April 26, 2026, 12:47 pm | Read time: 8 minutes

When it comes to travel, I’m a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Or like Goethe’s “Faust,” with two souls dwelling in my chest. One part of me appreciates the solitude of nature, reveling in adventures far from civilization. The other eagerly seeks contact with people of all ages who, like me, are bitten by the travel bug. One side values the peace and exclusivity of more upscale accommodations, while the other enjoys it loud, simple, and sometimes a bit shabby. As a freelancer, I must always wisely allocate my vacation budget to see as much as possible, so even at over 40, the wilder side of me often wins when choosing a place to sleep. And then, I find myself drawn to hostels again and again.

The many advantages of hostels are especially clear and obvious for younger travelers. First, they are much cheaper than other accommodation options like vacation rentals, Airbnbs, or hotels. Secondly, and this remains the main reason for me to stay in hostels, the open-minded traveler quickly meets other people and like-minded individuals here. Hostels are meeting places, often of a more intimate nature, but they are also travel exchanges where you can share your sightseeing plans and ideas with other guests. They are matchmaking venues, as you often find people here with whom you continue your journey together.

School of Life

Hostels are a marketplace for recipes from around the world, a hub for travel hacks. Often, when you feel particularly comfortable, they are a place to recharge for the rigors that travel can bring. A place where the inner child is catered to with brightly colored, imaginative decor. A therapy couch where you can safely question or negate supposedly “classic” life models, and where you receive enthusiastic support from most voices, in many languages. A refuge for stranded souls whose only life content has become being on the move. A school of life where classes are held 24 hours a day, and no grades are needed. A home for temporary dropouts, where nothing seems important except the here and now.

Hostels are open history books where everyone can write their story. Places of tolerance where everyone is welcome. Where you can’t sleep in dorms with 12 beds that smell of old laundry after long days because there’s always something going on, and someone is guaranteed to snore. Places where you meet friends for life, even if the duration of this life on the road is only a few weeks or months. Hostels are safe retreats when the next culture shock hits, where everything can be missing except the Wi-Fi. Where you experience nights that pop musicians sing about in their songs, and days that an ancient Greek dramatist could have simply imagined.

Also interesting: Talassemtane: Morocco’s Wild National Park

Cheap Alcohol and Drug Dealers

I personally appreciate hostels mainly for the contact with travelers and like-minded people from all over the world. It’s wonderful to refresh your language skills and hear new stories. Stories that are truly inspiring and, unlike the old tales at home, haven’t been heard a thousand times in a thousand variations. It’s the people and the shared experiences with them that can make a vacation unforgettable. And yes, now over 40, I sometimes need to prove to myself that I’m still as young at heart as I like to think. Even if it means I can’t rest for nights because someone in my 12-bed dorm is guaranteed to snore again.

I admit, staying in hostels sometimes costs me more energy than it did ten years ago. Because, of course, for many, especially young guests, it’s also and sometimes exclusively about making the trip one continuous, intoxicated party. Hostels often consciously encourage this with countless themed evenings and cheap alcohol. Sometimes the staff also act as drug dealers or at least contacts. And so, it’s sometimes very loud, and sleep is out of the question even without the reliable snorers. In many places, I’ve already dragged my mattress to a quiet hallway or rooftop terrace because the noise level was unbearable for me elsewhere.

Also interesting: Why the South of Ethiopia Fascinated Me So Much

Adventures Around the World

Yet the advantages still clearly outweigh the disadvantages, especially the often very refreshing conversations. I’ve been a freelancer for 13 years now, and I’m a very freedom-loving person in other areas of life as well. It simply does the soul good to meet other people who also want to escape the hamster wheel existence or have already escaped it. Because, of course, like everyone else, I occasionally need confirmation that I’m living “right.” And nowhere do idealists find this as reliably and consistently as in hostels. On the road, everyone is your brother or sister if you have your heart and eyes wide open.

And with these self-chosen family members, I’ve had great adventures over the years. We’ve fished and grilled piranhas in the Llanos, a vast savanna between Venezuela and Colombia. Climbed Panama’s highest mountain at night to see the Atlantic and Pacific simultaneously at sunrise. Hiked for several days through the rocky solitude of Morocco’s Rif Mountains, where hashish farmers invited us into their homes, and an entire village marveled at our passage. Fished char from an icy stream in Greenland and nearly lost them to wild dogs.

More on the topic

TRAVELBOOK author was on the road for 8 weeks ‘This is how my hike on Spain’s unknown parts of the Camino de Santiago went’

Wheelchair Traveler Shane Hryhorec in Interview “Disability Is Not Caused by the Body–But by the Environment”

What to Consider When Booking a Hostel

We’ve sat by the open window during absolutely apocalyptic thunderstorms and played guitar. Shared our home in the middle of nowhere with a huge colony of sea lions. Stood at the geographic center of the Earth and on the rooftops of occupied high-rise ruins. Hosted parties that the whole city attended. Hostels can be the home base for all these stories and adventures. But you also need to pay attention to how to find the right one from the numerous offers. I’m happy to share what I look for.

First of all, and this may be the most challenging for many, especially young travelers: Forget the internet as a research source. Of course, you’ll find a diverse range of options with a few clicks, but this pre-selection completely eliminates the thrill of adventure. Especially in places where there’s a lot going on, you won’t have any trouble finding a place to sleep even upon arrival. You can then also inspect it live beforehand, instead of relying on often embellished pictures online. Otherwise, you might end up spending your entire vacation (unintentionally) with the same people.

Also interesting: How I Fell in Love with Germany on My Travels

The Horror of “Wonderwall”

Especially young travelers now apparently trust review portals blindly. Both for attractions and hostels. Consequently, everyone ends up in the same places just because some people on the web gave them so many stars. Those who dare to break away from these methods can, with a bit of luck, have much “realer” experiences. The same goes for restaurants, bars, clubs, and any other establishment. Make your own impression that doesn’t come from a screen.

My second tip: Pay attention to whether your accommodation has a hostel guitar. “Where people sing, settle down,” this saying didn’t come from nowhere. If there’s an opportunity to make music, it indicates a place where you can meet particularly open-minded people. However, be cautious: You might end up hating your favorite song afterward. I know what I’m talking about, as it happened to me (and probably countless others) with “Wonderwall” by Oasis. A song that absolutely everyone can play who has held a guitar for even five minutes. And people do play it. Believe me, you’ll hear this piece very often in hostels.

Hostels that also offer joint excursions are always particularly interesting to me. A good place should have (multi-day) short trips in its program and employ specially trained staff for them. Because these experiences can turn a larger group of randomly stranded people into a close-knit inner circle. Doyens who can then pass on the secrets of a place to newcomers like a sacred torch. By the way, I’ve already booked my next hostel adventure; in fall 2026, I’m heading to Budapest. As long as I can still somehow endure the snorers in my room, I’ll continue to love hostels.