1. Figure out your comfort zone. Are you slightly high maintenance? Can you be a germaphobe/neatf reak? Can you share a room with the opposite sex? Does the idea of sharing a room with 20 people freak you out? The budget is irrelevant if you get grossed out by that weird moldy smell or that theres a weird boy sleeping next to you: you will be miserable and it won't be worth the few dollars saved. Figure out where you are comfortable and book accordingly.
2. Now that you know you have come to terms with your own comfort level, how much are you willing to spend. As lame as it is, the more you spend, the better the hostel. But fear not, you can still stay at a nice hostel even if you have a strict budget. I have no problem booking a co-ed room with 20 other people which allows me to stay at some nice places. I would recommend a budget of around $20-35 a night in europe, depending on the exchange rate.
3. Read the comments. Ok so you're ok hostels.com or hostelworld or whatever other booker you have decided upon. The picture looks great, the description is fabulous, wow they even have a super fun bar! Not so fast, read the user comments, they are usually spot on and helpful. If someone says they had bedbugs, then they probably did. If someone says the bar was lame, than it probably was. Read them!
4. Decide if you're there to party or to sleep soundly. Some of the funnest hostels I have ever stayed at were specifically designed for young people to party, which basically means, you won't get any sleep. The bar is usually below the hostel so you can hear the party raging all night long. Decide what your intention is before you book.
5. Think about breakfast. Whenever I book I try to find a place with a breakfast. Even if it is a couple bucks more it'll probably end up saving you money. If I could have an IV of coffee in my veins I would, so any place that has free breakfast and coffee is good enough for me and worth the extra $5.
6. Consider other options. If you are traveling alone, you may want to check out couch surfing instead. It's a different experience and it's free. Sometimes you'll even get a free meal out of it (bonus!). If you are part of a bigger group (like 3 or 4 of you) sometimes it's cheaper to book a hotel room and just split the difference. When I stayed in Verona we booked at the Holiday in and it was far cheaper than any other hostel available that night. Or maybe even try your hand at camping. Fact is, you have a ton of options, so explore them.
7. I never book too far in advance. Plans change, you miss your train, you really liked Budapest so you stayed an extra day. Always book in advance, but never too far. I book a day or two before.
8. Location, location, location! Sure this hostel is only $10 a night, but it may very well cost you another $10 just to get into the city center (thank you Munich and Rome) Not to mention, public transportation is limited at night, and no one wants to take a $40 dollar cab ride back to the hostel. When you're staying in or around a city location is key.
9. Age limits. I have stayed in family oriented hostels and boy were they a bitch. Those little gremlins wake up early and can be very loud. You can't come in late at night, and you will be woken up around 7am. I have also stayed in hostels where I've had to share a bunk with 50 year old man. This is also not ideal. Go for hostels targeted towards your age group.
10. Share the wealth. Ok so you stayed at the hostel, you thought it was lame/gross/fun whatever. Go online and review it. Even if you made the mistake of booking something gross, it doesn't mean everyone else had to. Review it and be brutally honest, we're all in this together!
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