As a budget-friendly traveler, I’ll always check out hostels before any other kind of accommodation, unless I’m heading out in a big group. However, now that I’m slowly encroaching on 30, my tolerance for double-digit dorms is getting a little low.
That being said, I’m far from being done with hostel life, so here’s my guide to staying in hostels in your late 20s!
Picking your hostel
First things first, you have to pick your hostel. I pretty much exclusively use Hostelworld nowadays as the prices tend to be reasonable and the app is easy to use while I’m out on the road.
The other main reason is that the reviews include the traveler’s age range which wasn’t really important to me a few years ago, but now it’s a good indicator of what kind of hostel it is. I love a night out as much as the next person, but if there are 20 reviews from 18-year-olds on their first big solo trip saying how much of a great party hostel it is, I’m probably going to swerve it.
Right now, my hostel requirements are pretty simple:
- A few social areas to hang out and chill
- Decent location
- Relatively clean by hostel standards
- Social but not too noisy
The reason for the last one is that I’m not particularly a light sleeper, but I do tend to plan things in the mornings when I’m away, so I can just grab coffee and breakfast and go off on an adventure. I’d rather not be woken up at 3am and then again at 5am if I have an alarm set for 7am…
Picking your room style
Okay, so the main thing that has shifted in the way I stay in hostels in recent years has been the room selection. Before I was looking at the cheapest bed in a dorm or splashing out the extra pound per night for a female-only dorm if I was on my own.
Now, it’s a little different and it largely depends if I’m traveling alone or with my hostel-loving friend, Charlotte, who you’ll see all over this blog!
If I’m on my own, I’ll normally opt for a four-bed dorm if there’s one on offer. I’ve done this in tons of places including Vancouver, Oban, and Iceland, and it’s got enough people to have a chat with, but it’s also a lot quieter and more relaxed than 8-12-bed dorms.
On the other hand, if I’m traveling with someone, a lot of the time, privates work out either the same price or cheaper. We stayed in a private room in an amazing hostel in Madeira recently and still met some cool people in the kitchen in the mornings.
If privates aren’t cheaper, we’ll normally splurge if the price difference is less than £5 between us. This was the basis of how we booked our accommodation all around Costa Rica to keep us comfortable but within our budget. That led to us staying in private rooms in La Fortuna and Monteverde and dorm rooms in Uvita, San Jose, and Manuel Antonio.
Location vs Price
In previous years, I wasn’t too mad about being on the outskirts of town or away from the main attractions of a city if the price of the hostel was reasonable. While I still don’t want to splurge on being in the middle of town, I will now be a little looser with the budget if it means I don’t have to spend half my holiday on buses or local trains.
Even though the price of the accommodation is higher, overall it comes out about the same when you’re saving time and money on getting to and from the parts of the city you want to see.
Make sure you’re connected
Finally, my advice for staying in a hostel in your late 20s is to make sure you have enough data and WiFi for your entire trip. In the past, I’ve relied on sketchy hostel WiFi or perennially checked the open networks in the centre of the city. It’s not ideal and if you need Maps, banking, or you just need to check in at home, it’s not worth it.
I’d suggest getting an e-SIM with a company like Airalo. They’re super cheap, you can activate it on the free airport WiFi or when you get to your accommodation and it’ll save you a lot of headaches. Take it from someone who was planning on relying on accommodation WiFi only to find that the owner uses his mobile data for everything, you need an e-SIM or roaming package as a backup!
FAQs About Staying in a Hostel in Your Late 20s
Okay, a few final quick-fire frequently asked questions about staying in hostels in your late 20s.
Am I too old to be staying in a hostel?
It’s a common question, but no, especially if you’re a solo traveler or like to travel on a budget, no you’re not too old to be staying in a hostel. While certain hostels have a party reputation that you might not vibe with, there will be a hostel that works for your needs.
I’ve stayed in party hostels, remote backpacker inns, hiking hostels, digital nomad and expat hotspots, and more. It’s all about finding the hostel that works for you and the Hostelworld review sections work wonders for that.
Are hostels noisy?
Honestly, noise levels vary from hostel to hostel and the age of the building. Some places are well insulated and have 10pm curfews whereas some have paper-thin walls, 18-bed dorms, and an onsite DJ. It honestly depends on the hostel.
On the whole, hostels tend to be more noisy than hotels, as they’re more social spaces with a largely younger demographic. That being said, I’ve stayed in hotels with ridiculous levels of road and construction noises, and hostels that have been dead quiet, so there’s no hard and fast rule here.
Should I bring earplugs to a hostel?
If you’re a light sleeper it’s always best to bring earplugs with you to a hostel. I don’t personally because having things in my ears annoys me more than the noise, but I have friends who don’t travel without them.
