25 Expert Hacks for Thriving in Hostels During Long-Term Travel

If you are traveling from place to place, here is a list of tips and ideas to making your long-term stay at hostels more enjoyable. These living situations come in a great variety and sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get. These are the factors I’ve found most important:

1. Kitchen: Find a hostel with a useable kitchen. If you can cook and store your food, this will really be beneficial. Otherwise your daily meal expenses will be tremendous if you’re eating out every day. Another reason this is great is that there will be people socializing and its easy to make friends in this space.
2. Food: Label your food with a name and date. Update the timestamp frequently so that staff doesn’t think its stale. Make sure the label can be read easily. Put multiple labels on it if necessary. It’s pretty lame to wake up in the morning and see that some of your food has gone missing. One night I bought yogurt and almond milk, the next morning they were gone.
3. Freezer: There may be no freezer. A few of the hostels I lived in had a fridge but no freezer. Consider that this may be the case. My pizzas thawed, my ice cream melted.
4. Privacy Curtain: Get a room that has a bed with a privacy curtain. This may be one of the few places of solitude that you will get in a hostel. A bed with a curtain will go along way for those few moments of quiet. Also it can provide darkness in a sunlit room during the morning or daytime. You can store some belongings behind this curtain instead of placing them inside of the locker every time. Usually people will respect your bedding area and not touch it.
5. Window: A bed near a window can be nice in case it gets stuffy or hot in the room. The gentle breeze and airflow from an open window can be a lifesaver. At one hostel I was having trouble breathing in the room because there wasn’t air conditioning or much circulation going around. Luckily there was a window near my bed and that was my saving grace.
6. Sleep: A sleeping mask and ear plugs can be the difference between no sleep and great sleep. There will likely be at least one person in your room that snores loudly or talks on the phone after quiet hours. Often hostels sell or give earplugs for free. Otherwise you can get them at a convenience store or pharmacy.
7. Locker: You will need a room that has a locker / locked drawer to secure your important belongings. Additionally you may need to acquire your own lock and key. These can easily be purchased at a local hardware store when you arrive if you don’t have one already. Some hostels use a key-card for storage and others rent out locks. Either way you will need to protect your belongings while you’re out exploring.
8. Population: The less people in the dorm room, the better. I prefer six at most. When there are too many people in one room, it can be really hard to get healthy sleep. Someone will always be coming and going. Drunk people may be arriving back late at night. Everyone’s arrival and departure time is different. Some people will stay for one night, others for weeks. So you may be getting new characters arriving frequently. The less people in one room, the less moving pieces. You will have more peace of mind if you’re familiar with the people around you.
9. Short-Term Friendships: People will come and go very quickly. At first it hurts but it will get easier very quickly. Sometimes we connect very well with someone special. We realize that we have an awesome bond, we want them to stick around, to hold onto the friendship. Letting go is a part of life. It takes practice to do it delicately. Be brave, set them free with a smile on your face. I always say “Happy Travels”.
10. Price vs. People: The cheaper the hostel, the more chance of strange people. You never know what kind of characters you’re going to get. In Paris I watched a guy stand and stare at the wall for about 30 minutes. It was a bit creepy but he probably wasn’t mentally sound. I felt like I entered an insane asylum. Within the first 24 hours I felt very uncomfortable. There were people shouting at each other. I believe there were some mentally ill people staying there. It was a clean place, but let’s just say I was a little on edge.
11. Staff: Make friends and be kind to the staff. Sometimes the staff are other young people that are also living at the hostel or volunteering in return for accommodation. They generally enjoy talking, socializing and meeting new people. They did choose to work at a hostel, after all. Also if you stay long enough theres a chance to receive a discount when they like you.
12. Conversations: Talk to people. Many people will be travelers just like you and are happy to share their knowledge and experiences. You may meet another person from your home country which is always fun because you immediately have something in common. Also if you make friends, they may share food with you when they cook a meal.
13. Shower Supplies: You can sometimes load up on shampoo and body wash from the community products in the washroom. Therefore you don’t have to purchase your own so frequently. But be cautious about your own shower items, my bar of soap disappeared rather quickly…
14. Towel: Having your own lightweight microfiber towel will be of great use. That way you don’t have to rent a towel at every hostel you visit. It’s worth saving the hassle. These are small, easily foldable and dry very quickly. I highly recommend acquiring one. In Europe there is a store called Decathlon that is packed with important travel gear.
15. Bathrooms: Private bathrooms and showers are really nice. They provide treasured moments alone while living in a space filled with people. You can have that time to clean up and get refreshed, clear your mind.
16. Reviews: Check the written reviews on a website like Hostel-World or Google Maps. Ratings are everything, also the amount of people that have stayed there are evidence of its trustworthiness and safety. You may read the comments to hear about people previous experiences so that you can make sure it’s the right fit for you.
17. Common Areas: Know that if you leave something in a common area, there’s a chance it will be used, taken, or disappear. There were times that even if I labeled my food with my name and date, it would go missing. Also I once left a bar of soap in the shower thinking “No one else would use my bar of soap… I mean why would they?” Within two days the whole bar was gone.
18. Location: Always check where the hostel location is on a map. Especially in relation to the public transport. If you are far from the train, bus or tram, you will have a hard time getting around town. Also consider how close it may be from the activities you desire, the places you wish to visit, as well as grocery stores.
19. Check In / Out: Be aware of check-in times. It can be a bit daunting arriving in a new city early AM but not being allowed to check-in till later in the day. There have been a few times I’ve been totally exhausted from traveling but it wasn’t possible to check into the hostel. Unfortunately that has led to some really grumpy moments. Some hostels also allow an early check in for an additional fee.
20. Booking: Book directly on the website of the hostel. It’s usually cheaper and they may offer a special discount. Also it helps the hostel save from fees accrued through third party sites.
21. Work Area: Check if there is an area to do work on the computer. Sometimes it’s nice to stay “home” so that you can chill and also be productive. If there is no common area for working, then you will have to visit a cafe, library or work from the bedroom everyday. This becomes a bit tiresome.
22. Footwear: Flip flops will be helpful so you dont have to put on shoes and socks on every time you want to walk around. Especially when you go to the shower or get up in the middle of the night.
23. Health: You may get a “hostel cold” while living with many other people. There will likely be at least one sick person in the hostel. While you’re sharing rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. there is a chance you will become sick as well. Be prepared with some cough drops or immune system support.
24. Off-Season: This can be pleasant in some ways because there are less people coming in and out of the hostel. For a while I was living in Kyiv, Ukraine during the winter and the hostel was relatively empty full. Often times I was in a 6-bed dorm room by myself. This was an enjoyable experience because it was quiet, cheap and I felt like I had my own space. Also the hostel was offering a discount during this time.
25. Ghosts: Also while I was stay at a Hostel in Ukraine. I met a man who had been living in said hostel for nearly a year. During an evening dinner he said “Just to let you know, room 212 is haunted. One morning I woke up to a dark figure standing over me, I couldn’t move my body, I just laid there and watched. Don’t worry though, they’re harmless.” So yeah… consider the possibility of harmless ghosts.