Hostels are for the young at heart!

Today's the 25th. Five days to go till the end of the month. How many of you are excited? I know I am. That's two more weeks to something really special for me. Something that I never ever knew would actually happen. Till then, it's a secret ;)

For this big secret, lots of planning has to be done. And planning involves time, brain juice and patience. And today, I'll be doing it on accomodations during travel.

shh.. it's a secret =)

Since I've started travelling much, one thing I've done the most is going to reviews of hostels and hostels.  Picking out the best price, location and of course, away from bed bugs and prostitutes.

I'm much of a traveller than a tourist. A traveller makes an adventure out of every situation. A tourist rides in airconditioned coaches and are mostly Asian with fishermen hats. And I certainly do not accomodate in hotels, wether they rate 1 or 5 star. I don't think a student like me could afford living in a hotel during travel (unless somebody offers to pay the bill).

Most of the time, my friends and I stay in hostels. The first time I heard of hostels was when they were stories about boarding schools. My first hostel experience was a six bedded room shared with Canadian travellers in Switzerland. The room had lockers, a mirror and  sink. We hardly saw our room mates. They came in at 3am and left at 6am.

Be happy

When usually I used book my accomodations through hostelworld.com, now I do it through hostelbookers.com because apparently, they are cheaper. For more reviews on accomodations that are less popular, look up the place on tripadvisor.com

Talk your whole night through

And why is a Hostel better especially for young energetic people?

• You'll be out before sunrise and be back a few hour before the repeat of the sunrise. And tell me why those couple o hours should be in a room costing 120€ per night? You hardly even move the sheets.
• Meeting other people that would potentially be your partner? LOL *kidding*
• Young people have less money than older people. Hostels are cheap. Some are dead cheap. Weather you share a room with four people or sixteen people. The more the cheaper.
• Most hostels have a kitchen. If not, they do serve breakfast at an affordable price (just don't expect Hilton style, I said affordable). In these kitchens, you can cook instant noodles, pizzas, pasta, anything you wish. Even better if there's a supermarket nearby. I love that!
• If you can't satnd sharing a bathroom with other people, there are some that have ensuites.
• You can have the whole room to yourself and your 7 other friends.
• It's fairly a more friendly place compared to a hotel.

Play Bartender maybe?

As things always comes with a price, it's always a guide to be careful when choosing accomodations. Reviews are there to be read! Actually it's kind of hard to find a good place that fits the wants and needs of everyone.

• Some places are old and run down. Pick the best ones.
• It's all about location! Yu don't want to be wasting 90 minutes of your time just by sitting in a transportaion to and fro.
• It might not be the best. Stay comfortable by bringing your own fleece blanket or a small pillow. Sometmes earplugs might do the trick. (Young people means lots of noise!)
• Safety first. In the naughty streets of Europe, be careful.
• Some places do not accept credit card. Always have cash in hand.

Maybe a hostel is not a place you would want to bring your parents to. But for  those of you below 40 *smirk*, I think you are out to see the world, In a few years time maybe you can have your spa treatment in a resort. Till then why waste your young energy and spirit. 

Most Asians, Malaysians are not used yet to this Hostel concept (unless it means boarding school which most of us are familiar with), but I hope that it grows in the future.

It's time to explore explorers!!