Alright. So a top question that I’ve heard from people is “Are Hostels Safe?!” Typically followed up with some reference to either of the movies “Hostel” or “Taken”. So before I go into the truth of Hostels: I promise you, it’s a common question and comment. Everyone who has ever said they are staying in a hostel has heard those two questions – especially if you’re American. Hostels are an accepted way of life in other parts of the world, not so much in the US.

So here is the truth – yes they’re safe.

Stealing

Honestly, in my opinion they are often more safe than traditional hotels. “But Holly! How could they be safer?! Especially if you’re staying in a dorm room?!”

It’s easy – the other people staying in hostels aren’t interested in your stuff. Lock up anything important. You may not be able to lock up everything you own, but honestly do you really need to lock up your clothes? Or shoes? Or anything else that most everyone is going to have their own of? Lock up the important things, the sentimental things, etc. everything else you can throw in your bag/suitcase and put it next to or under your bed. And that’s only if you can’t fit it in the locker. I tend to put everything but my big bag in my locker (if it’s not big enough) and that’s actually only because then I’m taking the bag out every time that I’m trying to get to my stuff and that annoys me. During this trip, I’ve found more hostels with big lockers, the best ones are the drawers that are situated under the beds, they’re big enough for literally everything. I’ve only ever stayed at two hostels that didn’t have a big enough locker for a standard backpack. One of them was in the US and the other was in the middle of nowhere Slovakia and there were basically no lockers or even locks in the entire hostel – but there were also no issues.

Besides the fact that lockers are a thing, one of the biggest known aspects of hostel goers is that we’re all basically on a budget. Sure, the digital nomads might have some fancier things (sometimes supplied by their company), everyone has their passport, and there will always be bank/credit cards – but it’s a universal fact that most of the people who choose hostels are looking to cut costs. The stuff isn’t going to be the newest and the spoils of stealing a bank/credit card are going to be minimal in most cases. Why waste your time and energy? That goes for the people staying at hostels, but it also goes for the people seeing that you’ve come out of a hostel or have a hostel wrist band. Are you more likely to notice someone and think they have money to steal if you come out of a hostel or a fancy hotel? You also don’t get as many people sitting outside hostels asking for money, but you’ll see it in the areas around the hotels.

As always – that’s not to say that it can’t happen, just that it’s not going to solely because you’re in a hostel.

Physical Safety

So now that I’ve addressed the “they’ll steal my stuff” aspect – let’s move on to the physical safety side of things. I’ve never felt unsafe in a hostel. Never. I’ve felt annoyed, frustrated, exasperated, and many other things – but I’ve never felt unsafe. Including in Budapest when I was in a hostel that was very clearly falling apart.

Hostels, no matter the type, are a place for a travel community. They’re often a place for people to hang out, get to know each other, and find out about whatever city/country they’re in. You exchange travel stories, and even laugh about the most annoying hostel goers that they’ve met and the stereotypical ones you hope aren’t in your dorm.

I have run into more problems walking down the street in the US than I ever have staying at a hostel. I’ve run into more problems with Airbnbs than I have at hostels.

As always – that’s not to say that shit doesn’t happen. It’s just to remind you – things happen everywhere. If you’re smart about things, then you’ll be just fine. I’ve heard stories of people who have requested room changes because of some concerns or issues with someone in their room. Unless there isn’t an open bed, you’ll probably have no trouble with that and if there isn’t an open bed sometimes you can switch with someone else who is willing or you can use your judgement and despite the cost, you can go somewhere else. Some hostels will even have policies about if you make the stay bad for someone else – and if the person is doing something against the law, they’ll kick them out just to avoid any legal trouble that could come down (sometimes with them also being required to pay for your stay).

Plus remember that a lot of hostels are supported by volunteers who are working in exchange for a free place to stay, if things were unsafe they would also lose volunteers and that can really cut into their bottom line.

Women – a note. Most hostels will also have female only dorm rooms. While I only stay in them if they are cheaper than the mixed rooms (rare), I know many women that feel more comfortable staying in a female only dorm rather than a mixed dorm. And I can’t deny that there are some advantages. Namely: no men walking around in only a towel while you’re playing gymnastics in the small shower stall and typically if there is an ensuite bathroom it’s kept a lot cleaner. Just remember that’s a stereotype and not every woman will follow it. I’ve stayed in female only rooms where it looked like a bomb went off from one person and mixed rooms that were all men but me and were spotless. Do what makes you feel comfortable. If you can’t sleep well in a room with strange men, stay in a female only room. It may cost more (it’s typically a bit more), but the peace of mind and good sleep will more than make up for that cost.

Overall – it may come down to a judgement call. And that judgement call can change at any time. Always, always, always trust your gut and do what is best for your safety. Just don’t let the fear of a maybe or a movie stop you from doing what you want to.

Hostel Goer Types

Okay! So this is not an exhaustive list at all, and I would love for others to include the different types of hostel goers you’ve seen. These will range from the “eh they were in my room?” to the “oh god it’s one of those…”. These are not about if they are social or not, purely for the stay in the room. Since I mainly stay in dorms, I’ve focused mostly on the different types of people you see in a dorm room. Don’t forget – hostel dorms are just camps for adults. 

Let’s start with the 3 most common for the general tidiness of their things:

• The tidy one: this is the one that you barely notice their presence. They only use their bed and locker and everything is always tidy. When they go to the bathroom – even with an ensuite, they bring everything with them and take it all back out again. They double check with everyone in the room before taking a shower (when ensuite with the toilet in the same space) to make sure that no one needs to use the bathroom before they take over the space.
• The messy one: this is the one that will take over all of their available space – but it will be a complete mess. You glance at their bed and just wonder how on earth someone stays there, but they aren’t taking over any of the common areas so you don’t really care. You’re pretty sure they’re sleeping on top of their clothes/bags and you’re not sure how they’re functioning in the mornings like that.
• The lived in one: this is the one that no matter how short or long they’re staying at the hostel they take over. Every surface of the room has something that belongs to them with the (hopeful) exception of the other beds. You’re pretty sure that they just live there even though they’ve said they just arrived or are just about to go.
• A subset of all of them, that is much more manageable, is the one that takes over the room to repack. You typically see this with more long term travelers or those that are doing laundry. There’s just not a lot of room if you feel the need to reorganize. It’s short term though and not a reflection of what type they are day to day.

Alright here are some for after lights out:

• The Late Arrivals:
  • The considerate one: comes in with a flashlight on low power, pointed only at the ground. The flashlight does not come up until after they find their bed, and even then it only gets pointed at the top of their bunk. Makes as little noise as possible. Will take what they need to the hall or bathroom if it’s going to be loud, if it’s not or they aren’t sure then they go slowly. If they just arrived then they’ll also sometimes not bother completely making the bed if required and instead half make it so they don’t take as long. (Also seen with those that are the only one in the room with the lights out but not at all asleep telling the late arrivals they can turn on the main light – they don’t mind).
  • The wannabe considerate one: comes in with a flashlight at full power, constantly drags the light around flashing it at all of the different beds and into people’s faces without even realizing it. Doesn’t turn on the main lights but also doesn’t seem to realize all the sounds and swearing are just as effective at waking someone up. They will also sometimes go to each bed and if people are awake will ask if anyone cares if they turn on the main light – semi-considerate but this can also cause someone to get a second wind right when they are starting to wind down.
  • The drunk: comes in drunk, has no volume control and little motor control. Runs into everything and will sometimes shush themselves when they drop something (which can admittedly be amusing). Will sometimes try with a flashlight, will sometimes try by the light of the moon.
  • The inconsiderate one: comes in and flips on the main light, when groaning happens, may say “shit sorry – it’ll just be a second”. Makes a bunch of noise and then plays on their phone without headphones in. Sometimes will talk to others until they are told to take it outside if they’re going to talk.
• Sleepers:
  • The regular: you may hear their breathing, but for the most part doesn’t make a difference to the room.
  • The light snorer: it’s there, you can hear it, it may be difficult to fall asleep initially but not loud enough to wake you up.
  • The heavy snorer: there’s a chainsaw in the room and you just want to find it and throw it out the window. You’re tempted to kick their bed and might ‘accidently’ drop something to startle them awake so you can hopefully fall asleep before they go back to snoring. You wonder if you should suggest they get tested for sleep apnea so they can get a c-pack machine. If you can stand earplugs, they are in, possibly also with a towel wrapped around your head as well. Anything to muffle the sound.
  • The cougher: they’re either getting sick, recovering from being sick, or have bad allergies. Sometimes they try to keep it reined in, sometimes they’re just hacking or clearing their throat constantly and you’re starting to wonder if you need a hazmat suit.
  • The sniffler: like the cougher, they’re either getting sick, recovering from being sick, or have bad allergies. They’re constantly clearing their nose or trying to prevent it from running. They sometimes will blow their nose in bed, other times they’ll go to the bathroom but if it’s an ensuite you may still hear it.
• Early Morning Checkouts:
  • The considerate one: has most of their stuff ready to go the night before. Changes in the bathroom and is out in about 10 minutes with minimal noise. If they use a flashlight it’s kept pointed at the ground or sitting up straight on their bed and on low power. Their alarm is turned off immediately and most don’t notice it.
  • The wannabe considerate one: uses a flashlight to get everything situated but it’s constantly being flashed around and getting in people’s eyes. Had some things ready to go, but forgot about a couple of things. Makes a decent amount of noise but nothing that is terrible and is out the door in about 20-30 minutes. Their alarm is noticeable and snoozed once, before they get up.
  • The Inconsiderate one: uses a bright light – could be one of the bed lights, could be a main light, could be opening up the curtains if it’s light enough. Slams doors and lockers. Goes back and forth between their bed, the locker, and the bathroom. Had nothing prepped ahead of time. If traveling with someone they’re “whispering” to tell them to get ready. They snooze their very loud alarm multiple times or don’t wake up to it at all but everyone else in the room does. Decides to catch the next train/bus and goes back to sleep even though their alarm just woke everyone at 4am or they set their alarm for 4am even though they don’t need to leave until 7am.
• The common area:
  • The social butterfly: they’re talking to everyone. They’ve never met a stranger and will start up a convo with anyone they think looks interesting. This could be in the common areas or in one of the dorms.
  • The travel group: they’ve traveled together and have never considered splitting up, even for game night at the hostel. They do everything together and from the outside looking in are a close-knit group of friends. They take up at least one table and laugh and joke all night.
  • The people watcher: this is one that is off doing their own thing. They don’t necessarily want to talk to people but might just be enjoying seeing all the different people. They’ll talk to someone if they approach, but don’t often bother to approach others themselves.
  • The worker bee: the digital nomads and social media influencers who are there working on something. They’ve got their laptop or phone out and they’re in their own world – even if they’re filming what’s happening around them. They’re more concerned with the end product than being a part of it.
  • The introvert: they’re not even in the common area unless they need to eat there or grab something. If they are, they’re in a corner where they won’t be disturbed. They’re probably hanging out in bed reading or watching a movie. They prefer their own company.

Hostels bring in all kinds of people and you could see someone at a couple different hostels and see different sides of them. One of the best parts about hostel travel is that you get out of it what you want. If you want a low key stay where you’re by yourself – great! But maybe in the next hostel you want to be involved in all the things and meet people. There’s no wrong answer as your trip is just that, yours.

In the next Wander Wisdom post I’m going to talk about how to pick a hostel and the different types of hostels there are. In the meantime for those who travel in hostels, I’d love to hear your stories of hostels, the good, the bad, and the ugly.