10 Things I Hate About Hostels

Have you ever stayed in a hostel? I have about a dozen hostel-going experiences in Europe, Asia, and North America and taken wholly, the negatives approximate the positives. Why do I continue going to hostels? They are very inexpensive and unmatched sources of traveler information! There are, however, too many negatives to ignore, and as I strive to see both (or more) sides of any issue, I bring you Things I Hate About Hostels!

During my 4.5 months of traveling last year, I stayed in hostels only twice. The first time was in Singapore when I wanted to get away from the ridiculously high-priced “budget” hotels (the cheapest I could find, and where I stayed a night or two, was about $100/night and was nothing more than a bed with a shared bathroom). The second and last time I stayed in a hostel during last year’s trip was when I returned to the US. That was the first time I had ever stayed in a hostel in the US, and my primary reason was to be research for a “Worst Things About Hostels” article. Unfortunately, the hostel was too clean, too accommodating, in too great a location. I really had little to complain about.

Enter Taiwan. In just my first week of traveling this year, I have stayed 5 nights in two different hostels, and while not all was bad, I have plenty to complain about. Here we go (in no particular order):

1. Staying in a hostel can be like camping in the woods! No joke. Last night I made a special stop at 7-11 to buy DEET mosquito repellent. A few nights ago, I stayed at this same hostel and was mauled by the little killers, getting at least 29 bites (I counted) over my whole body. At 4AM I was in bed with the light on, doing my best to rest, while staying vigilant for new attacks. I killed several mosquitoes, and a couple that I swatted left gobs of blood on the wall and blanket. They were drunk with my blood. Last night I avoided bites because I used DEET…but seriously, WHY SHOULD I NEED TO USE DEET INDOORS?!?! Using a sleep sheet (basically an ultra-thin sleeping bag) as extra protection, combined with DEET really made the whole experience too much like camping. I’ll be looking for another budget lodge this morning.

2. Staying in a hostel can feel like the urban camping at Woodstock! Continuing with the camping theme, many hostel-goers are unclean treat the hostel as their own private apartment. Imagine backpacks all over, ragged towels strung from beds and doors, dirty underwear lying around, people walking around barefoot. I haven’t been to Woodstock or Burning Man, but I have to believe my description fits them as well. It’s one thing to be a little slovenly with friends and family, but being in such close proximity to dirty strangers is not cool.

3. Dirty bathrooms. In hostels, bathrooms typically get cleaned once a day. If you happen to use the bathroom right after that cleaning, you are having a good day. Bathing only goes downhill from there. Nasty hair clogging the drains, dirt and residue lining the tiled floor, toilet seats wet and dirty, soap scum smeared across the sink, dirty clothes accidentally left behind, cold water, etc. give some idea of what the worst of hostel bathrooms can be.

4. Feet everywhere. I’m not sure why there’s such a high correlation between hostel goers and bare feet, but there is. To totally stereotype, I think hostels attract more “hippies” and “granolas,” the types of people who are “free” and “natural” and a lot of other words that should be put in quotation marks! These types like to go barefoot. Hey, I like going barefoot on the beach, but being barefoot on shared surfaces is filthy dirty! Trust me when I say that their feet say as much in appearance. What else would one expect from walking around on dirty floors, sometimes wet, often soiled by people with shoes, by dropped food, dead bugs, dust, lint, boogers, etc. Yeah, totally disgusting. You’ll never see me going barefoot at a hostel.

5. Bunk beds suck. My brother and I shared a bunk bed until we were about 8. EIGHT YEARS OLD! I’m a grownup now and don’t like having some stranger crawl up a ladder next to my face.

6. People who snore make life miserable for those of us who don’t (at least I don’t think I do!). Snorers, you know who you are. I recommend you not stay in hostels for the sake of others. Last night, while sleeping on the upper bed of a wooden bunk bed, my skin soaked with DEET, I had to listen to some dude sawing logs and making a dreadfully cheerful whistle between trees. Good times.

7. Linens, mattresses, and beds are suspect. I don’t know how much I trust the cleanliness of hostel linens. They look fairly clean, but when every bed is lined with different fabrics of different ages, nothing uniform, I wonder how clean they really are. As hotels are already notorious for bed bugs, can I trust that hostels are any better?

8. Hostels keep people away from the locals. While I’ve met many foreign friends in hostels, I’ve denied myself the experience of staying at a local hotel, talking with local service, negotiating a price with non-English speakers, etc. Much of the travel experience gets thrown out the window by staying in hostels, in my opinion. I take pride in being an independent traveler, booking my own air, plane, and train transportation, renting motorcycles when others pay for tour buses, and taking public buses when others take taxis. Staying in a hostel eliminates a major part of this travel experience, booking accommodation.

9. Many hostels are run-down dumps. Hostels, like hotels and everything else in life, vary greatly in quality. With such small budgets, however, it is no wonder that many aren’t shining stars.

10. Hostels don’t leave mints on the pillows.

I had trouble thinking of 10 things I hate about hostels. Though what I wrote might seem harsh, as I look over what I just wrote, I see that most of my complaints of hostels can be narrowed down to two things: 1. dirty or poor facilities, 2. dirty or noisy people. Most hostels where I’ve stayed are quite clean and all of them encourage customers to clean up after themselves. Shared bathrooms are always a challenge for me.

I’ll continue staying in hostels where the economics make sense (in areas of Vietnam where I could find decent hotels for $5, staying in a hostel doesn’t make sense for me).

What things do you hate about hostels? Are there any glaring examples I missed? If you have never stayed in a hostel, are some of the things I listed what scare you away?