Hostels for Beginners

How about staying in a boat/hostel for a few nights? Try the Eastern Comfort hostel in Berlin.

If you’re headed abroad for a short-term stay, say two weeks or less, a hostel is an ideal place to crash. There are plenty of other travelers to socialize with, generally clean restrooms, a kitchen for preparing your own cheap meals, and sometimes they offer perks like television, free Internet access, laundry or sightseeing discounts.

In a large city you’ll likely have a dozen or more hostels to choose from, ranging from huge hotel-like structures with their own bars and restaurants, to the smaller, mom-and-pop places that may not offer as many amenities, or even hot water. In smaller locations, say deep in the Australian outback or in out-of-the-way South American villages, your choices will be more limited, but not necessarily less comfortable. One of the nicest hostels I’ve come across is the Prarie Hotel in Parachilna, South Australia; population: 7.

Your best bet for finding a good hostel is to ask other backpackers for recommendations. If you don’t have time though, go through Hostelling International, as they only give their seal of approval to places that meet their standards. (Although those standards do seem to vary here and there.)

You need to have a HI card to get a discounted price, but if you’re going to be traveling for more than three weeks during a year, it will pay for itself in discounts. You can pick one up at any Travel CUTS shop, or online. The HI website has a list of hostels by city, so you can get addresses and plan ahead. There are other discount cards for other chains, like VIP Backpackers, so you do have options.

When packing for your hostel stay, there are a few essentials:

• Plastic bags, both big and small, are perfect for packing any shower items that might drip or leak, as well as dirty clothes, muddy shoes or snacks.
• Flip flops make great shower shoes (as in going to and from, or during if the floor’s too creepy).
• Most hostels give you bed linens, or let you rent them for a few dollars, but it can’t hurt to bring along a simple sheet. Check your local thrift store and get something you won’t mind throwing out before you return home. You can sew the sides of the sheet together to make a sleeping bag out of it, or leave it in tact to use at the beach, out camping, or on a bus or train ride.
• A small flashlight is ideal for late-night trips to the bathroom. Try to find one of those small things that attaches to a keychain.
• Finally, a clothesline is compact and can be hung just about anywhere so that you can handwash and dry clothes.

When choosing a place to stay, also remember that you have the right to look a hostel over and see a room before you hand over any money. If you walk into a place that feels sketchy or makes you uncomfortable, walk back out and look for something else.

The hostel culture is perfect for travelers who can eat, sleep, and shower anywhere. But even if you’re not sure that sounds like you, give it a try for a few nights. It’s laid-back, friendly, and you’ll meet people and have experiences that you’ll remember forever. You’ll probably get some great stories out of it too, so share the best, and worst, of what you find.

Stay in a Castle, or a Jail

As long as you’re traveling, meeting new people and jumping into new experiences, you should make the most out of every night by staying somewhere that will offer you more than just a place to sleep and a warm-ish bathing opportunity.

Even on a student traveler budget, you can stay in some very swanky places. The castle in this photo right here is just one of them, but not a bad one to start with. Carbisdale Castle in Scotland has the usual bunk beds and dining area, but it also has a collection of fine art, a statue gallery, and some rooms that may be a wee bit haunted. If that interests you, ask to stay in The Spook Room.

Also in Scotland is Loch Lomond Castle in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and Rua Reidh Lighthouse (which is a lighthouse and not a castle, but still very cool and only £10 for a hostel bed).

If you’re sticking to the continent, no problem. Germany, Italy, and Switzerland have castle hostels as well, all affordable prices. Jugendherberge Burg Stahleck in Germany (pictured here) is located above the wine-grower’s town of Bacharach in the Loreley Valley and beds start at £17.40 a night. For more German castles, visit this page and do a search using the handy “Castles” checkbox option.

For castle hostels in the Netherlands, start with Kasteel Westhove. And if you’re more of a chalet person, then the Chalet Martin in the Swiss Alps is for you. Beds start at £12 a night and you can’t beat the view.

The only downside to castle living is that after staying at one, you’re going to want to leave your usual dorm-style accommodation to the commoners. If that’s the case, how about a couple of nights in a jail? After that, even a thin, plastic mattress will seem pretty good. The Ottawa Jail Hostel in Canada was a working prison for more than 100 years before being taken over by travelers. It does offer wi-fi, and you probably won’t have to eat any gruel, but you can pretend that you’re a hardened criminal and stalk the corridors looking shifty.

Europe’s Best Beachside Hostels for Student Travelers

London’s Times Online was kind enough to put together this list of Europe’s fabulous seaside hostels.

Once you’ve had enough of the museums and churches and other historical sights, try one of these relaxing and affordable getaways. (See the Times for the full list.)

The Pink Palace, Corfu, Greece

CASCAIS BEACH HOSTEL, Cascais, Portugal
This hostel features a massage service, free WiFi, PlayStation, free parking, and a swimming pool all for 20 Euros a night in a dorm room.

HOTEL PARADIS, Nice, France
How about some time on the French Riviera? Two people can split a room here for 55-110 Euros a night. You’ll have Armani on one side of the hostel and Louis Vuitton on the other, which is about as close to either of those brands as I’ll ever get.

PINK PALACE, Corfu, Greece
This hostel seems to make it on every list: Most Popular Hostels, Best Party Hostels, Most Famous/Infamous Hostels, you name it. There’s really no point in traveling to Greece if you aren’t going to spend a day or two here, if only to be able to tell people you did. The 24-hour bar alone is reason to give it a try, but they also offer boat excursions, kayaking, a jacuzzi, pool table, ping pong and more.

Get a Free Night (or Two) in London

The Generator Bar - Because everyone looks cool when they're blue and glowy.

I love London. It’s full of history and pubs and English boys with skillfully mussed hair who shout “Oi!” and use sexy slang. The last time I was there I stayed at the Generator Hostel in Russell Square, a couple of blocks from the British museum and close to the downtown theater and nightclub area.

The Generator is similar to a BASE Backpackers, with a bar right in the building that offers great drink specials. The lodgings aren’t plush, but if you’re looking for a good time in an excellent location, this is the place for you.

And now you can get a night or two at the Generator for free by booking one of these Topdeck tours with Travel CUTS (only if you’re booking a trip from Canada; sorry Americans, this deal isn’t open to you). With other tours you get a free stay at the Umi Hotel in the Notting Hill area of London, which is equally cool, but maybe not as wild.

With Topdeck you can choose between a EuroCamping tour (sleep under the European skies!), or a EuroClub trip, where you stay in hostels, cabins, castles & yachts. 

Summer is coming, people, and your student days are coming to a close. Start planning your travel adventures now while the deals are still good!

See New York’s Naked Cowboy

He’s not fully naked, but in winter weather he may as well be. *Brrr*

If you’re planning a trip to New York, Times Square and the Naked Cowboy are just a couple of the sites you have to see. There’s also Rockefeller Center, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, the Chrysler Building, the many museums and galleries, Broadway, and you have to eat at a real New York hot dog stand.

With all the shopping and activities available in the city, you don’t want to spend a dollar more than you have to on a place to stay. Luckily, even though the U.S. isn’t as hostel-happy as Europe or Australia, New York does have some really nice options. It will cost you more than sleeping in the subway, but you’ll wake up smelling a lot better, and some hostels have fun themes and offer extras like Internet service, pool tables, and movie rooms.

Have a look at what’s available, then grab a friend and book your big city weekend.

Hostel Life Lets You Travel Cheap

If you’re headed abroad for a short-term stay, say two weeks or less, a hostel is an ideal place to crash. There are plenty of other travelers to socialize with, generally clean restrooms, a kitchen for preparing your own cheap meals, and sometimes they offer perks like television, free Internet access, laundry, or sightseeing discounts.

In a large city you’ll likely have a dozen or more hostels to choose from, ranging from huge hotel-like structures with their own bars and restaurants, to the smaller, mom-and-pop places that may not offer as many amenities, or even hot water. In smaller locations, say deep in the Australian outback or in out-of-the-way South American villages, your choices will be more limited, but not necessarily less comfortable. One of the nicest I came across was the Prarie Hotel in Parachilna, South Australia, population: 7.

Your best bet for finding a good hostel is to ask other backpackers for recommendations. If you don’t have time though, go through Hostelling International, as they only give their seal of approval to places that meet their standards. (Although those standards do seem to vary here and there.)

You need to have a HI card to get a discounted price, but if you’re going to be traveling for more than three weeks during a year, it will pay for itself in discounts. You can pick one up at any Travel CUTS shop, or online. The HI website has a list of hostels by city, so you can get addresses and plan ahead.

When packing for your hostel stay, there are a few essentials:

• Plastic bags, both big and small, are perfect for packing any shower items that might drip or leak, as well as dirty clothes, muddy shoes, or snacks.
• Flip flops make great shower shoes (as in going to and from, or during, if the floor’s too creepy).
• Most hostels give you bed linens, or let you rent them for a few dollars, but it can’t hurt to bring along a simple sheet. Check your local thrift store and get something you won’t mind throwing out before you return home. You can sew the sides of the sheet together to make a sleeping bag out of it, or leave it in tact to use at the beach, out camping, or on a bus or train ride.
• A small flashlight is ideal for late-night trips to the bathroom. Try to find one of those small things that attaches to a keychain and lights up when you squeeze it.
• Finally, a clothesline is compact and can be hung just about anywhere so that you can handwash and dry clothes.

When choosing a place to stay, also remember that you have the right to look a hostel over and see a room before you hand over any money. If you walk into a place that feels sketchy or makes you uncomfortable, walk back out and look for something else.

The hostel culture is perfect for travelers who can eat, sleep, and shower anywhere. But even if you’re not sure that sounds like you, give it a try for a few nights. It’s laid-back, friendly, and you’ll meet people and have experiences that you’ll remember forever. You’ll probably get some great stories out of it too, so share the best, and worst, of what you find.