So you’ve decided to go backpacking, and you’re looking at staying in hostels? Congrats, I’m sure it’s going to be a great adventure. After you book your flights, the next step is looking at hostels. If you’ve never stayed in a hostel before and you open HostelWorld or Booking.com, you would probably be flabbergasted at the sheer number of hostels. How do you choose the right hostel for you? What are the different types of hostels? Should I stay in a party hostel or a “flashpacker” hostel? I remember being so confused the first time I started comparing hostels, and I made some terrible hostel choices. In this guide, I’ll compare the main hostel types. I’ll also detail what kind of traveller these hostels suit so you can make the best choice.
Also really important to note that hostels can fall into multiple categories. For example, many party hostels are also social hostels. You can get flashpacker hostels that would be considered social hostels too. Also, everyone’s definition of what is a “party” hostel and what is a “social” hostel can be different.
Social Hostels
If you’ve ever read a travel blog or browsed videos of TravelTikTok, you would have seen this term thrown around. Generally, travel content creators tell solo travellers they should stay in “social hostels” if they want to make friends. But what is a social hostel? Most hostels would like themselves to be known as this type of hostel and will market themselves as social hostels. However, not all hostels are made equally, so even if they say they are social hostels, that may not be the case.
In my opinion, a hostel is a social hostel if they are actively taking steps to get people to make friends. This is often in the form of hostel-run activities like pub crawls, trivia and game nights, family dinners and tours operated by the hostel. This is not the same as a hostel with a tours/activity desk, as this often means they will sell you third-party tours, which won’t necessarily have other backpackers on them.
Hostels that do family dinners, nightly activities and day tours will always be the easiest place to make friends. Even if a hostel doesn’t do events or activities, it can still be a social hostel by fostering an environment that makes it easy to make friends. Hostels with large common areas (bonus points if they have long tables which force everyone to sit together), bars on site, breakfast included, or volunteers/ social reps whose job it is to encourage everyone to socialise can also be considered social hostels.
Who are social hostels best for
The obvious answer is solo travellers looking to make friends. But social hostels are also just for anyone wanting to meet other backpackers and socialise. Also, just because you are a solo traveller, social hostels may not be the best place for you if you are introverted or just have a low social battery. While you may prefer social hostels, sometimes you might get to the stage where you need a break from socialising, so you choose a quiet, flashpacker hostel instead for a break.
Party Hostels
If a hostel is a party hostel, it’s generally very easy to tell by the photos and the description. Party hostels will almost always have a bar on-site (sometimes even a nightclub). They often host events around drinking like a gender-bender party, beer pong competition, pub crawl and happy hour and shot challenges.
Party hostels tend to get a bit of a bad rep around backpacking communities. Some backpackers think that party hostels are an inauthentic way to experience a destination and that the type of people who stay there only care about drinking and not about experiencing the culture. Other people avoid party hostels because they hear horror stories of disgusting bathrooms, people vomiting from the top bunk and dorm sex. While these things may be true for some party hostels, I don’t think party hostels are inherently bad and should be avoided. I’ve stayed in party hostels like the horror stories above. But I’ve also stayed in party hostels that were clean and where I was able to experience a mix of cultural sightseeing during the day and then partying at night.
Good party hostels will generally have their rooms away from the bar and have a noise curfew. So it is still possible for people to sleep. Also, given how sloppy and messy drunk people can be, they will regularly clean if it’s a good party hostel so the facilities are not too grim.
Who are party hostels best for
Party hostels are best for people who want to experience the nightlife and party. Some travellers will only stay in party hostels throughout their travels (I’ve been that person when I was much younger). Other travellers like mixing it up between party hostels and quieter hostels. Personally, I like staying in party hostels in places known for the nightlife (Koh Phangan, Rio, Berlin etc.).
Flashpacker Hostels
Flashpacker hostels are a type of hostels that feel like a hotel. They usually have many creature comforts, but you pay more for them. Expect things like pod beds, proper duvets, multiple pillows, comfortable, modern common areas and up-market bathroom facilities. I once stayed in a Flashpacker hostel that did daily free manicures, massages, free gym classes and free sunrise yoga. The benefit of staying in a Flashpacker hostel over a hotel is that you still get the social element of staying in a hostel.
Who are flashpacker hostels best for
Anyone who wants a bit of luxury or comfort. Treating yourself to a flashpacker hostel after weeks of regular hostels is a great way to avoid burnout. Flashpacker hostels are also great for first-time backpackers who get the ick from the thought of staying in a shared space with questionable cleanliness. Staying in a flashpacker hostel is a great way to dip your toe into the world of backpacking and hostels.
Budget Hostels
Aren’t all hostels inherently budget hostels? Compared to hotels: yes. But some hostels are particularly budget-friendly compared to other types of hostels. Budget hostels are extremely affordable lodgings, which are usually just cheap beds to sleep in. You can easily spot budget hostels as they will be considerably cheaper than all other hostel options. They will also often have questionable pictures and reviews. Nevertheless, people will still stay here for convenience or to save money. They are very basic hostels, so expect no curtains on the beds, aircon, common area, and lockers.
Who are budget hostels best for
If you’re on a tight budget or don’t mind too much about having only the bare necessities, then budget hostels may be a good option.
Hostels based on specific interests
Special interest hostels are hostels that are geared towards certain activities such as skiing, hiking, yoga, diving or surfing. They often have instructors living at the hostel and will often offer discounted lessons if you stay there. It will be very clear in the hostel name, description and pictures if it is a surf hostel or a diving hostel.
Who are specific interest hostels best for
Pretty obvious that specific interest hostels are best for people who want to do that specific activity. If you want to learn to surf, staying at a surf hostel is a good idea. If you are not wanting to surf, do not book a surf hostel, even if it has really good reviews. I’ve done this before because other hostels were fully booked for my dates, and I felt left out as the only non-surfer.
Warning about how hostels misrepresent themselves!
While you may think it would be easy to tell if a hostel is a party hostel or a flashpacker hostel, that is not always the case. Some hostels will call themselves party hostels to attract more travellers. But they are just a budget hostel with a small bar on site. Or potentially, they used to be a popular party hostel, but a competing party hostel opened up nearby, so nobody stays there anymore. Always make sure you check the reviews or get word-of-mouth recommendations from other travellers who have been there recently.
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