Youth Hostels
May 17th, 2016, 06:10 PM
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Youth Hostels
Hello!
I will be studying abroad at St. Andrews for spring semester 2018 (so a long way away but I like getting excited). During the two week spring break my brother will be visiting and we're planning on touring Europe together. We want to stay in youth hostels but are not very familiar with them. Does anyone have any advice/tips/stories about them they would like to share? Or any other advice about how to travel around Europe as young people with a modest budget? We were planning on staying mostly in the Paris and Edinburgh areas.
Thanks so much!
I will be studying abroad at St. Andrews for spring semester 2018 (so a long way away but I like getting excited). During the two week spring break my brother will be visiting and we're planning on touring Europe together. We want to stay in youth hostels but are not very familiar with them. Does anyone have any advice/tips/stories about them they would like to share? Or any other advice about how to travel around Europe as young people with a modest budget? We were planning on staying mostly in the Paris and Edinburgh areas.
Thanks so much!
May 17th, 2016, 07:36 PM
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Basically it's a lot like shopping for hotels. Have an idea of what you are looking for and what you are willing to put up with. I care about safety and location. Maybe cleanliness. Then I look at bed selection and price and lastly I look at amenities- such as is it attached to a bar, are there curfew rules, is there laundry, do any of the dorms have ensuite showers, do they advertise events or tours, do the reviews mention that each bed comes with a plugin/lamp. But that last "tier" of criteria is mostly gravy for me. It really comes down to location and the fact that I do not stay at party hostels and I absolutely do not care for mixed gender dorms. Your needs may be different. And they tend to change according to place or time- I used to prefer to be very near transit and now I definitely prefer good neighborhoods that have nightlife. (In March, keep in mind weather- you may want to stay pretty close to a transit hub or whatever you want to see.)
A good rule of thumb is look at a site like hostelworld and don't consider stuff with below a 80% rating. I have occasionally and generally I find that 75-85 is acceptable and that I prefer 90% or greater.
Finally, pay attention to mentions of social atmosphere in reviews. If you want to socialize, definitely go with places that have good common areas and cater to young adults. I like the family friendly hostels because they often have a zero tolerance for alcohol, but maybe hanging with party animals is important to you. Be aware that if it's "family friendly" and large, that frequently means there may be large scout/school/church groups staying and occasionally that means the common area will be flooded with middle schoolers rather than fellow college students. I don't spend any time in my hostel- but I've met backpackers who like to socialize in house and they generally dislike the school groups.
Hope that helps...and please report back about your experiences as there aren't a whole lot of hostel goers on this board!
A good rule of thumb is look at a site like hostelworld and don't consider stuff with below a 80% rating. I have occasionally and generally I find that 75-85 is acceptable and that I prefer 90% or greater.
Finally, pay attention to mentions of social atmosphere in reviews. If you want to socialize, definitely go with places that have good common areas and cater to young adults. I like the family friendly hostels because they often have a zero tolerance for alcohol, but maybe hanging with party animals is important to you. Be aware that if it's "family friendly" and large, that frequently means there may be large scout/school/church groups staying and occasionally that means the common area will be flooded with middle schoolers rather than fellow college students. I don't spend any time in my hostel- but I've met backpackers who like to socialize in house and they generally dislike the school groups.
Hope that helps...and please report back about your experiences as there aren't a whole lot of hostel goers on this board!
May 17th, 2016, 08:16 PM
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There are lots of different kinds. Some are party hostels with lots of people drinking and partying, and some are quiet little places. Some are big and institutional.
Use Hostelz.com to compare ratings and prices. Look for ones that have at least about a 7.5 combined rating. That's pretty much the only site you really need since it includes everything all the other sites have.
If you just want to get an idea of what they're like, you can always search on Youtube to just find some videos of people staying in one (but not the movie Hostel...).
Use Hostelz.com to compare ratings and prices. Look for ones that have at least about a 7.5 combined rating. That's pretty much the only site you really need since it includes everything all the other sites have.
If you just want to get an idea of what they're like, you can always search on Youtube to just find some videos of people staying in one (but not the movie Hostel...).
May 17th, 2016, 08:44 PM
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May 18th, 2016, 03:45 AM
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Congratulations. You'll have fun at St Andrews. Our daughter is there now. I don't think she wants to come home.
Good advice above about hostel sites. Our daughter has starting using Booking.com. She filters for hostels. They offer a downloadable map of the city you are visiting. You can then use your phone's GPS (on airplane mode) to tell you where you are in relation to the hostel, where subway stops are etc. They are probably not alone in doing this and who knows what will be available in two years.
Although you may have your destinations selected I would encourage you to (over time) read up on the discount airlines available out of Edinburgh and Glasgow. It can be very cheap to visit places you might not think of, and perhaps won't get to in the future.
Good advice above about hostel sites. Our daughter has starting using Booking.com. She filters for hostels. They offer a downloadable map of the city you are visiting. You can then use your phone's GPS (on airplane mode) to tell you where you are in relation to the hostel, where subway stops are etc. They are probably not alone in doing this and who knows what will be available in two years.
Although you may have your destinations selected I would encourage you to (over time) read up on the discount airlines available out of Edinburgh and Glasgow. It can be very cheap to visit places you might not think of, and perhaps won't get to in the future.
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