5 HOSTEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS

Whenever I would hear about a hostel I would immediately think of a small dim room with a few bunkbeds, crowded spaces and lots of partying. Well from my experiences, this is almost half true. Let me explain. My first hostel experience was in Byron Bay, Australia. A lot of backpackers come and go through there and it seems there are unwritten codes and rules you must follow, like, what about all your food? If there’s a common bathroom in the room, can you leave your shower stuff in the shower or should you keep it by your bed to keep an eye on it? And everyone seems to know everyone, are they all travelling together or is it just me? I clearly knew nothing. 

I’ll start by saying this, I was right about the bunk beds, wrong about the amount of sunlight (it was Australia after all), and let’s be honest, right about the partying. I remember walking in and realising there was no elevator so I had to ask one of the staff to help me lug my suitcase up the stairs. Rookie mistake. He did say some comment about having so much stuff but I soon realised there are some travellers who bring like 4 t-shirts and some who bring something for every occasion, i.e. me. Because - you never know right! 

Now that you know a little about my first timer experience- if you are a first timer yourself just know, we’ve all been there! Here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way (some I learned the hard way), to help you be “in the know” for your first hostel stay. 

1. CHECK IN LIKE A PRO 

One of my favourite hostel hacks is to check in early. If you can, check in around lunch time when most hostels open. This way unless the hostel is booked out, you'll have a better choice of bed. If you’re a bit funny about where you sleep like I am, you’re more likely to snag a bottom bunk this way. Another thing I did first thing was check into an all girls dorm. Some hostels have the option. If you're a female and would rather stay with all girls, go for it!

Also think about the size of the room. You want to pick a room size that suits you. I have only ever stayed in 6-10 bed dorms depending on the hostel, but some even have 4 bed dorms. If you aren’t feeling as social or don’t mind paying a little extra, sometimes it’s worth the comfort. 

2. FREE ACCOMMODATION

Did you just say free? Yes, I did. If you are planning to stay a while, this one might be for you. You can ask the front desk at the hostel if they are hiring for any positions, and in turn receive free accommodation. Not all hostels will have an array of jobs, it just depends where you stay. The one I stayed at was called Aquarious and they had so many jobs going, from housekeeping staff, to cafe workers, bartenders, even an events manager. Sometimes you’ll be staying at a hostel and opportunities might pop up a few weeks into your stay. It’s always a good idea to let the hostel manager know you are interested asap, if you don’t someone else will get the job. Any opportunity to save money is always helpful when you’re travelling. 

3. LABEL YOUR FOOD

When you stay at a hostel, you can keep a few things in your room if you choose, I usually had crackers and granola bars on hand, nothing that needs to be refrigerated. BUT everything else you will have to put in a bag in the fridge in the common kitchen.  I went to the nearest grocery store and got a cloth reusable bag to use, (I got a pink one so I could easily identify it among the rest), and got a sharpie to write my name on it. Does this mean no one will steal your food? There are no guarantees, I mean, hostels are very friendly places and I would like to think everyone is respectful enough of one another not to do that but I have had my yogurt stolen a few times. It’s the chance we all take. Another tip, most hostels have a free shelf. People come and go all the time so always check the free shelf for food that is still fine, it’s just that other travellers simply couldn’t take it with them. Win for you! 

Speaking of food- When you stay at a hostel there are so manny opportunities to connect over a meal. People tend to get together for a fun meal like a taco night once in a while. Some hostels will have a cooked breakfast like pancakes for everyone once a week. I remember at another hostel I stayed at we had a few people from France get together and cook us all crepes, we chipped in a few dollars each and voila! A fun, cheap thing to do. Which brings me to my next point- 

4. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE SOCIAL

Events manager anyone? Some hostels have events and group activities literally every day. The misconception I had that everyone knew each other was SO not true. Looking back now they probably met like the day before! But if anything I know it can be intimidating coming into a group of strangers and introducing yourself. Remember everyone is in the same boat. You will find people you gel with automatically and it’s honestly the best feeling. Meeting someone and you feel like you’ve known them for ages. It sounds cheesy but it happens. I would’ve never made such connections with other people if it weren’t for social activities. Yes, drinking games and nights out did help, but even something so simple as a trip to the grocery store together or a beach walk was actually fun. 

5. MAKE TIME FOR YOU

I don’t know about you but if I spend all my time around other people I get drained and need some me-time to reset. This can be hard to do at a hostel because you literally have no privacy. Putting the bed sheet around your bunk-bed frame if you’ve got bottom bunk doesn’t count as privacy either, (for those you who have stayed at hostels before, you know what I mean). 

When I felt myself itching to get away (I was lucky enough to usually be near a beach), so I would going out for a run. Sometimes early morning before everyone else was up. Or I would take my journal and find a quiet place to sit and write a few pages. After all, this is YOUR trip! Make sure you are enjoying yourself, take some me-time. Exercise and journaling were the two biggest things that helped me, but that might look different for you. Maybe go see some sights alone instead of in a big group, or take yourself to a new cafe and hang out there for a bit while you Face-Time your family back home. Remember, you do you. 

Thinking about staying at a hostel for the first time? Welcome to the community! Do you have any of your own hostel tips and tricks that you think I missed? Let me know in the comments below!

Julie  xx