overlooks El Nido. They do different events in the evening like karaoke and live music, so it’s a perfect place to chill for sunset. The rooms are cold, comfy and private, so it’s definitely worth the extra price compared to other hostels. They also have a tour company attached so you can book all the boat trips through them.

Book your stay at Frendz here

CORON, PHILIPPINES

A very fun and social hostel with a rooftop pool, bar, restaurant, nightly events and boat tours. There are a range of different things going on throughout the week and it’s easy to meet people. The rooms are large, although no curtains, and the bathrooms are communal.

Book your stay at Outpost here

SIQUIJOR, PHILIPPINES

FABLE HOSTEL

Some of the biggest dorm rooms I have EVER seen. A chill common space with free breakfast and coffee, motorbike rental and decent showers. They also take people out to family dinner which is a nice way to meet people. Very chilled out hostel but it’s nice.

Book your stay at Fable here

BOHOL, PHILIPPINES

A recently opened Mad Monkey in Panglao, a small island attached to Bohol. You can book tours like the Chocolate Hills through Mad Monkey and they also do activities like beer pong tournaments in the evening. Everything is very new and clean.

Book your stay at Mad Monkey Panglao here

MOALBOAL, PHILIPPINES

Where do I even start with this hostel. Another terrible place I do not recommend. The rooms were ridiculously hot (even though there was air con), it was so loud and the walls were paper thin, some of the most unhelpful staff I’ve ever encountered, it was so bad I didn’t even stay as long as I booked. 

The only saving grace is they do free drinks for 30 minutes which can bring in a good group of people, but you don’t have to be staying at the hostel to join in on this. 

Instead, check out Chief Mau , this is just down the road in town and is meant to be amazing.

Book your stay at Chief Mau here

SIARGAO, PHILIPPINES

This hostel is fine and does the job, with a busy bar area that’s good for meet people, but I wasn’t that fussed over the rooms or bathrooms. Nor did I feel like the reps made much of an effort with any of the guests, which gave an off feel. Mad Monkey always provides a really good group of travellers who are up for a good time, so I made some amazing friends here regardless.

Book your stay at Mad Monkey here

Oceania Hostels

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA  

NOAH’S BONDI BEACH (no longer open)

Located right in the heart of Bondi, Noah’s is a super relaxed hostel that is incredibly social and a lot of fun. There is a large kitchen space which is usually bustling with people and a huge rooftop over looking the beach, you are literally a minute’s walk from Bondi! ​

Book your stay at Noah’s here

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA

BACKPACKERS NEWCASTLE

Only a 20 minute walk from the bus stop, Backpacker’s Newcastle feels like a home away from home. With a pool, outdoor area to socialise, and a little kitchen & lounge, there is heaps of space for you to meet people. The rooms are really simple but comfortable and the owner was super friendly, he even drove me to visit some friends!

Book your stay at Backpacker’s Newcastle here

COFFS HARBOUR, AUSTRALIA

I only spent one night here and my stay was fine, there was a pool and a big common area with heaps of people hanging around. It’s close to town and the beach, plus the hostel offers free surf board and kayaks!

Book your stay at Aussitel here ​

BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA

AQUARIUS BACKPACKERS

A GREAT hostel and a lot of fun. There is always heaps of people hanging around for you to socialise with, a bar with events and music, a pool and just walking distance from Byron town. The rooms were basic and a little stuffy in the heart of summer, but other than that I loved my stay.

Book your stay at Aquarius Backpackers here

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND  

BASE BACKPACKERS (no longer open)

Right in the heart of Auckland is Base, a 7 story backpacker hostel which is slightly crazy. I stayed here for a little over 4 weeks, so I got to know it pretty well. There is a rooftop bar which does nightly events like bingo and Happy Hour, as well as a late night bar called Habana Joe’s right under the hostel. The rooms are basic but definitely do the job and there is a massive kitchen for you to cook in, as well as plenty of showers and bathrooms on every floor. This is a great social hostel to stay in! ​

Book your stay at Base Auckland here

ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND  

ROTORUA DOWNTOWN BACKPACKERS

Close to the grocery shop and town, this is where I would recommend for people visiting Rotorua. Not overly social when I visited, but the rooms were clean, with each bed having its own power socket and a communal kitchen + common area with a TV to hang out in.

Book your stay at Rotorua Downtown Backpackers

ROCK SOLID BACKPACKERS

Rock Solid was super basic and very quiet. It was great because it was right in the heart of town, but other than that there wasn’t much happening. It had a kitchen and decent beds, perfect if you just want to chill for a few days. ​

Book your stay at Rock Solid Backpackers

TAUPO, NEW ZEALAND  

TAUPO URBAN RETREAT

A cosy little hostel right in the heart of Taupo town, there is a bar open to the public in the front section, with both in and outdoor seating. The rooms are small but nice and you can see a view of the lake from the bedrooms. The bathrooms are communal and there is also a kitchen you can use!

Book your stay at Taupo Urban Retreat

PICTON, NEW ZEALAND

The Villa is homely, central and really lovely. I met some great people here and it felt super comfortable. There is a big garden in the front and back with heaps of places to hang out, as well as a hot tub. There is a big kitchen that leads on to the garden and the rooms were great and comfortable! It’s also only a few minutes walk away from the water.

Book your stay at The Villa here

ABEL TASMAN, NEW ZEALAND

Abel Tasman National Park is a great place in the South Island and staying at The Barn was a highlight for me! You can choose to either stay in a yurt (a fancy tent) or a dorm, I chose a yurt and had a great time! There are proper single beds in there (not just mattresses on the floor) and it’s surprisingly comfortable. There is a huge outdoor style kitchen plus big dining space and the showers are outdoor camping style too, so it feels like you’re really out in nature!

Book your stay at the Barn here

NELSON, NEW ZEALAND

PALACE BACKPACKERS

Right in the centre of Nelson and has a really homely, rustic feel. Instead of bunk beds they are all singles, which is greatly appreciated. There is a huge kitchen with everything you’ll need, including spices (which is always rare in a hostel) and also a little common area and outdoor area where you can socialise. Not the most social of hostels when I stayed but really nice otherwise.

Book your stay at Palace Backpackers here

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND

ADVENTURE Q2

One of the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in! So much fun, with the friendliest staff, this is the perfect place for solo travellers or if you’re just looking for a good time. Each bed has its own curtain, the duvets and mattress is super comfortable and it’s just lovely! The hostel also has a common area, kitchen, outdoor section, different events every night and you can even borrow gear like bikes and go pros! ​

Book your stay at Adventure Q2 here

WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND

MATTERHORN SOUTH (no longer open)

Very simple and basic, but definitely does the job. It didn’t seem overly social while I was there, but it was very central in Wanaka and had a decent kitchen and common area where you could hang out. ​

Book your stay at Matterhorn South ​

WANAKA BACKPACKERS BOTHY

Bit of an odd job hostel but fits the bill when you’re looking for a decent place to stay, social enough and comfortable sleep.

Book your stay at Wanaka Backpackers Bothy

KAIKOURA, NEW ZEALAND

DUSKY LODGE

A little out of the main part of Kaikoura, I booked this very last minute and didn’t spend too much time here (I arrived late afternoon and left early morning). It was pleasant enough but wouldn’t be rushing to stay again!

Book your stay at Dusky Lodge

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND

This is one of those large hostels that are just good fun! It’s super basic and you can fit a lot of people when it’s at full capacity, but it’s a great place to meet people and socialise. It’s not too far from the centre of Christchurch and you have all the basic amenities you would need!

Book your stay at Urbanz

MOUNT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND  

MOUNT BACKPACKERS

Super basic and very cheap, Mount Backpackers is the real ‘surfers’ vibe. I stayed in their 16 bed room and it’s definitely snug and can get VERY hot in summer. There is a small kitchen and little backyard bit to hang out in and the best part is they offer bicycle hire for $2, it’s right in the centre of town AND only a short walk from the beach!

Book your stay at Mount Backpackers

NEW PLYMOUTH, NEW ZEALAND  

ARIKI BACKPACKERS

The vibe in the rooms and reception is very similar to staying at your grandparents house, and the interior design doesn’t look too far off that. However there is a great little rooftop balcony where you can sit and chill with some people! ​

Book your stay at Ariki Backpackers

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Hostelworld review | how to find the best hostels on hostelworld.

Everything you need to know about using Hostelworld to find your perfect hostel.

Hostels & Lodging , Product Reviews

Whether you’re backpacking Europe or just traveling on a budget, there is a good chance you’ll find yourself in a few hostels along the way. And despite what you may have heard, there are a lot of excellent hostels but you have to find them first — which is where Hostelworld comes in.

For those that don’t know, Hostelworld is the largest hostel booking website ( with over 36,000 listings) so I thought I’d do a Hostelworld review to give you positives and negatives that I’ve found after booking dozens of hostels with them since my first trip back in 2006.

If you want to know about hostels in general, check out my Guide To Hostels in Europe .

My Stragegy For Finding The Best Hostels On Hostelworld

Booking a hostel with Hostelworld is a fairly straightforward process but finding a great hostel that fits your needs can take a little digging. Here’s the process I use when I’m looking to book a hostel:

Compare Prices, Overall Ratings, and Number Of Reviews

After you enter your destination and travel dates, it’s time to sort through the results so you can start culling down your best hostel options. At this point, there are three main things I pay attention to — price, overall rating, and the number of reviews.

The search results page shows the starting nightly price for a bed in a shared dorm and the price to rent a private room.

This price displayed can be a little deceiving because these are the cheapest options in the hostel.

The cheapest dorms are typically the rooms with the greatest number of beds — and the least amount of privacy and peace. Hostels often have multiple room sizes so you’ll typically pay extra if you want a room with fewer beds. You’ll need to view the listing to get a better idea of the full range of price options.

Overall Rating

Hostelworld ranks hostels on a scale from 1-10 but I start getting a little suspect about any hosted that’s under 8. I tend to try to only look at hostels with an 8.5+ ranking but these tend to command a higher price.

The overall ranking consists of things like location, amenities, vibe, security, cleanliness, etc.

You’ll need to click into the hostel to get a better idea of the reviews — I’ll talk more about deciphering these guest reviews later in this article.

Number Of Reviews

The overall rating listed on the search results page can be deceiving as some hostels can have super high scores but only a handful of reviews. That doesn’t mean you should avoid places with minimal reviews but it’s something to consider when looking closer at that property.

On the other hand, if the hostel has thousands of reviews and a high score then you know it’s probably a great place to check out.

What To Look For In A Hostel

Once you’ve found a few hostels that look interesting it’s time to take a deeper dive into the particulars listed on each hostels’ Hostelworld profile. This is where it’s wise to pay attention to the details because even well-rated hostels might not match up to your travel style.

Take A Deep Dive Into The Past Guest Reviews

Hostelworld does a good job at getting reviews from past guests and people tend to write about the good and bad parts of their stays. I also like that all the reviews on Hostelworld are from the past 6 months, so it gives you a better idea of the hostel’s current condition.

I try to take a holistic view of the reviews because there are so many things that can affect someone’s stay — from annoying hostel-mates that sour a nice hostel to really cool people that make an average hostel feel awesome.

When I read reviews I look for specific things:

• The Atmosphere: Some hostels are “party” hostels, some a quiet but maybe a little dull, some are quiet and cozy, some are for families, some feel like hostels, etc. It’s important to find one that fits your style.
• Location: Location is a huge consideration and I’d much rather pay a little more if I can stay right in the heart of things. Reviews often make comments about the safety of the area as well.
• Cleanliness: Just by their nature, hostels can quickly get dirty if the staff doesn’t stay on top of the cleaning so that’s something I think is important to look into.
• Beds: Past reviewers will often comment on the quality of the beds — there are a lot of really terrible mattresses in hostels.
• Bathrooms: Hostels are notorious for bad showers and bathrooms. Pay attention to what people say about them.
• Kitchen: A kitchen is a nice bonus if you think you’ll make simple meals. A kitchen also tends to be a popular place to hang out so these hostels tend to be more social.
• Common Space: Some hostels have space to hang out and this helps make the hostel more social.
• Hostel Bar: Hostels with bars are typically more social but sometimes they can be louder so that’s something to consider.
• Air Conditioning: Hostels can get stuffy so pay attention to what people say about how hot/cold the place is — even if they hostel says they have AC.
• Additionally, I also look at the hostel’s amenities — like free wifi, activities, staff, security, etc. Read more about what to look for when choosing a hostel in our guide to staying in hostels .

Other Ammenities

Hostelworld also lists out the hostel’s other amenities so take a minute to look at what they offer.

Exploring Room Options and Prices

As mentioned before, most hostels have multiple dorm rooms of various sizes. Some hostels also have female-only rooms. Typically the rooms with the most amount of beds are the cheapest option — so a bed in a 14-bed room might be $30/night and a bed in a 4-bed room might be $40/night.

Hostels also often have private rooms which are considerably more expensive than dorms but you still get the hostel vibe with more privacy. Some hostels also have private rooms with four or six beds — which is a nice option for groups but you have to pay for the entire room regardless if you use all the beds.

Free Cancellation and Non-Refundable Bookings

Hostelworld recently started offering Free Cancellation and Non-Refundable pricing tiers.

As you can see from above, there is a fairly considerable price difference so you’ll pay more for a Free Cancellation booking. On the other hand, you’ll pay for the entire booking if you go with the cheaper non-refundable booking.

Read The Fine Print and Hostel Policies

Booking a hostel at hosteleworld.

Booking a hostel on Hostelworld is simple. You select the type of room you want and the total price is shown at the bottom of the page. You are charged a 15% deposit/down payment (which is deducted from your total).

You then pay the remainder of the payment directly to the hostel when you physically check-in at the hostel. The whole process is painless and I’ve never had a problem in the 25+ hostels I’ve stayed in. Most hostels let you pay with a credit card but there are a few that only accept cash upon arrival.

The best way to learn about using  Hostelworld is by clicking around and exploring the site. Hostelworld also now lists budget hotels and bed & breakfasts, but I’ve never used it to book those types of accommodation.

If you want to know more about what it’s like to stay in a hostel, be sure to  read my guide hostels in Europe .

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• Compare Prices

Description

• Central & South America
• Punta del Este
• The Trip Hostel

The Trip Hostel, Punta del Este

Compare prices, save up to 23.7%

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The Trip Hostel is listed at the following booking sites:

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How is The Trip Hostel rated?

The trip hostel reviews.

• Community Reviews

The Trip Hostel opens its doors to travellers from all over the world. We are situated in the heart of Punta del Este, close to everything you need to have an amazing stay. The hostel is conveniently located just two blocks from the bus station, two blocks from the main street, Gorlero, and two blocks from the most popular beaches in the area: Playa Mansa and Playa Brava. There is a 24-hr market located on the corner and a supermarket just 1 ½ blocks away. The Trip Hostel has the perfect combination of good vibes and comfort. It’s owned and operated by three young Punta del Este locals that go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your stay. There is a fully-equipped kitchen, BBQ areas, a rooftop terrace, and a common area with cable TV and a DVD player that you can use. You are also welcome to BYOB into the hostel to enjoy in our bar. Our exclusive bar has nightly drink specials, summertime Happy Hour drinks, and the best atmosphere to party before enjoying a night out at the local clubs. We offer a unique handcrafted beer sold only in our bar. For your entertainment, we have instruments you can play, and if you are lucky you’ll catch a live reggae-ska concert! Please Note: -Trilingual staff (Spanish, English & Portuguese spoken) -Cancellation Policy: 48hours -Check-in: 1pm -Check-out: 11am -Credit cards accepted -Taxes included -FREE Breakfast -FREE Wifi -Hot Water 24/7 -Heating & air conditioning in all rooms -Bed sheets included -Shared computer w/ internet access -Fully-equipped kitchen -24hr reception (please email us if you are checking in later than 8pm) *No one under 18 years old is allowed

Location and Contact

• How to get to The Trip Hostel: • Address: Emilio Sader between Bvr. Artigas & Av. Francia • If you are coming by bus, you will arrive at the bus station of Punta del Este. Take a left out of the bus station onto Blvd. Artigas (in the direction the bus came from), once you pass a red warehouse on the right, turn right onto Emilio Sader Street. We are the 4th house on the left. Look up and you should see 3 signs on the way!

Address : Emilio Sader entre Blvd. Artigas y Av. Francia, La Pastora , Punta del Este , Maldonado , Uruguay

Distance to city center: 1.79 km

The Trip Hostel is listed on the following booking sites:

Facilities and amenities.

Party Hostel

Solo Traveller

Lockers in Rooms

Luggage Storage

Wi-Fi in Lobby/Commons

Wi-Fi in Rooms

Bike Rental

24 Hour Security

Air Conditioning

Board Games

Concierge/Info Desk

Credit Card Payments

Currency Exchange

Food/Restaurant

Hair Dryers

Hot Showers

Live Music/Performance

Lounge Area

Meeting/Banquet facilities

Movie Library/Rental

Power Point/Sockets in Rooms

Table Tennis

Yoga Classes

Airport Pickup

Entirely Non-Smoking

Wheelchair Accessible

Pet-Friendly

Service Animals

Genders: Males & Females

Min. Age without Parent: 18

Note: No se aceptan menores de edad - No people under 18 allowed

Checkout: 11:00 (11 AM)

Lockout: No

Maximum Stay: 7 nights

Minimum Stay: 1 night

Open Dates: All Year

Reception Hours: 24 Hours

Size: Medium (30-60 beds)

Female Dorm Only

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My 13 Favorite Hostels in Europe

I’ve been staying in hostels in Europe for over 15 years. I’ve probably stayed at close to a thousand by now. Some were wonderful; others I couldn’t leave fast enough. Some have stood the test of time while others have long since vanished.

Unlike hostels in the US, the hostel scene in Europe is very popular and established. In fact, there’s a growing boutique hostel trend that incorporates more amenities for travelers who want more than just bare-bones accommodation.

In short, hostels today aren’t the hostels you found ten years ago. They are way nicer, cleaner, and offer a lot more amenities and activities.

To help you plan your trip, here is my list of the best hostels in Europe. If you don’t want to read the longer list below, the following hostels are the best in each category:

Best Hostel for Budget Travelers : Hostel Mostel Best Hostel for Solo Female Travelers : Goodnight Hostel Best Hostel for Digital Nomads : City Backpackers Best Hostel for Partying : Greg and Tom’s Best Overall Hostel : Kabul or The Flying Pig

Want the specifics of each hostel? Here’s my comprehensive list of the best hostels in Europe:

1. City Backpackers (Stockholm, Sweden)

City Backpackers at a glance :

• Organizes tons of events
• Lots of free perks (free coffee/tea, free pasta, free sauna)
• Social outdoor patio for relaxing and meeting people

Beds from 23 EUR, private rooms from 68 EUR.

Book here!  

2. St. Christopher’s (Barcelona, Spain)

In general, I really like the St. Christopher’s brand. They offer fun, clean, social, and modern hostels all over Europe.

St. Christopher’s at a glance :

• Huge bar/outdoor common area makes it easy to meet people
• Fun, social atmosphere
• Privacy curtains so you can get a decent sleep

Beds from 23 EUR, private rooms from 226 EUR.

3. The Flying Pig (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Moreover, this hostel has some of the comfiest beds and fluffiest pillows of any hostel I’ve ever stayed at. It may not be the cheapest hostel in the city, but the showers are good, and the pillows and beds are super comfy. There are charging points by each of the beds too.

The Flying Pig has three locations in Amsterdam (uptown, downtown, and the new beach location). I prefer the uptown location because it’s smaller and easier to meet people.

The Flying Pig at a glance :

• Great place to meet people
• Super fun and social atmosphere
• Bar on-site

Beds from 30 EUR, private rooms from 180 EUR.

4. Goodnight Hostel (Lisbon, Portugal)

Goodnight Hostel at a glance :

• Organizes lots of activities (pub crawls, walking tours)
• Free breakfast
• Intimate atmosphere makes it easy to meet people

Beds from 34 EUR, private rooms from 103 EUR.

5. Gallery Hostel (Porto, Portugal)

The art on the walls is from local artists and is for sale (for those not traveling on a budget). The beds have very thick mattresses and the rooms have lockers to store your stuff. There are lights for each bed as well and some beds have small dividers for extra privacy.

Keep in mind that sometimes they have a two-night minimum.

Gallery Hostel at a glance :

• Delicious communal meals
• Free drinks

Beds from 36 EUR, private rooms from 101 EUR.

6. Hostel Mostel (Bulgaria)

Usually, everyone stays at all the Hostel Mostel locations, so you run into the same people frequently. I found them booked up a lot, so book in advance if you want to stay here.

Hostel Mostel at a glance :

• Social atmosphere so it’s easy to meet people
• Lots of free perks
• Organizes lots of activities

Beds from 8 EUR, private rooms from 25 EUR.

Book here! (Sofia)

Book here! (Veliko Tarnovo)  

7. The Beehive (Rome, Italy)

The beds and pillows are comfy, though there are no privacy curtains in the dorms. While it’s a social hostel, it’s not a party hostel so it’s easy to get a good night’s sleep here. The hostel also has female-only rooms. It’s located near Termini (the main station) so it’s easy to access. Just note that they don’t have 24/7 reception so you can’t arrive late.

The Beehive at a glance:

• Two guest kitchens
• Very friendly staff
• Organizes weekly events

Beds from 42 EUR, private rooms from 83 EUR. HostelPass members get 10% off

8. Greg and Tom’s Party Hostel (Krakow, Poland)

On the other hand, they have two separate buildings, so if you want quiet at night, you can stay in the non-party building. They offer free breakfast, they cook you a meal every night (salad, potatoes, pasta, or meat), they have Nintendo and Playstation consoles, and there’s a large movie collection. But what I loved the most was the massaging showers. It was the best shower I took in months.

Greg and Tom’s Party Hostel at a glance :

• Lots of free perks (free breakfast, free dinner, free video games)
• Separate building for non-partiers so you can get a good sleep

Beds from 26 EUR.

9. Kabul (Barcelona, Spain)

They have a lively common room area and organize nightly outings. The dorms are very clean, the beds comfy, and the showers have good pressure. But what makes Kabul so wonderful is the downstairs common area. The common area takes up a whole floor of the building and comprises a café, bar, tables, internet kiosks, and a pool table. Here travelers eat, play pool, drink, and hang out – and the people here want to hang out. It’s a good hostel for a solo traveler because everyone here wants to make friends. The hostel is booked out weeks in advance, especially during summer, so don’t book last minute!

Kabul at a glance :

• Lively party atmosphere
• Really easy to meet people

Beds from 36 EUR, private rooms from 99 EUR.

10. Archi Rossi (Florence, Italy)

While the bunks are basic metal bunks, the mattresses are decent and there are lockers for your things.

Archi Rossi at a glance :

• Laid-back outdoor garden for relaxing and mingling
• Convenient location near the train station

Beds from 27 EUR, private rooms from 58 EUR.

11. Francesco’s (Ios, Greece)

Francesco’s at a glance :

• Communal events every night
• Convenient location (you can walk everywhere)

Beds from 21 EUR, private rooms from 45 EUR.

12. Snuffel Backpacker Hostel (Bruges, Belgium)

Snuffel Backpacker Hostel at a glance :

• Convenient location in the city center
• Bar on-site makes it easy to socialize
• Social backyard courtyard for relaxing and meeting people

Beds from 28 EUR, private rooms from 72 EUR.

13. Castle Rock (Edinburgh, Scotland)

While the bunks don’t have curtains, the mattresses are decent and there are plenty of outlets to charge your devices.

Castle Rock at a glance :

• Spacious common area makes it easy to relax and mingle
• Beautiful interior design

Beds from 25 EUR, private rooms from 127 EUR.

So there you have it: my current favorite list of the best hostels in Europe. Europe has thousands of hostels — and god knows I feel like I’ve stayed in all of them. But only a few dozen follow the guidelines that make a hostel truly great, going out of their way to provide stellar services and making guests feel welcomed and at home.

Get Your In-Depth Budget Guide to Europe!

My detailed 200+ page guidebook is made for budget travelers like you! It cuts out the fluff found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel while in Europe. It has suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, on and off the beaten path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, bars, safety tips, and much more! Click here to learn more and get your copy today.

Book Your Trip to Europe: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Use Skyscanner to find a cheap flight. They are my favorite search engine because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• Safety Wing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (best for everyone)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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Top Tips for Booking Hostels (Experience from Years of Backpacking)

Written by Becca

Updated on May 30th, 2024

Booking a hostel for the first time on your trip? See my list of tips for traveling and staying in hostels, from my decade of hosteling and backpacking around the world.

This article may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commissions when you purchase via those links — and it's free for you. It's only us (Becca & Dan) working on this website, so we value your support! Read our privacy policy and learn more about us .

Table of contents

• Is it your first time staying in a hostel?
• Why I like hostels
• What to look out for (top tips) when booking a hostel
• What to bring when staying in a hostel
• What to know about hostels and travel
• A few hostels we’ve stayed in and reviewed

I think hostels are the single thing that defined my first decade (yes, a DECADE of traveling). From when I was a mere 20 years old to when I finally hit 30 (and beyond), I stayed in hostels while traveling. Some of my BEST travel memories ever were in hostels, or with the people I met in hostels, from Panama to Thailand.

I’ve stayed in small family-run hostels, and larger-name hostel “chains” (like “Loki” or “Wild Rover” in South America) where you can stay within the same family of hostels in different cities or even various countries. I’ve stayed in hostels because they were cheap, in my earlier years of backpacking, and most recently, I’ve stayed in hostels for the opportunities to meet other cool travelers and to stay somewhere with a fun vibe.

I literally can’t count how many hostels I’ve stayed in. Maybe 70? I think that type of expertise gives me the authority needed to write a list of my hostel tips for you! In the list I’ve prepared here, find out all about hostel-style travel, why you should stay in a hostel and the best tips for booking and staying in one.

I hope you have the amazing experience in hostels that I’ve had throughout my life and around the world!

Is it your first time staying in a hostel?

If you’re not sure what to expect, I am glad you are checking out a guide like this one. Hostels nowadays are world away from the hostels I stayed in during my earlier days of travel. I think travelers now have a higher regard for hostels and also a higher bar of what to expect!

There are three main reasons, in my mind, to stay in a hostel. Here they are:

• Price : you’re nearly always going to pay less to stay in a hostel, especially if you book a dorm bed!
• Social environment : whether you’re traveling as a couple, with a buddy or on your own, hostels provide the most social environments for travelers to meet other cool people.
• Events, activities & excursions : hostels often provide events, parties, group activities, happy hours or tour options for travelers, and some of these types of things have been awesome for me!

If it is your first time booking a hostel stay, there is no reason to be nervous. There is probably going to be another first-timer who is having all the same thoughts!

I compared all the reasons to stay in a hostel versus a hotel versus an Airbnb, and you can read my thoughts in my guide to booking accommodation options .

Why I like hostels

I like that hostels feel like friendly places. The more often you stay in hostels, the more fun it is to see all the different types of hostels all around the world.

I’ve stayed in hostels in (ready?) China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the US, Canada, Israel, South Africa, the Netherlands, Portugal, Estonia, Latvia and Spain & the Canary Islands. That’s a LOT of hostels through the years!

I’ve met friends for a lifetime, learned to sleep in a room of backpackers, enjoyed drinks on rooftops, booked memorable excursions, made friends with hostel staff and learned about the world. I think hostels are fantastic!

What to look out for (top tips) when booking a hostel

Through my years of travel experience in backpacking and staying in hostels, I came up with a pretty solid system for booking hostels. Most of the time I stayed in places I really liked! Still today, I am friends with travelers I met in hostels almost TEN years ago! I think that is the incredible power of hosteling. You never know who you’ll meet and stay friends with.

Let’s take a look at the top tips for booking a hostel.

I’ve often based my entire assessment of the “cost of travel” within a country or region based on the price tagged to a dorm bed in local hostels. It has been a great indicator. When I stayed in southern China in 2010, I paid about $5 for a dorm bed in a room of six beds. Seriously!

As time went on, I recall paying somewhere between $7 and $9 for beds in Southeast Asia, and close to these figures, if not under $15, for beds in Latin America. Hosteling is truly a great way to travel on a shoestring budget, namely in some of the most affordable places to travel .

What does the price include?

Make sure you take note of what the price includes. Does it include free cancellation, or are there two ways of booking, one with a cancellation tacked in, and the other with cancellation at a fee?

Does your booking include breakfast, linens, parking or WiFi? Some of this is important if you’re traveling with a rental car, or if you’re traveling without a local cell phone plan and won’t have data.

Can hostels be expensive?

Yes, they sure can! Take, for example, hostels in NYC, where a private room at Selina (Chelsea location) currently goes for $351 a night, for the “Standard Mini!” And, that doesn’t even include taxes or breakfast!

Hostels started getting expensive for us when we traveled in Western Europe, and as a couple, we wanted private rooms. An en-suite bathroom was a bonus! We paid close to $90 for a private room (it was tiny!) in Rotterdam in Netherlands and sometimes, we’ve been in places where hostels were so expensive Ireland that we opted for small hotels.

Type of hostel room

While some hostels may be all privates, or all dorms, a typical hostel has a mix of privates, small dorms and larger dorms. When I stayed NapPark Hostel Bangkok (where I met a friend I still talk to today!) in 2011, my two friends and I stayed in an all-female dorm, which was brilliant!

I’ve stayed in privates with Dan, and I’ve stayed in hostels that had 16-person dorms. Here is a rundown on the types of rooms at a hostel.

A small dorm may be as small as 3 beds, or maybe up to 6 beds. In a small dorm, it is typical that every person gets a key to the door.

Mid-size dorm room

A mid-size dorm room may be between 6 and 10 beds. When I stayed at a hostel in Bocas del Toro, Panama, I was by that point traveling with 7 friends, and we booked up an entire dorm room of 8 beds to ourselves! Such a party.

I’d consider a big dorm to be 10 beds or more, and at some hostels in Southeast Asia, I’ve seen 20-person dorm rooms that are simply gigantic. They’re so big that usually there are no keys given out, and it’s expected that you’ll keep all your belongings in a locked locker.

A private room is meant to be for your immediate party of travelers, whether friends or maybe family. I’ve stayed in hostel privates with Dan, and sometimes private rooms are available for 3 or 4 people.

Family rooms

Some hostels welcome families and have family rooms. When we stayed at La Serrana Hostel in Salento , a family in the room next to ours had a baby. (You may find, through your searches, that some hostels are child-free.)

Don’t forget about bathrooms!

It’s important, when booking a hostel, to decipher which type of bathroom the room comes with. When booking a dorm, it’s obvious you’ll be sharing a bathroom with many other people, but with a private, it can go either way.

Check the hostel website to see if there is fine print on whether the private room (or even small dorm) has an en-suite dedicated bathroom in the room, or if you’ll be sharing the facilities with everyone on a floor.

Location: how to find a hostel with a good location

Hostels tend to have great locations. If not, the reviews will surely clear this up for you. I find that hostels have such good locations, that I’ve tended to base my itineraries on the locations of hostels!

Could you let hostel locations determine your trip itinerary?

A thing I’ve done in the past is to start my trip (if I know I’m going in and out of the capital city of a single country) is look at Hostelworld’s country pages.

For example, here is the one for Guatemala . It used to be that you could go to this country page and visibly see in the map where the hostels were all located. I did this in 2015 when I went to Guatemala with my friend: we started in Antigua and made our way around the country based on the cities where hostels were located.

When we went to Gran Canaria , I based our entire trip itinerary on the towns in which the island’s hostels were located — I’m serious!

Now, Hostelworld will let you know the “popular hostels” in a country (you could trust these to be a good time!) as well as the average prices to expect in cities there. Hostelworld has become a valuable resource for travelers who hostel!

Locations of hostels within cities

Hostels are typically located in the city centers of cities and towns, because that is where travelers want to be! In my Hostelworld searches, I make use of the small print below the name of the hostel that says “__km from city center.”

Some hostels focus on being an eco-lodge, or located out near a farm, or something like that. For those, make sure you click in, and if they’re located several miles or kilometers from the city center, see if it’s for a good reason (like views of volcanoes from a cliff, being located in a charming village, etc.).

In Guatape, Colombia we stayed at a hostel for one night and it was a 30-minute walk (would’ve been a 5-min taxi ride) from the town center. I was very much aware of this when we booked it! The charm was that we woke up to a rooster’s call at sunrise on the farm next door.

Hostel locations outside cities

If a hostel is located outside a city, it’s for a reason. I stayed in an ecolodge in Minca, Colombia, and it’s home to what they called “The world’s largest hammock” (you may have to go see for yourself) in the Sierra Nevada mountain range near the north coast of Colombia.

“Excursions” at Casa Elemento were a zipline and wall-climbing adventure that my friend and I signed up for, and went with four other hostel guests with a guide. Later that day, I went with all the other female travelers for a sunset hike and walk in the nearby scenic areas. This would’ve never happened in a city!

Do hostels have breakfast included? Yes!

I’ve stayed in hostels that offer awesome “local” breakfasts that have been an incredible introduction to typical meals eaten in the country in which they’re located. This is especially great if you’ve come in on a night flight or bus, you go right to bed and wake up to authentic handmade tortillas, or noodles or pancakes.

When you look for a hostel to book, check out the list of Facilities (if you’re looking on Hostelworld ). Under “free,” you’ll see which offerings come for free with your booking.

Sometimes, breakfast is available at a fee. Usually it’s not expensive! For this, you can pay in cash (depending on how the hostel takes payments) or add it to your bill for when you check out.

Amenities (like kitchens)

Hostels come in variety of styles, from hostels in a house (yup, I’ve seen those!) to hostels in a renovated old hotel. Depending on the property itself, the amenities will vary!

Among some hostel amenities I can think of are shared kitchens, pools, small gyms, coworking spaces, roof decks, bars, on-site restaurants, board games for borrowing, a pool table, WiFi, luggage storage options, a tour desk, airport transfers, laundry facilities, housekeeping, book exchanges and excursions to sign up for.

You could be staying at a basic hostel that serves its purpose: a place to sleep for the night, or you could be staying at a hostel with so many things to do within its grounds that you may not want to leave!

When looking through trip photos, I was reminded that when I showed up at Mamallena Boquete Hostal in Panama, we arrived for “group dinner night.” As the sun went down, everyone helped cook a huge meal in the big hostel kitchen, and we all sat down for a fun meal at long tables in the backyard. These are the types of memories I just love!

In Jerusalem , the night we got to Abraham Hostel, we joined a hummus-making class with one of the hostel staff members, who led a tutorial on how we’d make this delicious treat. We all chipped in to cut up vegetables that we could dip in the hummus when it was done.

At the hostel we stayed at in Tallinn, there we live music nights, and at the hostel I stayed at in Flores, Guatemala, there was a bar night with a party. I celebrated my birthday at Loki La Paz Hostel with a night of people dancing on the hostel bar, and that was a ton of fun!

Ways to meet people and common areas

Hostels, depending where they are located and what they are like, can have all sorts of common areas. Hostels are a diverse type of accommodation, just like hotels and Airbnbs. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Hostels might have common areas, libraries or reading rooms, cafeteria areas or big kitchens, rooftops, gardens, a bar or cafe, backyards and pools. Wow, that’s a lot of shared spaces.

What I like about these types of common areas in a hostel is that they facilitate being social. They’re also often where social events will be held, like an opportunity to learn Spanish, or ways to make a local favorite cocktail event.

I met my friend Kevin at the bar at the Dreamer Hostel Santa Marta , and we later wound up meeting up in Cartagena and taking a day trip to the beach together.

Digital nomad coworking spaces

Take it from me: when we went to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, I needed to work remotely, and had to take a meeting from a noisy hostel common area. I had to constantly mute myself, huddle in a corner with my headphones and hope that the WiFi was strong (or apologize to my colleagues when it wasn’t). It was close to embarrassing.

These days, if you’re planning to be traveling and working remotely , you might lean toward booking a hostel that is known to be a good place for digital nomads or remote workers.

As our lives brought us toward working remotely, we experimented in staying at properties with coworking spaces, like Selina. We coworked at Selina Medellin , and stayed at Selina Cartagena and Selina Cancun Downtown . Hostels like these are built for the modern young remote worker who wants some desk space and a sure WiFi connection, with a way to make friends as a digital nomad .

Of course, if you are going off the grid, going completely checked-out of work and going on a 100% holiday, I’d opt for a hostel that will have a relaxing vibe and a fun atmosphere, and we’ll get to that soon.

Check the reviews (and photos)

When booking anywhere to stay, and especially if I’m unfamiliar with the run of hostels, hotels or B&Bs in a place, I check reviews on multiple platforms. This gives me a bit of diversity among both the people who have stayed there, and their opinions.

I check hostel reviews on Hostelworld , Google Maps, Booking.com (if available) and TripAdvisor. When you put all the reviews together, what do you get? Are you confident in booking that 4.9-star hostel or are you getting mixed signals, like 2 stars on one website and 5 on another? Could it be that some of the reviews reflect issues from 5 years ago that have been resolved? You get to make the decision.

Also, look at photos! See if the rooms look clean, safe and neat. If the photos from the hostel listing seem modeled or staged from a professional photo shoot, look for real traveler photos in spaces like Google and TripAdvisor in reviews.

It could be a good idea as well to look at blogs that may review a specific hostel property.

What to bring when staying in a hostel

In my packing lists for when I stay in hostels, here are a few hostel-specific items I always take with me:

Travel lock

A travel lock can be used for your locker in a dorm, or for your backpack’s zippers. Better yet, bring two locks! A backpack like my Tortuga Laptop Backpack has zippers that accommodate a travel lock, so look for a bag like this.

Travel towel

I always recommend a Ultralight Travel Towel for bringing to a hostel, in case you need an extra towel, or in case towels come at a fee at reception.

Flip flops for shower

If you’re on a beach vacation, you’ll luck out, because your beach flip flops will double as shower flip flops in the hostel! Even if you’re on a cold weather trip, a pair of cheap flip flops don’t take up much space in your bag. I recommend Havianas .

Ear plugs have saved me when I sleep next to someone snoring in a hostel dorm. I’ve upped my game and I use the sleep ear plugs from Flare Audio .

To see more about them, read my Flare Audio sleep ear plugs review .

It’s good to have some cash, especially in developing countries, for if you’re at a mom-and-pop type of hostel property and things like drinking water from the fridge behind reception are cash-only.

What to know about hostels and travel

Here are a few things to know about staying in hostels during your travels.

What is a hostel?

A hostel is a type of accommodation geared toward the younger traveler. Hostels are known for being budget-friendly wants to find accommodation during a trip. Hostels range widely in size, style, type and in the number of amenities they may offer. Hostels are mostly known for being friendly and fun places for travelers to socialize and meet one another.

What is the difference between a hotel and a hostel?

In my experience, a hotel is a general type of accommodation, composed of reception, rooms (of a few types) and some amenities. A hostel is a type of more basic (usually) accommodation geared toward a budget traveler, and a majority of the time, toward young travelers.

I find hostels to be infinitely more social than hotels, and typically the person who stays at a hostel wants to meet others, whereas in staying at a hotel, I’m not looking to meet anyone new and I’m fine if I don’t.

Why do I like recommending hostels to travelers?

I like recommending staying in a hostel to fellow travelers because of the overall experience. In my main years of traveling as a backpacker (age 20-30), hostels sometimes defined my trips based on how much fun I had with other backpackers I met.

It is also important to mention that the price of hostels is the attractive point for young travelers, or people traveling long-term who are looking to save money during travel .

As a solo traveler , staying in a hostel was a no-brainer! While traveling on my own, I stayed in hostels to meet travel buddies and to be doing excursions and day trips with others. Some of the most fun hostels can be found in the best destinations for solo travelers , in fact.

Where to book a hostel

Hostelworld is my #1 recommended way to book a hostel. The second way would be booking with the hostel directly via the website. Keep in mind that booking with Hostelworld is convenient for us, the consumer, in that the user experience is straightforward, and that Hostelworld has now built a platform geared toward a holistic experience (check it out!).

Maybe you remember or have heard of Hostelbookers.com? The news is that it merged with Hostelworld, so Hostelworld is by far the #1 way to book a hostel now!

What to do if there’s not a hostel where you plan on staying

On my and Dan’s trip around the Algarve region of Portugal , I wanted to stay in hostels! I wanted to stay in private rooms, but I was accustomed to the great social and fun atmospheres of hostels, and it was my first time in Europe.

Some small towns and villages we stayed in were worth our while, but they were not famous enough on the map to have hostels. In these places, Dan had the great idea of using Booking.com on his phone to book us a basic hotel for the night. It didn’t come out to much more money than a hostel private would’ve cost, and of course we lost out on things like social spaces, but we were traveling as a couple and it was fine.

If you’re not in an area with hotels or if your destination doesn’t have any listings on Booking.com, check out local B&Bs, or something like camping. We’ve also taken night buses or overnight buses to “avoid” a night of needing to book accommodation. I’ve done this in Bolivia and in Southeast Asia.

Do I still stay in hostels?

I stayed exclusively in hostels starting at age 20 when I studied abroad in Hong Kong , and my friends and I took a long weekend trip to Guilin and Yangshuo, China. That was the first time I ever stayed in a hostel.

I stayed in a hostel last year, and it was the moment I realized I had aged out of hostels (at age 33 — yup, this is true!). Nevertheless, when I was staying in hostels all over the world, there were sometimes people in the 40+ or even 50+ age categories, just doing their backpacking thing. They were young at heart, and well-seasoned!

A few hostels we’ve stayed in and reviewed

While these hostels are only ones we have stayed in together since 2017, you can check out these reviews! On my own, I stayed in countless hostels around East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central America and South America before I met Dan. I haven’t written about those, but you can find them all on Hostelworld .

• MeetMe23 - Prague, Czech Republic
• Abraham Hostel Tel Aviv - Tel Aviv, Israel
• The Local NY - Queens (NYC), New York
• Abraham Hostel - Jerusalem, Israel

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In-Depth Review: Hostelworld App and Features for Solo-Traveler

If you’ve ever embarked on a solo adventure and found yourself craving some human interaction beyond awkwardly chatting up the hostel receptionist, you’re in for a treat. 

I’ve had my fair share of solo traveling and have developed an extroverted veil to my introverted self, and can pretty much chat up an empty wall at this point.

But I’ve only been able to develop this skill thanks to a lot of different tools, one of which is the Hostelworld app and its solo travel features.

Hostelworld affectionately places these features under an umbrella term: ” The Solo System. ”

They’re obviously not rookies in the travel game and actually developed these features based on statistics they’ve found:

Did you know that 72% of travelers feel nervous before their trip, and around 30% of them actually even feel dread at the thought of introducing themselves to strangers? 

So obviously, if you’re shy or anxious, the majority of people are feeling the same thing – they might just be better at hiding it than you are.

Whether you’re introverted, extroverted, or anywhere in between, their app can help you out in a variety of ways: easily meet new people while traveling, make new friends, find cool events to participate in and just feel overall less nervous, dreadful, or anxious.

I’m going to go over all the social features of the Hostel World app in this step-by-step guide on how to make friends when traveling solo. 

At Hostelgeeks, we also believe in balance, so I’ll include other offline ways to meet up with people as well – the app shouldn’t replace your social interactions, but serve as yet another tool to use to socialize and have fun.

Read : The Hostelworld App full Review – sharing more details and how to use it at full capacity!

• Getting Started : Step-by-Step Guide

Booking Your Stay with the App

Joining chat communities, scheduled events, advantages of the hostelworld app, potential concerns and solutions, other ways to make friends while traveling alone, over to you.

Getting Started: Step-by-Step

• Set Up : Step-by-step guide on how to set up your Hostelworld account
• Creating a profile : Adding a bio, languages spoken, cities you’ve lived in, and your interests
• Fill in your Travel Portfolio : Showcasing your travel statistics to make your profile more appealing

Setting up your account is as easy as pie (maybe even easier, depending on your baking skills). 

Creating a profile: Share a little about yourself. Throw in a witty bio, showcase your linguistic prowess, brag about the cities you’ve conquered, and let everyone know what you’re really into.

Hint : Unique quirks are like travel catnip. Also, sprinkle in some travel stats to show that you’re not a rookie – but it’s fine if you are, we all start somewhere.

Something to help out with your travels:  Check out all our  5 Star Hostels  and all  3 best hostel guides .

• How to book a hostel
• The benefits of using the app to make bookings
• The features you unlock after the booking process

Time to book your hostel! We all know accommodations are the cornerstone of any trip, but with Hostelworld, it’s not just about securing a bed. It’s about unlocking a world of social possibilities. 

The app has an exciting feature called “ See Who’s Going “.

As a traveler, you can now see how many people are planning to visit different cities and stay in hostels on your selected dates. 

Read : a step-by-step guide on how to book with Hostelworld

Once you make a booking, you can scroll through the profiles of other travelers heading to the same destination: You’ll have access to upgraded profiles, where you can see profile photos and destinations previously visited by fellow travelers. 

Read: 46 Tips to identify fantastic Hostels worldwide

More importantly, after your booking, you become eligible to join chats via the app (we’ll talk about them below).

• The various chat communities are available on the app
• Hostel chat with travelers staying on the same dates as you
• Specialized chats based on preferences: events, sports, dining, drinks, dance floors, and sightseeing

Your booking is complete? You can now rub virtual shoulders with fellow travelers. 

These chats are like the digital version of hostel common rooms, minus the occasional stains on the couch and random food smell. 

If your travel dates are within the next 14 days , you’ll be added to a hostel chat whose participants all share your travel dates. This feature allows users to engage and socialize with others starting from 14 days before their check-in date and three days after they’ve checked out. 

It is important to note that users must be 18 years or older and adhere to Hostelworld’s community guidelines when utilizing the chat function.

If you don’t really know how to break the ice, the app also suggests sentence prompts that I’ve seen people actually use – think of it like Hinge or Bumble but way less awkward. 

Alternatively, the app also allows direct messaging between users, as long as this function has been activated by both users. So if you’re okay with people from your hostel messaging you privately, and they’re okay with it as well, you can do that.

But wait, there’s more!

You also have the opportunity to join chats with travelers staying at other hostels. These are specialized chats:  Whether you’re into sports, food, drinks, or dancing like no one’s watching, there’s a specialized chat for you. Join the theme of your choice and start socializing (or monitor the chat until you feel like you can smoothly insert yourself).

Read :  18 hostel rules and hostel etiquette  to build lifelong friendships.

• Discuss the diverse range of scheduled events available on the app
• Hostel-organized tours are open to all travelers
• User-generated events for unique social experiences
• Explaining the process of creating and promoting your own event

Ready to up your social game? Scheduled events are where it’s at. 

Other than the chats, you have the ability to either join or create Linkups.

Linkups are basically events organized by hostels throughout the city (not just the one you’re staying in) or travelers. They range from anything to island day tours, pub crawls, concerts, or random kayak tours. They feature information, prices, time, and profile of participants.

Alternatively, there are travelers-generated events.

If you want to create such an event, you need to input details like the category (sightseeing for example), an enticing picture to encourage people to click on your event, a description, and a meeting place (it needs to be public!).

These are great ways to organize things that interest you and have people join in on the fun.

Here, I’d like to highlight the advantages of using the social features of the Hostel World app.

By highlighting them, I hope to ease any potential nervousness you might have, which is totally normal, especially if it’s your first-time solo traveling.

Enhanced Safety and Security: The app provides a sense of security by allowing you to connect with people before you arrive at your destination. You can verify profiles, get to know your potential travel buddies, and plan your adventures together. So no need to leave it to randomness and luck.

Read: Simply but effective hostel safety tips .

Socializing on your own terms: If you’re anything like me, you might actually prefer quieter hostels to go back to after a busy day of adventures and socializing. This app is perfect for traveling this way because you’ll be able to stay in a quiet hostel without alienating yourself from the possibility of socializing on the daily.

Potential Cost Saving: Traveling with a group often means you can split costs for accommodations, tours, and transportation. This can significantly reduce your travel expenses, making your adventures more budget-friendly.

Read: How to Travel on a Budget? Simple Tips for Saving Money on Your Next Trip

Last-Minute Flexibility: For spontaneous travelers, the app is a goldmine. You can easily find and join activities or meetups happening right now.

Increased Confidence: For those who might be a bit shy or hesitant when it comes to meeting new people, the Hostel World app offers a gradual way to build confidence in socializing. You can start with online chats, then move to group meetups, and finally, venture into private conversations and one-on-one meetups.

Read: Staying in a Hostel for the Very First Time (Guide)

Customized Travel Experiences: With specialized chat communities and event categories, you can tailor your travel experiences to your interests. Whether you’re into sports, food, cultural events, or simply exploring the city, you’ll find like-minded people who share your passions.

Traveler Support Network: In case of emergencies or unexpected situations, having a network of friends you’ve met through the app can be invaluable. 

Extended Travel Opportunities: Meeting people through the Hostel World app can lead to invitations to visit their home countries or join them on future adventures. It opens doors to long-lasting friendships and a global network of travel companions.

Positive Mental Health Benefits: Traveling can be emotionally challenging at times, and loneliness is a common issue. The app provides a support system, reducing feelings of isolation and enhancing your overall mental well-being on the road.

Unique Events and Experiences: During low season, when destinations are less crowded, it can be hard to find anyone to vibe within your hostel. The app helps you tap into a bigger network, ensuring you’ll find at least one person to hang out with.

Celebrating Special Occasions: If you’re traveling for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary, the app can assist in planning surprise parties, romantic getaways, or memorable celebrations with locals and fellow travelers.

Download the Hostelworld App to get access to all these features.

While technology is awesome, it also has its fair share of drawbacks.

Here are a few potential concerns and solutions to watch out for

Safety Concerns: Hostelworld takes safety seriously by verifying the properties listed on its platform. This ensures that the accommodations you book are legitimate. 

Read: Female Solo Travel Safety Tips

Privacy Worries: The app allows users to control the level of personal information they share. You can choose how much or how little you reveal in your profile, providing a sense of privacy while still enabling social interaction.

Meeting Strangers: The Hostelworld chat communities and events are designed to bring together travelers who share common interests and plans. This means you’re meeting like-minded individuals, which can mitigate the feeling of meeting complete strangers. You can also view profiles and chat before meeting, adding familiarity.

Unwanted Attention: The app’s chat and event features allow you to control the interactions you engage in. If you ever feel uncomfortable or receive unwanted attention, you have the power to block or disengage from certain users, ensuring your comfort and safety.

Uncertainty About Meetup Locations: When creating or joining events, Hostelworld requires a public meeting place to be specified. This feature ensures that meetups occur in well-traveled, safe locations. Additionally, event descriptions often include details about the meetup spot, providing clarity for participants.

While it’s awesome to have a tool like this one to facilitate meeting people while traveling, we’d like to remind you of offline ways to make friends while solo traveling. 

We tend to rely on both offline and online ways when abroad – socializing shouldn’t be done in one specific way, it should depend on the mood and energy you’re in.

I personally like rotating between them depending on how social I feel, my energy levels, and my preferences. 

I started using technology to make it easier for me to meet people when I started solo traveling in 2021: Countries were just opening up, and super social hostels sometimes only had me as a lone guest, which made it incredibly hard to meet people. Nowadays, things have thankfully gotten better, but online social tools are still awesome to use.

Going offline, here are a few basic tips and tricks on how to meet people when traveling alone:

Attend Local Events:  Attending local events, such as festivals, cultural exhibitions, or concerts, exposes you to both locals and fellow travelers who share your interests. Look for event information on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and community boards, or ask your hostel staff for recommendations.

Join Group Tours: Participating in group tours or activities like city walking tours, cooking classes, or adventure excursions offers an opportunity to meet people.

Hang Out in Hostel Common Areas: Hostel common areas, like lounges or communal kitchens, are prime spots for spontaneous interactions with fellow travelers. The beauty of hostels is the relaxed atmosphere where striking up conversations is encouraged. It’s the ideal setting for creating impromptu friendships. Just make sure that the hostel you book actually offers these common areas – some don’t!

Volunteer or Participate in Community Projects: Volunteering in a community project or contributing to a local cause not only benefits the area you’re visiting but also connects you with like-minded individuals. I personally volunteered for 7 years, and I’ve met the majority of my friends through my volunteering experiences!

Visit Co-Working Spaces or Cafés: Co-working spaces and trendy cafés are gathering spots for digital nomads, freelancers, and travelers working remotely. Strike up conversations with people working on their laptops or sipping coffee. Obviously, this one can be a hit or miss: some people (like me) don’t like being bothered when they’re working, so make sure to assess the situation before you make any moves.

Attend Local Sports or Fitness Classes: This doesn’t always work because it depends on the classes you join and your luck with the people attending them. For example: I’ve joined boxing classes in Phuket, and F45 classes in Tokyo and was able to make new friends through them.

Take Language Classes: Enrolling in a local language class provides a structured environment to meet people and learn new skills.

Is it awkward to travel alone?

There is no better way to get to know yourself and grow as a person than by taking a trip on your own. Even if you are an experienced traveler, it is normal to feel anxious before embarking on a solo journey. However, the benefits and excitement of solo travel far outweigh any moment of hesitation or fear you may have. So, pack your bags and take that leap of faith - you won't regret it.

How do introverts travel alone without getting lonely?

If you prefer your own company and enjoy time alone, solo travel is a wonderful choice. It allows you to have complete control over your schedule and set your own pace. You can choose exactly when to spend time with people or just by yourself. A tip for you to not get overwhelmed or lonely is to find fellow introverts to travel with - chances are that they will share your interests and preferences as well as understand your social needs.

What is a good travel buddy?

A travel companion who enjoys their own company and is confident in spending time alone is also essential for everyone's success on the trip. An ideal partner will not mind if you take some time to yourself or if you change your mind about an activity.

So there you have it, the HostelWorld app is your passport to unlocking new friendships, unique experiences, and a whole lot of adventure, regardless of your social tendencies and needs. 

The Solo System app is available for iOS and Android .

What’s next? More useful info:

• Hostel Packing List  – 23 items you have to pack
• Hostels from A to Z – A Fun Guide
• Tips for traveling alone as a woman
• Exposing Bathrooms: Ensuite vs. Shared Facilities
• How to Deal with Bed Bugs While Traveling (…and a few Hostel Myths Debunked)

Safe travels, The Hostelgeeks team

We are 100% Independent: Some links on Hostelgeeks are so-called affiliate links. If you decide to book through these links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you . Your support allows us to keep producing high-quality, independent content free of influence from hostels or external advertisers. Learn more here . 🙏

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Home » North America » Best Hostels

The 29 BEST Hostels in USA (Find One in 2024)

It’s hard to summarise what’s great about the USA in a short intro, but we’ll have a go anyway! One of the most varied countries in the world, you can go from hip megacities to stunning national parks, to epic road trips all in the same vacation! Unless you’ve got a year or two, you’re not going to see everything the US has to offer in one go. However, you’re welcome to try and pack in as much as you can.

When it comes to travelling around the USA, huge distances and expensive places to stay mean that it’s not the most backpacker-friendly destination. However, that shouldn’t put you off as there are always ways. Instead of looking at Hiltons (though we hear the Paris kind is cheap to rent), Sheratons, and Radissons, cast your eyes to the more humble hostel.  And yes there are some awesome hostels in the USA just waiting to give you a good old welcome.

With that in mind, we’ve decided to help you out. We’ve put together this list of the best hostels in USA, taking into account different travel styles, personalities, and budgets!

Our expert travel writers have curated this list so that you’ll find the perfect hostel in America for you. Whether you’re heading to LA, New York, or New Orleans, we’ve got you covered!

Quick Answer – What are the Best Hostels in USA

• The Best Hostel in New York
• The Best Hostel in Boston
• The Best Hostel in Portland
• The Best Hostel in Los Angeles
• The Best Hostel in New Orleans
• The Best Hostel in San Francisco
• The Best Hostel in Austin
• The Best Hostel in Miami
• The Best Hostel in Chicago

The Top Hostels in USA

The best hostels in new york, the best hostels in boston, the best hostels in portland, the best hostels in los angeles, the best hostels in new orleans, the best hostels in san francisco, the best hostels in miami, the best hostels in austin, the best hostels in chicago, before you book your hostel in usa, what to pack for your american hostel.

Let’s begin with the pick of the very best hostels in USA. These are the cream of the crop, and by staying in any of these American hostels, you’re sure to make memories that will last a lifetime and just have a great experience overall!

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Auberge NOLA Hostel – New Orleans – Best Budget Hostel in USA

Looking to keep your costs down but still have an awesome experience? Look no further than Auberge NOLA Hostel in New Orleans ! Not only is it a top cheap American hostel, but you can really let your hair down and party here too. There are nightly social events which might include anything from bar crawls to BBQs in the outdoor courtyard! When the weather’s not so great, head inside to one of the indoor common areas where you’re sure to find it easy to make new friends and get chatting.

USA Hostels Hollywood – Los Angeles – The Overall Best Hostel in USA

The first stop on our list of the best hostels in USA is where else but Hollywood?! From the sunny courtyard to the comfy beds, you’re bound to feel cosy in this home away from home in one of the most glamorous locations in the world. And don’t just take our word for it, take a look at that list of awards. Since 2006, this awesome American hostel won 13 awards including the best hostel in Los Angeles seven times.

Start your day with the awesome free breakfast before immersing yourself in one of many free activities! Whatever your travel style, you’ll fit right in at USA Hostels Hollywood.

Miami Party Hostel – Best Party Hostel in USA

When it comes to partying in USA, there’s no better city to do so than Miami. This place not only has a bar and cafe where you can soak up hangovers from epic nights out, but there’s a nightclub IN THE HOSTEL! So, you don’t even need to leave the building to find some of the city nightlife. Chill out the next day on the rooftop terrace with some shisha!

Want to save money on accommodation?

We got you. For reals.

Broadway, Central Park, and Times Square are just a few places to visit in New York . It is one of the most iconic cities in the world, and it’s often the first place on many travellers’ USA itineraries. New York can be frightfully expensive but our chosen hostels will save you money. These three prove that you don’t have to compromise on quality and style to have an awesome accommodation experience in the city that never sleeps!

NY Moore Hostel

One of the best hostels in America

This loft-style youth hostel in New York is our favourite place to stay in the city that never sleeps! It’s hidden away in one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in Brooklyn, so you’ll feel like a movie star. To keep your costs down in New York, Moore Hostel offers you a range of freebies, including tea and coffee, movie nights, and yoga classes. Proof that you don’t need to be on the go all the time to enjoy this crazy city. Don’t want to blow all your budget on a night out in New York? Then just head to one of the hostels awesome international stand-up comedy nights.

The Local NYC

A legendary American hostel

For one of the cheapest hostels in New York , look no further than the Local NYC. Staying here means you can enjoy an industrial-style building with floor to ceiling windows, giving awesome views of the New York skyline. Want to get a clearer pic? Ditch the windows and head up to the rooftop, where there’s an awesome terrace. If you feel like it, why not take up a coffee or a locally made beer from the bar up there? Travelling solo in the USA and want to make friends? There are movie nights, board games, and wine/beer tastings – so you can bond over a mutual interest!

HI NYC Hostel

An awesome American hostel for solo travellers

Our third and final New York hostel is one of the most popular in town, with more than 8,000 reviews. It’s one of the best hostels in USA if you’re looking to make friends during your trip – partly thanks to the largest private outdoor patio in Manhattan! From there, you can enjoy views of the NYC skyline, or just the imposing castle shape of the hostel itself. There are events on pretty much every night here, whether that’s a pool tournament in the billiards room, or a big group meal prepared in the 36-burner kitchen!

We’ve tested countless backpacks over the years, but there’s one that has always been the best and remains the best buy for adventurers: the broke backpacker-approved Osprey Aether and Ariel series.

Want more deetz on why these packs are so  damn perfect? Then read our comprehensive review for the inside scoop!

Famed for it’s Irish heritage and iconic place in American history, Boston is one of the East Coast’s truly great cities. If you are spending a few days staying in Boston then check out these awesome Boston Hostels.

Overall Best Hostel in Boston

How can this not be the overall best hostel in Boston? They’ve got you covered for all of your travel needs. Close to the subway and located in Boston’s vibrant China Town, this hostel is like a cool hangout to meet like-minded Boston backpackers . It’s decorated really stylishly too and they have loads of different room types to choose from.

The staff will help you out with your Boston travel tips and even feed you a big, FREE breakfast which is always tasty. There’s even a coffee bar in the lobby so you can fill up of caffeine and baked snacks.

Abercrombie’s Farrington Inn

Best Hostel for Solo Travellers in Boston

A really sweet little budget place to stay in the city, this place is the best hostel for solo travellers in Boston. The staff here really know how to look after guests and will more than happy to answer any questions you might have. All of the different rooms on offer at this budget hostel in Boston are really homely and clean, it might feel like you are staying with an old aunt, but you’ll feel safe and well looked after the whole time.

Is Portland the hipster capital of the world? It could well be – and it’s an awesome place to visit! For eating out, this city is much cheaper than most major US cities, and there are some awesome natural parks nearby too! When it comes to hostels in Portland , it’s all about quality over quantity. We’ve included three of the four hostels in Portland, but all have excellent review scores and you’re assured of an awesome time.

HI Portland – Northwest

Recommended hostel in the USA

Portland is home to some of the best hostels in USA, but HI Portland edges the others. Not just according to us either – it came 3rd in the worldwide medium hostel category IN THE WORLD at this years Hoscars! It’s got a number of other awards under its belt too, and that’s no surprise really! Start your day with a free breakfast, explore the city, then come back to enjoy the leafy gardens where you can challenge one of your new pals to a board game!

Weather’s not so good? You can always just chill in one of the cool common rooms!

HI Portland Hawthorne

A top cheap American hostel

When it comes to cheap American hostels, HI Portland Hawthrone has to be on your itinerary! You may not be breaking the bank by staying here, but you wouldn’t know! You still get a lot of bang for your buck, including a free breakfast at the on-site restaurant Dóttir! There are loads of other features too, including a sauna, rooftop terrace, bar and library! If all that’s not enough, there are regular events too including live music which is sure to be the beginning of a great time in Portland !

Travelers House

An All American Boutique Hostel

Want something a little more upmarket than your average youth hostel in USA? We don’t blame you… Sometimes it’s nice to splash out a little extra on somewhere that’ll make you feel more like you’re at home. And that’s Travelers House!

Meet other travellers over the backyard fire pit in the evenings over a beer or two, then have breakfast together the next day. Did we mention that breakfast is free and you get pancakes? What’s not to love! If you’d prefer to enjoy some quality me-time, just pick something out from the book exchange and enjoy!

If you want all the best things a city can offer, then throw in surfing and hiking too, you might get something that looks a little like Los Angeles! Oh, and it’s home to the world’s most glamorous movie industry! There are hostels across the city and they’ll give you a slice of the high life for a fraction of the price of a five star hotel!

Freehand Los Angeles

An Awesome American Hostel

We’ve two words for you. Rooftop pool. That’s just one of the many bonuses you get by staying at one of the best American hostels there is. The view of the LA skyline from said pool is another one. This awesome LA hostel is best suited to travellers who want to enjoy the party lifestyle the city is famous for – there’s often live entertainment and DJs that will make your stay unforgettable. If all the eating and drinking LA has to offer is catching up with you, then be sure to stop at the fitness centre for a workout. However, we’re sure you look great!

HI Los Angeles – Santa Monica

A top American hostel for budget travellers

There’s so much of LA, it might be worth staying in two different places. Spend a few nights in the centre, then move out towards the beach for one of the best cheap hostels in USA – HI Los Angeles Santa Monica. Almost 5,000 reviewers agree that it’s a pretty awesome place to stay. Not only is the price of a bed here low, but you get lots of freebies thrown in too.

Enjoy your free breakfast while you decide which free activity to take part in later – it could be a pub crawl, a comedy night, or a tour of Venice Beach! If you don’t want to do the tour as part of a group on foot, rent a bike on-site instead.

Orange Drive Hostel

Recommended American hostel for visiting Hollywood

Right in the centre of where all the stars live and work in Hollywood, those backpacking in the USA can enjoy a traditional home that’s become a hostel. Orange Drive Hostel is within walking distance of the Walk of Fame, The Dolby Theatre, Sunset Boulevard, and a whole load of other awesome attractions that any self-respecting film buff wouldn’t dream of missing! It’s not just about movies though – there are ways to meet other travellers aplenty here. Maybe you’ll join pub crawl or just chill out on the patio over a BBQ!

One of the most culturally and historically intriguing cities in the USA, New Orleans has a lot to offer visitors. From the spirit of jazz in the French Quarter, to the grisly history of Madame La Laurie’s house, to Nicholas Cage’s pyramid in a cemetery (don’t ask), there’s something for everyone to do in New Orleans .

HI New Orleans

A legendary hostel in the USA

You already saw one New Orleans hostel was one of the best hostels in USA, so you’re going to have to make some tricky choices when you stay in the Big Easy. Allow us to complicate things more with not only our favourite hostel in New Orleans, but the best new large hostel in the world 2024 – HI New Orleans!

That impressive award comes as no surprise when you find out more about this place – the location is pretty much unbeatable in the heart of the French Quarter. You’ll want to set some time aside to enjoy the hostel though – whether that’s for a game of pool or chilling in a cool common room!

India House Backpackers Hostel

One of America’s favourite cheap hostels!

Another awesome American hostel, backpackers in New Orleans flock here for its low prices, awesome atmosphere, and endless supply of things to do – including taking a dip in the backyard pool. There are plenty of floats, so even if you don’t want to swim, you can enjoy sunning yourself on a flamingo float. Perhaps you’ll do that to the backdrop of a jam session, or the tantalising scents of someone whipping up a delicious meal in the open-air kitchen.

Madame Isabelle’s House in New Orleans

An awesome American hostel for families and couples

There’s no shortage of awesome hostels in New Orleans and Madame Isabelle’s just makes your choice even harder. We’d say this is a good shout for small groups of friends and couples – as well as the standard dorms you’d expect from a hostel, they do some pretty great private rooms for up to 3 people. Not that solo travellers shouldn’t consider this place by the way – there are awesome free events pretty much all the time, including beer bong, bike tours, and music crawls.

Whilst LA is all about the endless space, the heat and the glitz, San Francisco is it’s cooler,  cooler , and more compact cousin up the road. Whether you’re in San Francisco to check out the bay, bar hop or visit Alcatraz, these hostels are a good base.

SFO Crashpad

Best Cheap Hostel in San Francisco

The best cheap hostel in San Francisco for budget backpackers, SFO Crashpad is also a great choice for people wanting a hostel near San Francisco Airport.

Less than ten minutes’ drive from the airport, the hostel is also within a 15-minute drive of San Francisco downtown.

Frequent buses connect the hostel with surrounding areas. Enjoy sweet dreams in a mixed dorm for four and make full use of the hostel’s facilities, which include a kitchen, dining area, lounge, free Wi-Fi, and a washing machine.

HI-San Francisco City Center

Best Hostel for Solo Travelers in San Francisco

With single-gender dorms as well as mixed rooms, each with their own bathroom, top-rate facilities, heaps of activities, and a funky location, HI –San Francisco City Center is our top choice for the best San Francisco hostel for solo travellers.

It’s easy to meet new people and feel right at home here. The historic building has splashes of its past splendour with all modern amenities.

Wi-Fi is fast and free and there’s also a free breakfast every morning.

Make the most of your backpacking trip in San Francisco with the tour desk and let the friendly staff let you into insiders’ secrets. There’s a kitchen, lounge, book exchange, laundry facilities, onsite bar-cum-café, and more!

USA Hostels San Francisco

Overall Best Hostel in San Francisco

The myriad facilities and freebies at USA Hostels San Francisco make this our pick for the overall best hostel in San Francisco in 2024.

It may be a bit pricier than other digs, but the free breakfast, Wi-Fi, walking tour, luggage storage (on the day of check-out), and discounted tours save you way more in the long run.

It’s also one of the coolest hostels in San Francisco. Whether you want to relax and chill or be a social butterfly and mingle, this hostel caters for all.

You won’t just find a kitchen, dining area, and lounge—there’s also a yoga room! Dorms have lockers and the pod beds provide plenty of privacy when it’s time to get some shut-eye.

The maximum dorm size is 4 people which massively reduced the chances of been stuck with a snorer!

Is there anywhere better in the USA to party than Miami? The jury’s out on that… but if you’re not into nightlife, there are plenty of other things to keep you occupied! The golden sand beaches are primed for sunbathing, while the city’s arts and architecture can delight you when the weather’s not so great (but that’s rare). Hostels here will mean you can funnel your lower accommodation costs into beers, cocktails, and food.

Generator Miami

A highly recommended hostel in USA

If you know hostels, you’ll know the name Generator, which boasts some of the coolest and most modern hostels in Europe . It happens to have a branch in Miami too, which is one of the coolest hostels in USA! There’s space for almost 350 guests here, so you’ll probably find someone milling around the cool social spaces or at either the indoor or outdoor restaurant whatever time of day you’re around. Make sure you take a dip in the swimming pool after a hot and sweaty day exploring the city.

Miami Beach International Hostel

One of the best cheap hostels in USA

When you’re staying in Miami , let’s face it, a lot of people want to make sure every single dollar goes towards drinks and partying! Nothing wrong with that, but you’ll need a hostel that understands that! Not only does this awesome American hostel offer one of the cheapest bed prices in Miami, but it’s got a bar with a happy hour and a pool table. The perfect place for pres! Breakfast and dinner don’t cost any extra here – the perfect way to line your stomach before a wild party or a keg night!

Rock Hostel

Top American hostel for solo travellers

There are few hostels in Miami where you’ll arrive alone and not leave with a gazillion friends, and Rock Hostel is no different. Events here will make it super easy to meet people and get conversations flowing, including wine tasting, boat trips, and group nights out. If you’re hungry, no need to head out and search for places to eat for hours, just pop to the on-site bar and restaurant which serves up some pretty great food.

The capital city of Texas, this city’s popularity is growing year on year. Music fans can rejoice that it’s the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’, and if you’re planning to visit SXSW Festival, you’ll have to book a hostel in Austin WELL ahead of time. Repeat, book early if you want to come for SXSW. It’s also got some incredible outdoor attractions nearby which you won’t want to miss.

Firehouse Hostel

A top American hostel for solo travellers

Right in the heart of Austin, you’ll find the Firehouse hostel, which used to be the longest standing fire station in town. It’s the biggest hostel in Texas, so you’ll not have any trouble meeting new people and making friends for your adventures in the lone star state. Of course, there’s the free breakfast but you can also make your own food if you wish in the well-equipped guest kitchen. Long day and you can’t be bothered?

No problem, there’s a bar and restaurant too serving Tex Mex classics! The lounge also does local beers and hand-made cocktails, which you can enjoy to the backdrop of some awesome live music!

Drifter Jack’s Hostel

One of the coolest hostels in USA

This colourful and artistically designed spot is yet another of the top hostels in USA. The walls have been painted by local artists, which gives it a unique touch and plenty of character. That’s not the only thing worth staying though – it’s a great place to meet fellow travellers. Enjoy a conversation in the common room, or get competitive by challenging a new friend to a board game or a round on the pool table! Need to sort out onward travel or personal admin? Use one of the hostel’s iPads or laptops FOR FREE!

A legendary cheap hostel in USA

Outdoor lovers will appreciate the awesome location of HI Austin. It’s right on the shores of Town Lake, so, you have the best of both worlds; peace, quiet, and tranquillity, whilst being just moments away from Downtown Austin! In the morning, enjoy a free continental breakfast with an awesome view of the lake on the outdoor terrace. Spend your day either enjoying the sights of the city centre, or take a hike or a bike along the Colorado River’s awesome trails. When you’re properly tired out, come back and make the most of the games room!

The last stop on our list is the Windy City. Unless you’re an Italian purist, you’re going to love the deep pan pizzas here and sports fans will be in heaven too. Although you probably think of skyscrapers when Chicago springs to mind, there are almost 600 parks so you can take advantage of green spaces while you’re here.

HI Chicago, The J. Ira & Nicki Harris Family Hostel

Another awesome American hostel

Not only does this cool Chicago hostel get the thumbs up from us, but from Hostelworld too… and more than 5,000 reviewers! And it’s not hard to see why. Whether you’re travelling solo, with your other half, or as part of a big group, this place can easily suit you.

There are lots of free activity nights that can help you get acquainted with the city and save money at the same time. You’ll be visiting the hottest clubs and jazz bars in the windy city of Chicago! If you’d prefer to do something in the day time that doesn’t revolve around alcohol, there are meet-ups with free ice cream and snacks! Awesome!

Freehand Chicago

Up there with the best cheap hostels in USA

You wouldn’t believe it by looking at the photographs, but the Freehand Chicago is one of the best cheap hostels in USA; it doesn’t look like a cheap hostel at all. The classic building dates back to 1927 and it’s been designed by the famous design firm Roman and Williams.  You first stop here should be the Broken Shaker cocktail bar, where you can fuel up on delicious food and treat yourself to a tasty cocktail!

Wrigley Hostel

Legendary American hostel for sports lovers

Last but not least on our list of the best hostels in USA, here’s the Wrigley Hostel. No, it’s nothing to do with chewing gum, but all you sports fans will know it refers to the historic Wrigley Field Baseball Stadium! So, if you’re coming to catch a game, you sure won’t be disappointed with this place! Not big into your sport? Not a problem. You can still take advantage of freebies like barbecues and city walking tours, and a free breakfast each morning of your stay! As well as all that, you’re in the most vibrant nightlife district in Chicago, so there are lots of bars and clubs nearby!

Stash your cash safely with this money belt. It will keep your valuables safely concealed, no matter where you go.

It looks exactly like a normal belt  except for a SECRET interior pocket perfectly designed to hide a wad of cash, a passport photocopy or anything else you may wish to hide. Never get caught with your pants down again! (Unless you want to…)

So what are the essential need to know facts about visiting the US? Let’s take a look!

Currency – The US Dollar – $1 = $1!!!

Language – English. Although Spanish is widelly spoken and semi-official in many parts of California and Florida.

Visa – Many visitors can get a 3 month Visa on arrival but MUST complete the ESTA application before hand. We recomened doing it immediately in case there are any complications. If you have a “lively” travel history you may be questioned about it and this cause issues in entering the country. For example, I was sent for a bag search at LAX on the basis I had visited Colombia 3 years earlier…American logic eh?

Anything Else? –  The US is a big country and it’s expensive. The political situation in March 2020 is divided but that should not deter you from visiting.

We have written previously about backpacking, and staying safe in the US .

Map of Where to Stay in USA

Pants, socks, underwear, soap?! Take it from me, packing for a hostel stay is not always quite as straightforward as it seems. Working out what to bring and what to leave at home is an art I have perfected over many years.

Snoring dorm-mates can ruin your nights rest and seriously damage the hostel experience. This is why I always travel with a pack of decent ear plugs.

Hanging Laundry Bag

Trust us, this is an absolute game changer. Super compact, a hanging mesh laundry bag stops your dirty clothes from stinking, you don’t know how much you need one of these… so just get it, thank us later.

Sea To Summit Micro Towel

Hostel towels are scummy and take forever to dry. Microfibre towels dry quickly, are compact, lightweight, and can be used as a blanket or yoga mat if need be.

Monopoly Deal

Forget about Poker! Monopoly Deal is the single best travel card game that we have ever played. Works with 2-5 players and guarantees happy days.

Grayl Geopress Water Bottle

Always travel with a water bottle! They save you money and reduce your plastic footprint on our planet. The Grayl Geopress acts as a purifier AND temperature regulator. Boom!

Check out our definitive  Hostel Packing list  for our top packing tips!

Why You Should Travel to USA

So, that concludes our list of the best hostels in USA. We’re sure that you’ll agree that there’s a lot of choice! Whether you want to be right in the heart of Manhattan, relaxing on a Californian beach, or a stone’s throw from the coolest jazz bars in New Orleans, there’s an American hostel for you.

The only thing is now you’re probably a bit overwhelmed with recommendations on where to stay in USA. If that’s the case, keep it simple, and go for our favourite overall hostel in each city. If you have a lot of flexibility over where you’re going to be, make a special trip to where our top overall hostel in America is: USA Hostels Hollywood . Not only does it have an awesome location, it’ll provide great value for money and an unforgettable experience!

Now that we’ve helped you plan your vacation, it’s time for us to go. All that’s left is for us to wish you an incredible trip to USA. We hope you have an amazing time.

Travel Insurance for USA

ALWAYS sort out your backpacker insurance before your trip. There’s plenty to choose from in that department, but a good place to start is Safety Wing .

They offer month-to-month payments, no lock-in contracts, and require absolutely no itineraries: that’s the exact kind of insurance long-term travellers and digital nomads need.

SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to it!

Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.

• Check out our extensive guide to backpacking in USA for a wealth of info!
• Not sure what to do once you arrive? We’ve got all the best places to visit in USA covered.
• Remember to grab yourself an international sim card for USA to avoid any issues. 
• Prepare for your trip with our backpacking packing list .

Made it this far? You get 15% OFF to book a place to stay ! Offer valid exclusively for Broke Backpackers 😉

Sheridan Cahoon

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Airbnb vs. Hostels: Which Is Better for Cheap Travel?

What is airbnb.

A irbnb has quickly become the budget-conscious traveler's go-to option. Airbnb basically connects people who have spare rooms with people who need a place to crash. You get to have an email exchange with your potential host, set up the room reservation, and go live like a local for a bit.

Airbnb Pros

The Airbnb experience has a lot to recommend it. Renting a place from a resident means you get an authentic local experience. Odds are, you've also got someone who can point you towards things to do in town and how to get to them. Your chances for privacy are also a lot higher. You still get to meet new people, but it's a much more controlled interaction than being thrown into a room with a bunch of strangers.

Airbnb Cons

The experience can vary greatly with Airbnb, however. There's a chance that your host might be unpleasant in ways you didn't anticipate or weren't able to infer from your correspondence. Pricing can be tricky, too. Hosts get to add additional fees to the cost of boarding, and while those are stated up front, the way they're laid out on the website makes cost comparisons difficult. You don't always know how many other bedrooms/guests there will be, which can be awkward. And at this point, Airbnb isn't always cheaper than getting a hotel.

What is a hostel?

Hostels have traditionally been a budget-conscious traveler's first option. You pay a relatively small amount of money to stay in a dormitory-style room. Visitors share an area, usually with three other people. They're a lot more common across Europe than they are in the United States for a variety of cultural reasons. Accommodations can be a bit spartan, but you're not traveling to stay in your room anyway, and it's a great way to meet new people.

Hostel Pros

Hostels are cheap. That is, and always has been, the biggest draw of the hostel "experience." That said, there's a lot to recommend. Travelers coming from the United States have a pretty grim view of what a hostel is. Any travel abroad will show just how removed from reality that viewpoint is. In countries with a thriving hostel culture, it can be a rewarding social experience. Most hostel tenants are college students, and an easygoing atmosphere tends to permeate the residences. Hostel reservations are more ironclad than Airbnb reservations, and the sites that let you book and review hostels all heavily favor lodgers over the lodgings, so you get a pretty honest assessment of what you're getting into.

Hostel Cons

That said, the experience has its drawbacks. While it is possible to get a private room in some hostels, odds are you won't have a lot of time or space to yourself. This might not be the best option for introverts—or honeymooners. That same easygoing, collegiate atmosphere can turn sour at times when the youth and high spirits of your fellow lodgers boil over into drunken revelry or loud relationship problems.

Not to mention, if you're coming from the U.S., with its lack of hostel culture, you'll probably receive a lot of flak for your decision. Your friends will question the choice until you, too, begin to wonder if maybe hostels really are that scary. Once you get there and realize they aren't, you still have to contend with your mom texting you every ten minutes to make sure you haven't been murdered, all the while racking up international data charges.

So, Which Is Better?

Honestly, this is something to take on a case-by-case basis. Do research on the specific place you're traveling to. More importantly, know yourself—if you crave attention, hostels may be the way to go. If you're more introverted, Airbnb might be better. Either way, there's strong potential for a great, cost-effective visit.

‘Good One’ Review: An Explosive New Indie About a Camping Trip Gone Awry

After its well-received debut at the Sundance Film Festival, “Good One” is getting its theatrical release—and ranks among the best movies in theaters this summer.

Nick Schager

Entertainment Critic

Metrograph Pictures

Good One hinges on a single unambiguous question, but writer/director India Donaldson’s debut is primarily about what’s unsaid—and, sometimes, about the pain, grief, and regret that’s articulated awkwardly, in bits and pieces, amidst everyday chitchat.

A contemplative indie about a hiking trip that’s marked by middle-age malaise, teen unease, and uncomfortable intergenerational dynamics, this Sundance Film Festival standout, in theaters, on Aug. 9, proves a quietly explosive tale of disconnection and betrayal, its placid exterior masking a wellspring of combustible tensions that are both impossible to ignore and difficult to resolve.

In a New York City brownstone, queer teenager Sam (Lily Collias) gets ready for a camping trip with her father Chris (James Le Gros), his struggling actor buddy Matt (Danny McCarthy), and Matt’s son Dylan (Julian Grady). Sam’s girlfriend Jessie (Sumaya Bouhbal) laughs at Sam’s preparations for this expedition but the girl—who’s on the cusp of leaving for college—appears mildly excited about it.

In brief snapshots of him packing and speaking to his wife, Chris comes across as a somewhat fussy and gung-ho hiker. When, while approaching Matt’s house, Chris asks Sam to sit in the backseat so Matt can ride shotgun, the annoyance on Sam’s face seems to speak to a bigger issue than just this minor incident. Yet a more pressing source of frustration, at least for Sam, is that Dylan won’t be joining them since he’s at odds with his dad over his recent split from Dylan’s mom.

Sam must agree to this now-unbalanced state of affairs, in which she’s the sole female and non-adult on the excursion. However, as with most of its concerns, Good One doesn’t call undue attention to this situation, nor does it have Sam remark upon it; rather, it’s just one of several factors providing the proceedings with its prickly, discomfiting energy.

The trio’s destination is a trail through the upstate woods. It’s not their first hike together, although that doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing. At a diner, Matt argues outside on the phone with his ex about Dylan. At a subsequent pitstop at a gas station convenience store, Chris and Matt squabble about the non-nutritional junk that the latter wants to purchase, all as Sam is left to stand there enduring it—which earns her an understanding smile from the check-out girl.

Good One conveys details about its characters through the snippets of conversation that break up its otherwise nature-oriented soundscape of rustling leaves, chirping insects, and running water, as well as a score by Celia Hollander that marries acoustic guitar with rhythmic electronic tones that echo the characters’ patient forward progress.

Consigned (literally and figuratively) to the backseat, Sam remarks that maybe Matt would understand Dylan’s anger over the ongoing divorce if he tried to see things from the boy’s perspective. During this fragmentary chat, Chris opines that some marriages are easier than others, and it’s the first clue to the fact (revealed later) that Chris is remarried and a new father. Sam doesn’t comment on these circumstances during the entirety of the film, but the looks on her face when the topic arises suggest that it’s had a significant impact on her, particularly with regard to her relationship with her dad.

With a lyrical serenity that recalls the work of Kelly Reichardt , Good One eventually reaches the lush, tranquil woods. Once the crew sets up camp, they’re joined by three strangers who oddly opt to bed down right beside them. Over a game of cards, Chris and Matt reminisce about past hikes (including with Sam’s mom) as if they were speaking to themselves.

This would be weirder and more embarrassing if their guests weren’t equally bizarre; alone, they talk about dating witches and doing tarot card readings, and with Chris, Sam, and Matt, the best they can offer for conversation is one guy stating, “Walking’s cool. I love walking.” Donaldson’s script generates humor from cringe-y moments such as this, most of them having to do with Chris and Matt, whose bickering—about, say, Matt bringing a booze flask and forgetting his sleeping bag—is often laced with hostility (on the part of Chris) and resentment (from Matt).

“You guys are little monsters,” chuckles Sam as the grown men hungrily eat the Raman she’s prepared over a campfire, yet their shortcomings and unhappiness are hardly small. Matt isn’t shy about his sorrow over the termination of his marriage and frequently seems to be on the verge of tears, and his state of mind isn’t helped by Chris’ impatience and subtle, sharp digs. Sam, meanwhile, is less than thrilled to be stuck between these two and saddled with assuming a maternal-referee role, which only exacerbates the loneliness that manifests in her eyes whenever she briefly checks her phone messages from Jessie, whom she obviously misses.

It's not until two-thirds of the way through Good One , however, that things take a decidedly unpleasant turn via a casually delivered request. More than Chris and Matt’s passive-aggressive squabbling and laments over the past and future, this query shatters the group’s shaky stability and shines a spotlight on the ugliness underscoring the grown-ups’ midlife gripes. Despite the lack of fireworks, it creates a crisis that’s compounded by one individual’s subsequent refusal to acknowledge it—and, by doing so, to exhibit the loyalty that Sam expects, deserves, and needs.

The fallout from this episode is almost more agonizing than the episode itself, in large part because it reveals a selfishness on Chris and Matt’s part that’s directly related to their other problems. Donaldson neither lectures nor condemns; Le Gros and McCarthy’s protagonists are considered with an empathy that makes their pathetic deficiencies all the more glaring.

Still, the film’s allegiance is with Sam, and Collias brings her to life with marvelously unstudied expressiveness. Be it with a simple head nod, a silent glance, or a heavy sigh, the actress beautifully conveys the depth of thoughts and emotions swirling inside Sam’s head, both before and after things become permanently altered. Good One may be Collias’ first marquee outing (as it is for the writer/director), but it undoubtedly won’t be her last.

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How I Scored a Free Night at a Hostel Using This Popular Credit Card Perk

Brett Holzhauer

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Table of Contents

Using the chase sapphire preferred card hotel credit, earn 5x points when booking through chase travel, what to keep in mind with the chase hotel credit, final thoughts.

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I’m in the middle of a 3-week adventure backpacking through Europe. Since I’m traveling alone and want to save on expenses, I’m staying in hostels for the majority of the trip.

Typically, there are few ways to redeem points and miles for hostels, but using my Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card, I was able to redeem the annual $50 hotel credit for a free night at a hostel in Iceland.

Here’s how I did it, and what to keep in mind for your next accommodation booking if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes with a $50 hotel credit for each year you have the card. To use it, book an accommodation through Chase Travel , and you’ll be credited $50 on your statement. You can find a long list of accommodations on the portal, including hotels, motels, inns, and even hostels.

When I searched for a cheap 1-night stay in Iceland , I found this hostel and made a booking for just under the $50 mark.

And just a few days after my booking, the credit appeared on my statement.

When using the credit, you won’t earn any Chase points on the first $50 of your purchase . My purchase earned zero points, as the stay was under the threshold.

However, for anything above that, you earn 5x points on all travel booked through Chase Travel when using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card . This is effectively 10% back in value, as Upgraded Points values Ultimate Rewards points at 2.0 cents per point. If you’re a traveler who doesn’t focus on leveraging loyalty status with an airline or hotel brand, this is a great credit to use.

What’s more, you can book more than flights or stays with Chase Travel. You can book rental cars , activities, cruises, and more.

When you book travel with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’re covered with comprehensive travel insurance , including trip cancellation and trip delay protection.

Spending credits is quite popular now for travel credit cards . Some are flexible to use, while others aren’t. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card hotel credit is somewhere in the middle.

To use the credit, you must book through the Chase travel portal and pay using the card. The platform is easy to navigate, but keep in mind you won’t be able to take advantage of any hotel status you may have. When you book through Chase Travel you’re booking through a third party, so you won’t earn any points toward another loyalty program.

There are 2 strategic ways to use this credit:

• Stay at an independent hotel that doesn’t have a loyalty program. That way, you won’t miss out on any potential rewards or miss out on using any loyalty benefits you may have.
• Save the credit for a cheap 1-night stay. It may not cover the entire purchase, but you may get lucky with an inexpensive night that could be mostly covered.

The hotel booking doesn’t have to be in your name to redeem the credit — simply using the card through the Chase travel portal will trigger the credit.

This $50 hotel credit is an easy way to reduce the card’s effective annual fee to $45 . So, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, make a mental note to either use or give away the credit to ensure it doesn’t go unused.

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About Brett Holzhauer

Brett is a personal finance and travel junkie. Based out of Fort Lauderdale, he’s had over 100 credit cards and earned millions of credit card rewards. He learned the tricks of the trade from his mom, and has taken many steps forward. He wasn’t exposed to much travel as a kid, but now has a goal of reaching 100 countries in his life. In 2019, he sold all of his possessions to become a digital nomad, and he says it was one of the best decisions he ever made. He plans to do it again at some point in his life.

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• Travel Insurance

AAA Travel Insurance Review 2024

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Updated: Jan 3, 2024, 12:23pm

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AAA offers travel insurance policies in partnership with Allianz. The more robust policies include coverage for a missed port of call and free coverage for children under age 17. AAA travel insurance can be a good option for AAA members who want standard travel insurance benefits and who get other travel-related membership benefits, such as special vacation packages and hotel discounts.

• Children under 17 are covered for free on Family Care plans.
• Excellent travel delay waiting periods.
• Exclusive perks and coverage for AAA members.
• Automatic compensation for travel delay and missed port of call on AAA’s Family Care plans and Choice plans.
• Low coverage limits for medical insurance.
• Only one AAA travel insurance policy includes “cancel anytime” coverage, which is different from the “cancel for any reason” coverage other insurers offer because it has exclusions.
• No upgrades for cancellation, interruption or adventure sports available.

Table of Contents

What does aaa travel insurance cover, aaa travel insurance plans, more about aaa travel insurance plans, aaa travel insurance add-ons and member benefits, which aaa travel insurance policy is best for me, can you buy aaa travel insurance online, what’s not covered by aaa travel insurance, how to file a aaa travel insurance claim, does aaa travel insurance have 24/7 assistance, aaa travel insurance frequently asked questions (faqs).

The types of AAA travel insurance policies offered to you will depend on where you live. AAA travel insurance products and member benefits can vary by state.

Still, AAA’s travel insurance policies generally provide the following types of coverage that can help you recoup the nonrefundable money you’ve laid out for a trip if the unexpected happens. The medical insurance within AAA policies is also very important, especially if you’re traveling outside the U.S.

Trip cancellation coverage: Trip cancellation insurance reimburses you for prepaid, nonrefundable expenses—for example, hotel stays, flights and excursions—if you cancel your trip because of a problem that’s listed in the policy.

Travel medical insurance: This pays for emergency medical and dental expenses if you get sick or injured during your trip. Some of the costs that travel medical insurance can compensate you for include hospital bills, lab work and prescription medication, up to the policy’s medical coverage limit.

Emergency medical evacuation: If you need a high level of emergency care, emergency medical evacuation insurance pays for transportation to the nearest hospital that can treat your condition. If this happens, AAA’s travel agents will coordinate the transportation for you.

Travel delay insurance: Travel delay insurance pays for temporary accommodations if your trip gets delayed due to a problem listed in the policy. For example, if your flight gets delayed until the next day, your insurance will pay for a hotel room and meals, up to the plan’s coverage limit. Travel delay insurance also reimburses you for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses for missed portions of your trip. Note that required waiting periods apply to travel delay benefits.

Travel interruption insurance: If something happens during your trip and you need to leave early, trip interruption insurance can pay for your transportation home, such as a last-minute flight. It also compensates you for money lost on nonrefundable expenses for the part of your trip you miss.

Baggage and personal effects: If your luggage is damaged, lost or stolen, baggage insurance can pay you the depreciated value of your suitcases and the items you packed. If your baggage is delayed for the specified amount of time listed in your policy, baggage delay insurance can pay for the essentials you need before your baggage arrives, such as toiletries and clothing. Baggage insurance also provides coverage for your personal items that get damaged or stolen during your trip.

AAA sells travel insurance policies that are suitable for a wide range of budgets, trip types and coverage needs. All of AAA’s travel insurance plans are offered in partnership with Allianz Travel , a reputable travel insurance company with an A+ (Superior) financial strength rating from AM Best.

The types of AAA travel insurance policies available to you will depend on where you live, but four TripAssist plans are offered in many states.

TripAssist Choice Basic

AAA’s TripAssist Choice Basic plan offers some protection while you’re  traveling, but it has the least amount of coverage out of AAA’s three travel insurance plans. This plan includes coverage for trip delays, trip cancellation (covered reasons only), emergency medical and dental care and medical evacuation.

TripAssist Family Care Plan

The AAA TripAssist Family Care Plan provides robust coverage while traveling, plus children under 17 are covered for free. It includes the same coverage types as the Choice Basic plan, but the limits are much higher.

The TripAssist Family Care plan also has change fee coverage, missed port of call coverage, vehicle return coverage and a dedicated concierge. You can get automatically reimbursed without providing receipts or filing a claim for incurred expenses due to flight and baggage delays and missed ports of call.

TripAssist Family Care Plan with ‘Cancel Anytime’ Benefits

AAA’s TripAssist Family Care Plan with Cancel Anytime is identical to the Family Care Plan. The coverage types and policy limits are the same.

The only difference is that this plan includes “cancel anytime” benefits: If you cancel your trip for almost any reason that the base policy doesn’t cover, you can get reimbursed for up to 80% of your nonrefundable trip costs. Read your policy for “cancel anytime” exclusions, which can include terrorist events and travel alerts issued by a government or public authority.

TripAssist Choice

The TripAssist Choice Plan from AAA doubles nearly all the post-departure coverage of the TripAssist Family Care Plan—including emergency medical and transportation benefits, baggage loss insurance, and more. It also can pay you proactively for covered travel and baggage delays and for missed ports-of-call and not require receipts for claims.

AAA doesn’t offer any travel insurance policy add-ons. However, there are a variety of benefits available exclusively for AAA members.

AAA members get access to special vacation and cruise packages. You can work with a dedicated AAA travel consultant to book your trip and plan excursions. There are also members-only discounts on car rentals and hotels, as well as dining and entertainment during your vacations.

In addition, AAA provides services you might need before your trip, like passport photos, visa services and help getting international driving permits. AAA also offers a reloadable prepaid credit card that can be used instead of cash when traveling abroad.

The best AAA travel insurance plan depends on your coverage needs and your budget.

Low Cost and Lower Benefit Limits

If you want the most basic coverage at the lowest price, the TripAssist Choice Basic is probably the best fit. It includes the most important coverages you need while traveling, such as trip interruption coverage and emergency medical coverage, but the limits are relatively low.

Best for Families

If you are traveling with your family and want higher reimbursement limits, the TripAssist Family Care Plan is a good choice. It provides more benefits and higher coverage limits than the basic plan, and children under 17 are covered for free.

The TripAssist Family Care Plan with Cancel Anytime provides the same benefits as the Family Care Plan, but has more robust cancellation benefits, which can be good if you have lots of prepaid, nonrefundable outlays.

Higher Benefit Limits

If you want the highest coverage limits, the TripAssist Choice plan is likely your best option. It has twice the coverage found in the Family Care Plan for nearly all benefits. For example, it provides travel medical expense benefits of $50,000 and medical evacuation benefits of $1 million.

You can purchase a AAA travel insurance plan online. To start the quote process, you’ll be asked to provide your home state, travel destination and dates, trip cost and the ages of the people traveling.

Then, you will get matched with the plans that best fit your travel needs. Once you select a plan, you can complete the purchase process online. You can also purchase a travel insurance plan through a AAA consultant in-person or over the phone.

Every travel insurance plan has some exclusions. Before you take off, it’s a good idea to review your policy details to understand what isn’t covered.

Here are examples of exclusions for AAA’s TripAssist Family Care with Cancel Anytime policy:

• Conviction of crimes you commit.
• Injuries due to alcohol or drug use.
• Intentional self-harm and self-inflicted injuries.
• Known or foreseeable events, like weather and political unrest.
• Mental health and nervous disorders.
• Participation in extreme sports or activities.
• Terrorist events.
• Wars (declared and undeclared).

If you experience a problem while traveling that’s covered by the policy, you can file a claim with Allianz Global for reimbursement. You can start the claim process online by emailing [email protected] . You can also call the claims department at (888) 497-6992  or (800) 334-7525 to file a claim over the phone.

You’ll be asked to provide a detailed summary of what happened and how much you want reimbursed. You will also need proof of your claim. This might include:

• Receipts for necessary items if your luggage is delayed.
• Confirmation emails for nonrefundable trip costs.
• Notices of travel cancellation from your airline.
• Photos of damaged personal items.
• Doctor’s notes for emergency medical care you received.

After submitting your claim, Allianz Global will take at least 10 business days to review the incident. If the claims examiner needs more information, they’ll send you an email with a formal request for additional documentation.

If you want to check on a claim, you can check the status online by entering your claim number, or you can call the claims department.

One of the benefits of AAA travel insurance is that all policies come with 24/7 travel assistance. If you have any medical- or travel-related issues during your trip, call Allianz Global at (866) 884-3556 and mention your AAA travel insurance policy to get help with your problem.

Does AAA travel insurance cover Covid?

Most Allianz travel insurance policies cover Covid-related medical costs, interruptions and cancellations if you test positive for the virus, but it’s prudent to check with AAA to be sure your policy covers Covid. If you’re concerned about Covid, there are many Covid travel insurance policies available.

Does USAA offer “cancel for any reason” coverage?

No, USAA travel insurance policies do not provide the option to buy a “cancel for any reason” travel insurance upgrade. This upgrade lets you cancel a trip no matter the cause and typically be reimbursed 75% of your nonrefundable trip costs, as long as you cancel no less than 48 hours prior to your departure.

The TripAssist Family Care Plan with Cancel Anytime compensates you 80% of your nonrefundable trip costs if you cancel, but there are exclusions. For example, cancellations due to declared or undeclared war, terrorist events and travel alerts issued by a government or public authority are not covered by “cancel anytime” benefits.

Does USAA cover pre-existing medical conditions?

Yes, pre-existing medical conditions are covered if you get a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver . To qualify for the waiver, you usually must buy your travel insurance policy within 14 days of making your first trip deposit, be medically able to travel when you buy your policy and insure 100% of your non refundable trip costs.

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• What Is Cinema?

Industry Season Three Is an Enthralling Trip to the Bank

When HBO’s saucy high-finance series Industry began, it was primarily focused on young London-based analysts hoping to make their mark on the mega investment bank Pierpoint. How they functioned in the furnace, and blew off steam outside of it, made for soapy, satisfying young adult drama. These were kids thrown into a very different kind of post-adolescent crucible than the girls of Girls were subject to (though Girls creator Lena Dunham did some work on the first season); where Hannah and pals had ennui, the post-grads of Industry were focused, driven, ruthlessly ambitious.

But as the show progressed through its wobbly second season, the world of Industry began to expand. The young people remained at the center, but the series zoomed out to show more of the complicated mechanics surrounding them. Now, in its excitingly ornate rollercoaster of a third season (premiering on August 11), Industry is essentially just a companion piece to the late, great Succession. It’s another series about the top, top levels of the business world, albeit one that doesn’t take quite as much naughty, amused pleasure in showing the monstrousness of the one percent.

Where Succession had wry humor, Industry prefers grimness, sending its characters spinning into ever more precariousness. Show creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay are, I suppose, making a point about the financial world’s corrosive effect on the hearts and souls of those who keep it running. But in practice, all the strife seems to exist for its own sake. It’s a wallow, an artful bummer a bit high on its own supply.

In season three, Industry is also breathlessly entertaining. Yes, portions of these eight episodes are turgid and overwritten: angry monologues half sold by talented actors, whizzing technical talk delivered with smug snap, high drama that isn’t always credibly sourced. But Industry ’s version of all that is vastly preferable to the kind seen on, say, The Bear . At least on Industry , things actually happen.

Season three opens in the nervous hours before a green-tech energy startup, Lumi, is about to go public. The company’s head, blue-blood poseur Henry ( Kit Harington ), is doing his best T-shirt and jeans founder drag—leaving the less palatable work to Pierpoint, which is overseeing the IPO. Sad-eyed, working-class hunk Robert ( Harry Lawtey ) has been embedded with Henry, and their class divide is beginning to chafe. Back at the office, Yasmin ( Marisa Abela ) is trying to stay involved in the fray while also spiraling about a scandal (or, really, multiple scandals) involving her zillionaire father, who has gone into hiding.

Yasmin’s struggles to balance work and an increasingly unmanageable personal life get perhaps the primary focus this season, complete with mystery box flashbacks. As her character grows ever more distressed and erratic, Abela manages to keep things mostly grounded. Her scenes with Harington are spiky and flirtatious and yet also bleak, while her always swooning chemistry with Lawtey takes on a bitter, poignant tinge. She’s the star of the season, bearing up nobly under a heap of outsized plot.

The series’s other breakout, Myha’la, is left to skulk around the periphery. Her character, American bulldozer Harper, has been cast out of Pierpoint, and is stuck working as an assistant at an “ethical” investment firm. She’s a killer in an uncomfortably moral-minded environment—one she has to destroy in order to escape. Harper finds an ally in the firm’s steely head of investments, Petra ( Sarah Goldberg , of recent Barry fame), and the two get to scheming. The show has now pretty much confirmed Harper as a manipulative sociopath (an assessment made by many characters this season), which is interesting only to a point. Harper is an implacable monolith in season three, and her cruelty and conniving eventually grow repetitive.

So does all the office scramble and panic. Industry works hard to convince us that every trade, every reversal of fortune is of existential importance. It is fun to get swept up in that manic swirl, but over eight episodes, the crises blur together into one mass of outburst and alarm. One of the odd pleasures of the show is the inscrutability of its technical details—it is a comfort to simply trust that what they’re yelling about with such spittle, and assumed savvy, is of high significance. Still, the show would ideally find more varied levels, so that the really meaningful moments of wheeling and/or dealing stood out in starker contrast.

Industry ’s emotional mapping is equally discombobulating. Motivations are murky; extreme decisions are made with jarring haste. But maybe that is the sneakily winning trick of the show, plunging us into the erratic, coked-up minds of its shaky heroes rather than ploddingly explaining every beat. We probably don’t need the literal drug trips, though. Season three guides us into psychedelic cliché in one episode, while another tries to ape Uncut Gems for a grueling standalone hour delineating a side character’s descent into hell.

What ultimately results from that episode is shocking and horrible, and threatens to topple season four (if there is to be one) into full melodrama. Which would be a shame, because the third season is pitched just about right: brash and irksome, sexy and intriguing. Industry ’s picture of pretty people forever teetering between glory and ruin rarely lets us see them enjoying their ill-gotten wealth. But the show nonetheless manages to intoxicate us, to quiet our high-minded principles just long enough that, quite guiltily, we begin to envy them anyway.

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Chief critic.