Budget Travel - hostel experience for "older" travelers?

hi FTers!

I seem to be regressing.....now in my early 40s, I had my first (and incredibly positive) hostel stay last month in El Calafate in Argentina. (We had a private room & en suite.) I've never been a high end traveler, mostly non-hostel budget hotels, but I'm now unemployed and taking my second trip to SE Asia in March. I want to do this on the (very) cheap. So, I was wondering, how do people who are somewhat older than the average backpacker pick a hostel (the same way as picking a budget hotel, through reviews on hostel.com, etc....?), or is there something else to look for? (And, no matter how poor I am, I don't think I can "do" a dorm....).

Any tips, thoughts, or general info out there?

thanks, Ellen

That's one FANTASTIC question....I've often dealt with the same issue, trying to stay on a budget, yet not stepping into a place that's outta' my league. Last trip to London I was in a hostel and was the only person over 20 in a dorm (smaller dorm room, 8 beds). Or, have had the experience of staying at a hostel and ending up being put an otherwise empty dorm with only one other person...who could have barely been 18 if that. I think if I were 18, it would be initially a little wierd to find myself alone in a room with a complete stranger older than my dad.

Last summer, 'tho, stayed at a really cool hostel on cape cod, and everyone there was in there 30's and 40s'...it was really cool. Everyone chipped in on getting groceries and cooking (had some KILLER meals), and driving each other around the cape, doing the occasional night out on the town.

To answer your question, I look at hostel review sites like hostelz.com. Here's a tip: read the reviews carefully, noting both obvious and between-the-lines stuff. As you read the reviews, look for exactly what the people liked and didn't like about a hostel. What do they say specifically worked for them or didn't work for them there. That will tell you a lot about the place, and the people that like or don't like it. Another thing to look for in hostel reviews is what people like or don't like about the hostel's location--what is it near, what is it far away from. In hostel reviews, there's also occasionally the obvious "descriptors" like "party hostel", "social hostel", "not great for clubs & going out at night but great for exploring the area", "near a lot of really cool trails", "right around the corner from the bars", "this place is in the middle of nowhere but that was cool", etc.

Just as an example, purely on the fly here: Let's say you really, really want to go to a party hostel. You really want to go clubbing with the locals, hitting the bars, then hitting your bunk or some one elses around 2am at least. So, if a lot of the hostel reviews say things like "loved the no-curfew," "loved the late curfew", "close to the clubs", "just down the street from the bars", "easy access to (___ city's) night life," then you've found your place.
If that's the opposite of what you're looking for, then look for the opposite types of reviews & descriptions.

If you can't find reviews posted of the hostel, look on the hostel's website under their "comments" or "here's what guests have said" section...or just look how the hostel describes itself.

Your idea on avoiding the dorm would probably serve your purposes. Most hostels have smaller rooms for 1,2,3, or 4 people that would fit your bill if needed and wouldn't be too much more expensive. One way to help with the costs of "upgrading" to a smaller/less-number-of-people room would be to snag a membership in a hostel assocation. It usually pays for itself after one or two nights, and can get you a decent discount off the slightly more expensive rooms. (And, sometimes the difference between sleeping with 100 strangers and 3 strangers is only slight, and worth it).

As a rule of thumb, I've found hostels outside of big cities to usually be a liittle nicer, and usually can have a good mix of ages...the difference between staying in a hostel in Doolin vs. Dublin in Ireland, for instance.

well, that's one FANTASTIC answer! thanks...it was really helpful.

I did note that the reviews on hostels.com (I think), had people rate the "fun." And, I thought, well, I want clean, quiet, comfortable, and good location, and maybe a nice person or two to hang out with. Now, I'm almost wondering if "fun" could be some sort codeword......!!!

SE Asia is a great choice for a "(very) cheap" trip, but it will be HOT in March. In Bangkok I have stayed at the http://www.suk11.com a couple times and can recommend it. A single room with bath is about $12.50, including (bread and jam) breakfast.

well, that's one FANTASTIC answer! thanks...it was really helpful.

I did note that the reviews on hostels.com (I think), had people rate the "fun." And, I thought, well, I want clean, quiet, comfortable, and good location, and maybe a nice person or two to hang out with. Now, I'm almost wondering if "fun" could be some sort codeword......!!!


Put "fun" in the context it's in...in what context is the word used, the sentance it's in, what it's describing, how "fun" may be described/qualified. Could refer to a "party" hostel, or a just a good vibe of guests that are fun to hang out with. Could be the staff was really positive and helpful and did cool things to make people feel welcome.

SE Asia is a great choice for a "(very) cheap" trip, but it will be HOT in March. In Bangkok I have stayed at the http://www.suk11.com a couple times and can recommend it. A single room with bath is about $12.50, including (bread and jam) breakfast.

That place seems nice.. i'm probably going to liquidate my NW acct on a trip to BKK/NRT and spend 5 days in each... think i may stay there. Thanks for the heads up.

Just trying to escape the cold of Southern California :p

When I did my first 25 day trip to the UK in 1992, I didn't even know what a hostel was. I wanted to travel outside the U.S., though, and got a rail pass and booked B&B's every night. When I went back to Europe the next year, I knew what a hostel was and haven't looked back.

I avoid the party hostels, or the ones with 12 beds in the room. I like hostels with about 4-6 beds in the room, and a review that they'll be reasonably quiet at night so I can sleep. I look at the web reviews, and in the past relied more on guidebooks (Lonely Planet, Lets Go).

When I first started with hostels I always booked YHA hostels because I knew there were some standards in place as to cleanliness and quietness, and even a curfew on some of them. Now I tend to mix YHA and private hostels (there's just a lot more hostels out there now than back in 1992), and look at the reviews of both. In my recent travels to Madrid, Barcelona, and Ireland (Doolin, Galway, Dublin), I didn't stay in one YHA (some were just really inconvenient, and the one in Barcelona had poor reviews), but with my upcoming London trip I'll use the St. Pancras YHA just because I can get a good night's sleep there, and they have small rooms.

Hostels with double rooms tend to be quieter than hostels with 16 person dorms and I second the idea hostels outside of big cities tend to be quieter.

I try to stay in private-owned hostels rather than YHA; while the latter have a minimum standard, I've found that the independent hostels (esp if the owners live there) are much better.

Check the lonely planet thorntree forums for reviews and comments on specific hostels in SE Asia. Have fun on your trip and staying in hostels doesn't mean you're regressing! :)

Have fun on your trip and staying in hostels doesn't mean you're regressing

thanks to you and everyone for your posts. it's good to know that in some aspects...I'm moving forward!

I'd suggest sticking with YHA where you can - not only are you more assured on cleanliness and (usually) a kitchen, but the atmosphere tends to be quieter. I've met more older people in YHAs than other hostels too.

I'd suggest sticking with YHA where you can - not only are you more assured on cleanliness and (usually) a kitchen, but the atmosphere tends to be quieter. I've met more older people in YHAs than other hostels too.

I'd echo that sentiment, Hosteling International accredidation tends to assure that minimun standards of basic services are availible. Having returned to grad school twice (MA & PhD) in my 30s and 40s, I've found hosteling quite handy when a student budget wouldn't stretch for certain travel (conferences, research, etc.). In larger cities, one can often choose hostels away from the nightclub scene. For example, in San Francisco, I'd stay at the Fort Mason (Fisherman's Wharf) or Sausalito hostels, away from city center rather than in City Center or Downtown. And I'd certainly try to schedule my visits to avoid weekends and school holidays if I could...

In the UK, I had good luck with stays in the St. Pancras hostel (across the street from the British Library where I was doing research) and the Oxford hostel...but both were during the middle of November, while school was in session.

Good luck in Asia, and have fun!

I'd echo that sentiment, Hosteling International accredidation tends to assure that minimun standards of basic services are availible....and the Oxford hostel...but both were during the middle of November, while school was in session.

Good luck in Asia, and have fun!


THat YHA Hostel in Oxford was fantastic....that all-you-can-eat hot breakfast buffet was hands-down THE most incredible breakfast spread I've EVER seen in any hostel...better than several hotels, even. The HI hostel I stayed at in Japan was in an incredible neighborhood of old temples, and was the cleanest hostel I've seen. And, the hostel in Cape Cod I mentioned earlier---also a HI place. I'd still strongly recommend checking out the individual hostel...while sure, HI/YHA membership theoretically means basic standards, etc....I've seen (and managed to avoid) staying in some sad dumps that were HI hostels as well.

I've still got my YHA membership card, bought at the Oxford Hostel as it was a better deal to buy the card an enjoy member rates for the rest of my stay. The book that comes with the card has been a most handy travel guide for the UK.

hi FTers!

I seem to be regressing.....now in my early 40s, I had my first (and incredibly positive) hostel stay last month in El Calafate in Argentina. (We had a private room & en suite.) I've never been a high end traveler, mostly non-hostel budget hotels, but I'm now unemployed and taking my second trip to SE Asia in March. I want to do this on the (very) cheap. (And, no matter how poor I am, I don't think I can "do" a dorm....).

Any tips, thoughts, or general info out there?

thanks, Ellen

I, too, will be in my early 40s, later this week, but I still managed to "do" a 12 bed dorm, during a recent trip to Dublin. The advance thought of it really scared me, but my FT fueled travel addiction left me with a lot of travel plans and little money. It didn't take me long to get over the weirdness of being much older than most of the guests, and the "roommates" were somewhat more considerate than I expected. It would have been hard to complain, when the breakfast included price was only 10 Euro per night.

Which hostel did you stay at in Dublin? I did one of those 12 bed rooms in Dublin a year or two ago at Kinlay House, when Dublin was heavily booked, and hardly slept. Now I'm more cautious about prebooking the smaller rooms when they're available.

Which hostel did you stay at in Dublin? I did one of those 12 bed rooms in Dublin a year or two ago at Kinlay House, when Dublin was heavily booked, and hardly slept. Now I'm more cautious about prebooking the smaller rooms when they're available.

I stayed at the Avalon House. There was definitely a bigger annoyance to sleeping from the smokers congregating outside on the street, than from people within the room. A sleeping mask seems to really help.

Which hostel did you stay at in Dublin? I did one of those 12 bed rooms in Dublin a year or two ago at Kinlay House, when Dublin was heavily booked, and hardly slept. Now I'm more cautious about prebooking the smaller rooms when they're available.
I'm with you generally.

I'm not opposed to dorms at all, but perfer a smaller number (4-6) of people vs. a 20 person dorm. Usually the price difference isn't very significant for someone who's on a vacation and not a RTW trip.

I have stayed in dorms in the past and the problem I had is in a 6-8 person dorm it seemed as some one always had a cough or seemed ill,so rather then risk ill health I will pay the extra and get a single room.I have taken a room in a 4 bed and someone tryed to get a bed who was obviously ill and I suggested he get a room to himself,which he was considerate enough to do

I'm 31, and have travled around the world quite a bit, almost always staying in hostels (most of my traveling was age 25-30). It was quite common for "older" people to be staying in the hostels as well - one night had a 80 year old man stay with us even! I never thought anything about it, and if they liked to strike up conversation, it was even better...the advice in this thread about 'party hostels' is good.

Many hostels these days even offer private rooms.

I'm late 20s but my husband is mid-30s and has always refused to stay in dorms.

We choose hostels that don't have a party atmosphere (as per previous advice in this thread) that DON'T have their own bar, and that have lots of private rooms. We are happy to share a bathroom, but prefer a private room. Don't care about breakfast - will eat something if available but usually prefer to go to a supermarket for bread etc.

We also look for small boutique hostels and have stayed in some lovely places, all through hostelworld/hostels.com eg we stayed here in Firenze - http://www.hostels.com/en/availability.php/HostelNumber.2071 and here in Montreal - http://www.hostels.com/en/availability.php/HostelNumber.5271

We have struck out a couple of times, like the HI-Vancouver which was very loud (bar underneath) and Waikiki, but Waikiki is a party town so that couldn't be helped. As opposed to others in this thread, I would advise staying away from HI in some areas.

No matter where I stay, I always take earplugs, as boutique and budget hostels/hotels generally have more street/people noise than the sealed confines of a chain hotel.

We have struck out a couple of times, like the HI-Vancouver which was very loud (bar underneath)

Assuming that's the one in the city center? I've stayed there before, and one time came back to my room to find someone sleeping in my bed that I couldn't easily wake up, and my towel gone (backback was still locked up). No one could really explain to me why my bed/room had been reassigned. They ended up moving me to another room. I did like the easy city access from there, as you could just about walk anywhere you would want to go. I'd probably give them another chance (though the last few times there I've done priceline).

I've also stayed at their hostel on Jericho Beach. Don't remember much about it (seem to recall it had an entire wing of beds just separated by lockers), but the beach access nearby was nice.

Assuming that's the one in the city center? I've stayed there before, and one time came back to my room to find someone sleeping in my bed that I couldn't easily wake up, and my towel gone (backback was still locked up). No one could really explain to me why my bed/room had been reassigned. They ended up moving me to another room.

Yes, Granville St. Ugh - good location but the room is the worst I've ever stayed in. Not only were we put in the wrong room (we should have been in the 5th floor privates) and it was so loud, we woke up one morning to a small flood on the dresser and floor.

Cue hilarious hostel moment where we dry out that day's greyhound tickets with hostel hairdryers and a towel (we were heading to Whistler - bus driver was no impressed with the wrinkly, sodden mess of a ticket we presented).

Actually I'm wrong, the worst place I ever stayed actually cost a fair bit of money. We were in Miami's South Beach during Spring Break. I had no idea it was spring break (I'm Australian). 5 hours of screaming across the hallway, fire department cutting down doors at 4am. Shudder.

I stayed at the Avalon House. There was definitely a bigger annoyance to sleeping from the smokers congregating outside on the street, than from people within the room. A sleeping mask seems to really help.

I had a decent experience at the Avalon House as well. Yeah, a couple of times you'd have to go thru the "smokers' guantlet" outside the front door, but never inside. For just a few dollars more than the "you and a hundred of your closest friends" dorm, I got a 4-bed/bunk room upstairs that was quiet, clean, and in good shape. Also, the Avalon had a couple of great deals with the Irish backpacker tour companies going that saved me some $$. It was close to St. Stephens' Green, a mall, and walkable from the City Centre.

I've never stayed in a dorm type room (except a couple nights in a Malaysian National Park, and then I had the cabin to myself). I am a big fan of the Hostel/Guesthouse/Backpacker type places with private rooms, but most often showers down the hall, no TV in room etc.

It is nice to have all of the conveniences, but a hotel room is not much fun. I like a place with a community tv, some newspapers, coffee, and maybe a kitchen. Great to chat with other travelers, or just read and see what is going on. The right guesthouse can add a lot your trip.

Hey,
This is all great info-
has anyone stayed at hostels on any of the Hawaiian islands, or in Greece or Italy? We are looking at a vacation somewhere with a beach, (!!) being from Colorado and all, and are trying to decide if it is cheaper to get a cruise (saw 7-day Caribbean on Carnival- through United - for about $300), or to get great air/hotel deals and do our own thing...
Anyone have any advice?

I'm an "aspiring" frequent traveler...