Hostels: Pros and Cons

Hostels can be an incredibly affordable and fun way to travel. They aren't necessarily the dirty, party, packed hostels you think about or have seen in movies.  Though some of them very much are.  "Hostel" this day is a very wide ranged group of housing options that offer many different experiences.  I have stayed in quiet, clean, individual-room style hostels and I have stayed in a hostel room that I shared with 36 other people.  Both were fun in their own right.  In the end it comes down to what you want from your vacation.  The hostels that offer more privacy often result in... privacy.  Where as the hostels that have more people sharing a space often offer opportunities for company, friendships, conversations, and advice.  Below you will find a few things I have learned from my time in the hostel setup and its pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Inexpensive options- Depending on where you are and how many people are in a room you can stay in hostels in the most expensive travel cities for as little as $15-$20 a night.  (As opposed to $200 or more in a hotel)  Definitely check reviews on places like hostelworld.com, but most are very safe and offer private lockers for every bed if your worried about your things.
2. Where it's at- Hostels are often right in the heart of the city and within walking distance of major attractions.  This really helps with the next pro! 
3. Often have free walking tours- We took advantage of these free walking tours that always left from the hostel whenever they were available.  They were so informative, hit all the highlights of the city, and the guides would help you pick dinners or anything you needed help from a local for.  Below is a picture of one of my travel buddies even being chosen to reenact a historical figure in a retelling.
4. Ways to make friends- If you stay in one of the less private hostels, you will have many opportunities to make friends.  They have shared living and eating quarters but also most major hostels have a very inexpensive bar on property.  It's a great place to start the night for cheap and get some advice for where to go.  You might even tag along with a larger group going out to bar hop.
5. Kitchen Access- If you are among the budget conscious group like me, it's nice to have access to a kitchen in case you want to save some money and cook one of your meals.  Most hostels have a fully functional kitchen at your service... as long as you clean up after!
6. Something fun- Almost every hostel has at least something fun to do on property.  It could be a bar, walking tours, pool tables, gardens to lounge in, or board games to borrow.  

This particular hostel even had a pet cat that would sleep on or near you while you had breakfast. She's working on her tan in the corner booth in this shot.

Here my friend even got to act out a prince in the retelling of this church's history on our free walking tour.  Groups are manageable sizes and you now have more drinking friends in a new country upon conclusion of the tour.

Cons:

1. The bathroom situation- some hostels offer private bathrooms, but most of them are shared bathrooms for the floor.  Depending on your level of comfort this might be a deal breaker, but if you are shower-flexible it's really not a big deal.
2. Hostel Staffing- Some hostels are only staffed at certain times, so you have to check-in or check-out within a window.  This is usually a generous window of time you would normally do so anyway, but if you're trying to check in to a hostel after 11:00 PM in some places, you might be out of luck.
3. Can be noisy and dirty- Some hostels do attract a certain crowd of party animals.  Nine out of ten of these party animals are nice and considerate, but if you're in a room of 36 people that means three or four are not.  Check out the picture below of a roommate I "enjoyed" in Munich who left all of her dirty clothes all over the floor while loudly discussing how she was not coming home alone tonight.
4. Unexpected wakeup call- If you are in a room of 20 people, the chances of someone coming in very late or waking up very early to catch a flight are pretty high.  If you are a very sensitive sleeper this might mean you wake up several time a night.  Personally, I always travel with earplugs and an eyemask.  I sleep like a baby.
5. Bed bugs- Yes this is a very real possibility staying in any hotel or hostel.  It unfortunately happens and it's miserable.  Below you can check out my battle wounds from the same hostel as the dirty roommate.  Here's how you can check any bed you're going to sleep in for bed bugs BEFORE you go to sleep:
6. You need to Lock It Up- It can be a pain in the butt having to unlock and then re-lock your things away every time you need to get into your suitcase, but it's the smart thing to do if you don't want to risk being a victim of theft.  Keep in mind, some hostels you are responsible for bringing our own padlock as well.

An actual example of a roommate I hate in Munich Germany.  This is also the hostel I got bed bug bites from.  I'm not sure if they came from this roommate or the actual hostel.

Bed Bug Bites are no fun... but they eventually pass and with the above link you can see how to prevent them.

Overall, I absolutely love hostels.  I love the adventure, the fun, and the affordability.  Do your research ahead of time and you could have an amazing experience.  As in all travel, it is what you make it.