Are Hostels Safe? 5 Truths About Hostels and Safety Tips for Budget Travelers
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Are hostels safe? Let’s dive in!
Many people think traveling is expensive, but it doesn’t always have to be. Accommodation costs make up one of the biggest expenses on a trip, so if you’re a budget traveler like me, staying in hostels is one of the best ways to save.
In fact, not only do you save money, there are many more benefits of staying in hostels, and I often opt for hostels even if affordable hotels are available.
Traveling, to me, is about exploring more of the world, including its nature and architecture, as well as connecting with people from different backgrounds.
Staying in a hostel is a great way to meet new people from all over the world, who share my passion for travel.
That said, a common question I hear from travelers is “are hostels safe?”
The answer is a resounding YES!
Hostels sometimes get a bad rap, often based on unfounded myths. Having stayed in 14 hostels around the world, I can confidently debunk these misconceptions. Let’s dive into the real truth about hostels!
Why choose a hostel?
Hostels often come with a wide variety of options to choose from, from shared rooms to private rooms.
This is why hostels can be a great option for anyone — even if you want more privacy and don’t want to share a room with anyone!
These options include single occupancy rooms, as well as double or family rooms if you’re traveling with others.
These rooms are often cheaper than hotels, and come with the added benefit of social areas to mingle with other travelers.
Many hostels even have kitchens, which means you can save money on buying food, and if you have dietary restrictions, you can make your own food.
As well, many hostels offer laundry services, from washing machines and dryers to done-for-you laundry service, depending on the hostel.
Hostels also offer a connection to locals. While larger hotel chains provide the benefit of luxury and privacy, local hostels give you the opportunity to meet locals working at the hostel.
My all-time favorite hostel is Home Lisbon Hostel in Portugal, which offers an affordable family dinner hosted by the Mama of the hostel, where 30 people dine together with a 3 course meal made by Mama.
The hostel also provides tours for an affordable price, hosted by locals. This community vibe is unfound in hotels.
And meeting new people on my adventures around the world has been one of the highlights of traveling for me.
Hostels generally have lots more communal activities within and outside of the hostel. Home Lisbon Hostel also has group tours—we went to Sintra and made several stops on the way to explore more landmarks.
Common Myths
Hostels are often overlooked by many travelers, but most of the stuff you hear is not true. Here are some common myths about hostels that travelers, especially first-timers, tend to fall for:
1. “Hostels are unsafe”
With the large number of options to choose from, hostels are working overtime to ensure that they can stand out, and safety is one of their top priorities — because who’s going to stay at a hostel with poor security?
Every hostel I have been to has been secure with entry only granted to residents. Residents also often get access to 24-hour staff. Safety standards are especially high in European hostels, with even higher competition.
As well, with the growing popularity of solo female travel, many hostels offer female-only dorms with bathrooms for women only.
That being said, be mindful of common safety issues and take preventative measures to keep yourself safe.
2. “Your things can get stolen”
Plenty of remote workers opt to stay in hostels with expensive tech including laptops and monitors.
Most hostels provide private lockers and security cameras in common areas.
Plus, with the overall security measures of hostels, outsiders can’t get in.
The key is to follow safety measures to keep your belongings safe, which you should do anywhere you stay, because things get stolen at hotels too.
I lived in 10 hostels across 3 months in 2024 with two laptops, and none of my items were taken.
3. “Hostels are dirty”
Because of the growing popularity of hostels given their sense of community and affordability, many hostels, especially in competitive areas, have high standards of cleanliness.
Many hostels are also known to have character, for example, there are surf hostels, eco hostels, skateboard hostels, and more.
As well, tons of hostels pride themselves on the modern experience they provide.
4. “You’ll have no privacy”
While hostels are known for providing shared dorm rooms, many hostels have private rooms that end up being more affordable than hotels.
Even in dorm rooms, many hostels often either provide privacy curtains around beds or create pod-like sleeping areas for added privacy.
5. “Hostels are just for partying”
While some hostels are known for their parties, many are relaxed too. Personally, I prefer to have quieter nights after spending the day exploring (need time to bed rot), so I opt for non-party hostels.
While hostels may be overlooked by many travelers, knowing these myths can help address concerns, especially for new travelers.
The key is to choose the right hostels by knowing what to look out for. Stay tuned to find out how to choose the right hostel — but before that, let’s delve into my top recommended platform.
Best Hostel Booking Site 2024: Hostelworld
My all-time favorite recommendation for booking hostels is Hostelworld.
The platform focuses specifically on hostels, and offers tons of beneficial features such as a smooth user experience, flexible cancellation policy, robust review system, group chats with other hostel residents, and more.
All you have to do is put in your city, dates and voila!
You can also filter by price, room type, ratings, facilities including free WiFi and air conditioning, and more.
Hostelworld is available on web and through a native mobile app.
You can pay a 15% deposit via Hostelworld, and the rest on-site, or for some hostels, before you arrive on their own online platforms.
How to Choose the Right Hostel
Okay look — you technically COULD have a bad hostel experience. It all comes down to choosing the right hostel, and I’m here to show you exactly what to look for:
What to consider
When finding the perfect hostel for you, consider the following:
Location: You want to look for a hostel in a safe location that is close to the attractions you’re interested in seeing, ideally either walking distance or by public transit
Safety: Look for reviews pertaining to personal safety as well as safety for your belongings
Facilities: Hostels often provide a range of amenities, so choose your hostel based on the must-haves you need, which may include air conditioning, free WiFi, laundry room, ironing board, kitchen, breakfast, 24 hour reception and security, luggage storage, wheelchair accessibility, and lots more
Atmosphere: The reviews can give you an idea of the overall experience at the hostel, including activities such as local tours, as well as the social atmosphere and overall vibe of the hostel
Price: As a budget traveler, this is a no-brainer. Higher ranked hostels tend to charge more
Flexibility: If you’re more of a spontaneous traveler, you might want more wiggle room in terms of dates.
Most hostels on Hostelworld have flexible cancellation policies, with many offering 24-hour or 48-hour free cancellation directly through the platform.
Room type: Opt for hostels that have multiple types of rooms — in case you want your own space at any point during your trip, you can potentially upgrade to a private room from a dorm, or even upgrade from a mixed shared dorm to a female-only dorm.
Other: Other things you may want to look for are pet-friendliness if you’re traveling with your furry friend, aligned values like sustainability, women-only rooms or hostels, or more.
Hostelworld booking guide
Search your city, enter your dates and number of guests in the search bar.
Press the “Filters” button to refine your search.
This is where you can enter your non-negotiables from the list above.
You can filter by price, room type, sustainability, Ratings, Facilities, and more.
Click “Apply”.
I usually only adjust the rating and look for hostels above 9 stars. If I don’t find anything that clicks, I go for 8+.
The default order of results is “Recommended”, but ya girl always sorts by “Lowest Price”.
The search results allow you to scroll and see some photos to get an idea of the vibe.
Pay attention to the rating — if a hostel is newer or in a less popular area, it might have a high rating from just a handful of reviews.
Opt for a high star rating that comes from at least 100 reviews.
If you’re on the app, look for the free cancellation banner.
Keep an eye on the distance from the city center.
You can also click on “Map view” on the top right.
Do some research on which areas you want to stay in and use Hostelword’s map feature to easily find hostels in your desired locations.
Understanding Reviews
Once you have a list of hostels on your screen, start from the top.
It’s easy to get confused by many options so just go for the first one and start from there.
Click on the reviews to start.
Each review includes ratings for different categories, which then makes up the overall rating. The categories include:
- Value for money
- Security
- Atmosphere
- Cleanliness
- Staff
- Location
- Facilities
Look for a minimum rating of 8 for each category.
Before you start reading the qualitative reviews, you can adjust the filters too.
I like to sort by “Newest” to see more recent reviews, and “Lowest Rated” to see potential gaps or red flags the hostels may have.
I also pay attention to who writes the reviews — I look out for comments from women and BIPOC as a brown woman myself.
Gaps
If you see a comment about something that is important to you, it’s best to look for an alternative hostel.
For example, if you prefer to cook your own meals while traveling, and comments imply the kitchen was not adequate and had missing equipment, you might want to see other options.
Every accommodation will have gaps — you just need to know what they are, and some of these gaps might not even make a difference to you.
My personal list of gaps include:
- Lack of privacy curtains
- Lots of stairs and no elevator
- No microwave, fridge or crockery
- No luggage storage after checkout
- Far from public transportation or an inconvenient walk from the nearest public transit stop, such as an uphill walk or a walk longer than 5-6 minutes
- Party hostel with lots of noise at night
- Limited social atmosphere (when I’m looking for a social hostel)
- No Air Conditioning
- No free Wifi or poor signal
Red flags
While it’s normal for any accommodation to have a negative comment here or there, you definitely want to avoid hostels with a recurring pattern of red flags.
Here are some red flags to look out for:
- Multiple reports of uncleanliness in rooms, bathrooms or common areas
- Any mention of pests, including bed bugs, rats, etc.
- Safety or noise concerns about the location
- Poor security measures such as the absence of or broken lockers, or inadequate door locks
- Mismanaged facilities, for example, showers or toilets are often out of service
- Poor staff behavior or unprofessional responses to the commentator from the hostel
- Reports of overbooking, double-booking, or reservation mishandlings can indicate management problems and may lead to inconvenience
- Undisclosed charges including fees for linens or using the ironing board. Note that its okay for hostels to charge for these, but it comes off as sus when they aren’t upfront about it.
Hostel booking tips for first-time travelers
1. Pay Attention to the Cancellation Policy
Most hostels listed on Hostelworld offer flexible cancellation options that can be managed directly from the platform with just a few clicks. Always check this before booking to avoid surprises.
2. Book Early, But Not Too Early
Aim to book 2–4 weeks in advance for the best prices. Booking tooo early may show you higher rates, or lower availability for your top choice.
3. Monitor Prices After Booking
Prices can sometimes drop closer to the travel date. If you notice a significantly better rate, feel free to use Hostelworld’s free cancellation policy to cancel your original booking and make a new one.
4. Be Flexible with Travel Dates
Traveling on off-peak days can save you money. Fridays, Saturdays, and peak seasons often have higher rates. Sundays tend to have better prices since most travelers check out on this day.
5. Experiment with the Length of Stay
Play around with the duration of your stay — nightly prices may fluctuate significantly depending on the number of nights booked.
6. Stick with Hostelworld
As a newbie traveler, I heard it’s best to book with the hostel directly, but every single time I was booking hostels, I found Hostelworld to be cheaper or exactly the same, so I prefer to stay on Hostelworld to access its other benefits and easy user experience.
What to pack for your hostel stay
After staying in 14 hostels across the globe, below are some things I recommend packing for your upcoming hostel stay to have the most pleasant experience:
Earplugs: Good earplugs are key to having a restful sleep in a hostel dorm.
I HIGHLY recommend Loop Quiet earplugs, especially if you are a light sleeper. I never knew such a small thing could quite literally change my life.
Sleep mask: Get yourself any generic and comfortable black sleep mask. I usually hang on to the ones I get on airplanes.
Locks: Get some good quality locks of different sizes, and be sure to keep your key safe! I often put my key onto a chain that I wear as a necklace.
Toiletries: Not all hostels provide shampoos, soaps and toothpaste, so it’s best to bring your own.
Towels: While some hostels provide towels, I prefer to bring my own. Microfibre towels are great for traveling light.
Refillable water bottle: You can keep filling your bottle with free water instead of buying plastic bottles.
This is more convenient, affordable and better for the environment.
Satin pillowcase: Keep your hair healthy and have a makeshift bag handy for laundry!
Sheet detergent: Keep some sheet detergent handy so you don’t have to scour the city for detergent to do your laundry, while paying much more than you need to for detergent, most of which you’ll likely have to leave behind.
Flip flops: You’ll need this for the showers
Ziploc bags: If you’re not planning to do laundry, you might want to store some of your smelly clothes in separate bags that can be zipped away.
Dry snacks: For when the midnight snack cravings hit!
Hostels are an excellent way to save while you travel, especially as a solo traveler who has no one to go splitsies with. In addition to saving, you get to connect with people from all over the globe.
While there is a lot of negative talk about hostels, I am so glad I didn’t pay attention to that and separated myths from reality myself. Book your first hostel through Hostelworld and see for yourself!
