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I love staying in hostels. But I'm also 27 and travel very differently. There isn't much advantage if your in your 30's and making 200k. But it's not a money issue for me.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beachmouse
In comparison, here are a couple of Berlin budget hotel options for four nights in mid-July. Private bathroom, wifi, air-con, 24 hour front desk:
$86/ night, most taxes and I think breakfast included:
$71 per night:
$69 per night:
$82 per night
Makes my =/<$20 / night German / Netherlands / Belgium stays seem very nice (40+ nights in 2016 alone)
(all had private bath, A/C (when needed (seldom)), Wifi, QUIET, scenic, comfortable, educational, great breakfasts (sometimes 'local' dinner too, and packed lunch), often included transportation to and from train / airport + many 'Guest passes' to events and public transit, and free use of bicycles.. Hospitality exchange - Wikitravel
I stayed in one the first time I went to NYC with my college group. Great if you are on a budget and just need to sleep and shower. Just like how I feel about hotels as an adult. Prefer resorts for long term stays.
Penny pinching ruins the whole experience when you can afford quality.
I take a vacation to get away from it all, hostels are part of "it all" mentality.
Students at hostels are traveling or taking vacations they can't really afford, they want to the travel experience.
If my partner wanted to stay at the hostel, yeh go ahead, i'll be at the hotel.
Thats why I work, thats what I saved up for.
The down side of hospitality exchanges is that if you're an introvert, the lack of privacy can end up costing more in emotional capital than you're saving in money.
I grew up in a family that was strongly involved in people-to-people exchanges. The guests and hosts I met over the years were genuinely nice and awesome people, and my parents are still in touch with a number of them. But as one of those introverts who really, really needs some time every day to recharge, by about day three or four, I'm trying to figure out a way to go hide in an unused bathroom for half an hour just so I can have the alone time my brain is wired to need.
For me, the budget hotel where i only take down the DND sign when we need the paper products replaced and the trash emptied is so very worth it when I've just spent a long day enveloped by people, even if they are also really genuinely awesome and kind folks on the trail.
Yes, I've actually camped a lot. And camped on the beach. I do understand the desire for a sand-free bed with a comfy bathroom, but I still feel like I'm missing something. Missing the bigger experience and trading it for creature comforts. And then I think when I'm old and feeble, I don't want to say "man was I ever comfortable!". That sounds so boring.
What is the " bigger experience" or is this just something you're making up in your head? Sleeping in a bed 500 ft from a tent changes things that much? Is the tent experience even the experience you want to have?
To the original question, I stayed in a hostel one time. Never again.
I stayed in hostels all over Europe when I was in college, but they were full of kids like me. I would think it was pretty weird to see a married couple or an older person in any of these places on a regular basis - including me, I'm old now.
Social. I love to party and meet people. Every now and then I will stay in a hotel or Airbnb, but most of the time hostels work out better. I also travel a lot. My style doesn't fit into how most people travel on their yearly vacation. I've actually been staying in hotels/Airbnb a lot more recently, but again it's not a money issue. A good portion of the time hotels are simply too isolating.
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