I'll be traveling to Prague, Budapest, Krakow and Warsaw over a three week period in August. My cousin and I are planning to stay in some hostels along the way. Once my dates are confirmed, should I find, and book reservations at hostels in advance? Is this easy to do?

Both my daughter and I were surprised a few years ago to see that "good" hostels were indeed booked up when she and friends were traveling in June. I remember just showing up at the hostel in whatever town I was in and getting in, no problem. With the Internet however - especially catering to the Internet savvy crowd - hostels are online now and accepting reservations just like hotels. There are websites that rate the hostels (think of them as a tripadvisor for the hostel crowd) and the ones that offer free Internet or sheets or "pub crawls" tend to get booked up, leaving the not so desirable ones still available.

I'm sure you could still get rooms traveling without reservations, and many people really seem to enjoy spending part of their day looking for a room in exchange for the freedom that comes from not booking ahead. But if you do want to book, then check out sites such as hostelz.com to start.

Only if you want the more pleasant ones versus the dumps.

I'm going to Europe in May and my friend and we have all of our hostels booked already. I just find that I'm more at ease now that I know were I'll be staying and not having to worry about a place to stay.

Also, if you go to hostels.com, they have great reviews from previous guests. Many hostels even have their own websites...if this is the case, try to book through their website because you usually don't have to pay a booking fee (many other sites make you).

Hope this helps!

My nephew and a friend are currently travelling through Europe and staying in hostels. They reserved their first nights in Amsterdam, and were going to just wing it from there. My brother said that they were generally staying in small towns (as opposed to cities) because the hostels in the cities are full.

It seems that if I don't book ahead for big cities like Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, and Budapest, then i'll probably miss out on the nicer, better located hostels. It is appealing to stay somewhere for thirty bucks a night instead of 100. Does anyone have any other ideas other than hostels and any of these cities (economical), or other thoughts on staying in hostels (tips?)?

Thank you.

I would probably book 'em since you're travelling in August. Look into staying at Home Made Hostel or the Loft Hostel in Budapest, and Czech Inn in Prague. All have had a 90%+ positive review rates at HostelWorld.com.

Because summer is a busy time, I'd probably book out all your hostels ahead. Sure you can also look at apartment rentals or 1-star hotels (sometimes 2 people together in cities these may be equally economical and give a bit more privacy).

In off-seasons I know people do travel booking their next city's hostel online from the hostel they are currently in. But as already clarified, in summer, the best ones book in advance.

does anyone have any great experiences in apartments (for two), two beds, in Prague, Budapest, Krakow, or Poland?

also, hostel experiences are appreciated...