Choose the budget and the conviviality: dormitories and hostels are great!
I’m often asked how I can travel like this for so long. People who ask me this question know that the most important thing in a travel budget is accommodation. They have in mind the hotel prices that are displayed on the booking platforms at 50, 80 or 100€ per night. When I travel, I choose hostels, guesthouses or youth hostels. These establishments, unlike hotels, offer dormitories for a cheap price (from 4 to 12€ per night) sometimes with breakfast included. Most of them are comfortable, clean and often well located.
But then, for most people, and especially travellers of my age, sleeping in a dormitory is pure hell. Dormitories suffer from a sad reputation. It is probably inherited from the army, overcrowded large family rooms, pre-war boarding schools and surely… refugee camps!
Know that this is not so and I will tell you why by dealing with these objections that I hear all year round: noise, security, promiscuity and all these other bad representations that we have of the dormitories.
Are you of a worried or paranoid nature?
So this article ends here for you. Cohabiting in general and more particularly in a dormitory requires a serene state of mind and a certain open-mindedness.
If you are afraid of others, invest 1500€ for 2 weeks in a star-studded palace with a double-locked room, a certified driver and visit the country’s major attractions under high security.
This is your trip and I wish you with all my heart to have the opportunity to discover one day that benevolence is much more present in human beings than you are told on the TV news.
I consider the world at its best and I have mostly reaped the positive things that have happened during my trip. I have met 99% good people like you and me and very few bad or dangerous people.
But why not continue reading? I’ll bet you’ll change your mind about the dormitories!
Dormitories are creepy: dorms are victims of a bad image
No, no and no. The dormitories are very friendly! Dorms are places where you can really meet other travellers. It is often there and in the common rooms that we get to know each other. We group together to go on excursions, we exchange information, tips and sometimes we do part of the trip together.
Dorms are uncomfortable: iron beds, bad and dirty mattresses, you can often imagine the dormitories of the 40s!
No, no and no. Dormitories can be just as comfortable, clean and very pleasant as a standard room.
I have in my list some great hostels that offer beds of great comfort in clean, bright rooms with dazzlingly clean bathrooms and all for 10€ a night in the city centre. Most of the hostels I stay in are quite good value in my opinion. Of course I’m not a maniac for details and I’m willing to compromise. If sometimes the kitchen or the common areas are chaotic and not very cosy but there is a nice atmosphere or the hostel is well located, I keep my focus on the positive aspect! The only thing I don’t compromise on is cleanliness! When this is not the case, I change hostels to find a dorm that suits me!
In the dormitories, security against theft is not guaranteed: no more than elsewhere!
This is often a strong objection: “If everyone can get in and out of the room, they can steal my things or use them! ». In theory, yes. But in practice it’s quite rare. You should avoid leaving valuable objects lying around and store them well. In general, most hostels are equipped with secure lockers closed by locks (don’t forget yours) or code where you can store cameras, money and credit cards. Sometimes there are also drawers under the beds that can be locked. If none of these options are available, simply ask the owner or manager to keep your small treasures in one of his drawers until your comeback.
As for your clothes or toiletries, I have never yet been a victim of theft for this kind of thing. Keep your belongings and products in your bag, don’t leave anything in the common areas (dining room, living room, bathroom), there is little chance that a bad guy will steal your pant or use your deodorant.
Sleeping with strangers is dangerous and unpleasant: 99% of travellers opting for dormitories are like you and me (nice and harmless)
No, no and no. Dormitory guests are normal people. I have sometimes cohabited with some strange personalities but none of them proved to be dangerous. There were no sexual assaults, no fights and I personally have not been the victim of any robbery. Sometimes, but more rarely, a reprimand or a dispute over noise but really nothing serious that was not settled by a firm request and more rarely a quarrel.
There are many stories circulating about a roommate taking advantage of sleep or the proximity of his pretty neighbour to take advantage of the situation but it is extremely rare to find oneself facing this type of person. Come to think of it, for a pervert, a dormitory is really the last place to perpetrate an aggression since there are other people around who can help.
Of course, it is impossible to say that this will never happen, but this does not mean that one should flee the dorms. If you have any problems, just ask the managers for help, as you would in any hotel.
I have sometimes met badly-behaved people beeing super noisy in the middle of the night when they came home, hysterical girls, drunk guy and even a crazy guy who kept the dormitory awake all night. If this happened, it was exceptional. I still say that out of these 6 years spent in these community places, the rate of problems must flirt with 0.5%.
Finally, I am not sure that these issues would not have happened in a “normal” hotel. You meet stupid people everywhere, even in prestigious places!
Female dorms, males dorms: mixed or non-mixed dormitories?
Ladies be reassured, there is sometimes the possibility of reserving a girl’s dormitory. If you are worried about the proximity of these gentlemen around you, you will certainly feel safer. Many establishments offer different prices depending also on the size of the room and the number of beds. There are dormitories for 6, 8, 12… the choice is yours!
The noise and smell in the dormitories is terrible: It’s true, but it’s not as frequent as you might think
Of course, sleeping with 15 or even 25 dorm roommates is sometimes epic.
Stinking shoes, lack of hygiene, forgotten cheese in a bag and above all loud snoring are sometimes part of the bad surprises. But as theft is not so frequent!
For the noise, earplugs should ensure you spend a quiet night.
As for the smell, sometimes it is necessary to investigate in the dormitory and to go and asking recalcitrant people to take a shower or put their things away. It’s not easy for everyone, it’s true. II am often asked to go and ask them because very often nobody dares to go and complain. But it is very rare that the request is not heard. If the situation is unbearable, go and complain to the manager. Just as in a hotel where the noise of the neighbour prevents you from sleeping, do the same at the youth hostel.
In the end, don’t be afraid to stand up and demand that some morons mute their mobile phones or whisper rather than talking loud, out of respect for the sleeping neighbours. Again, these behaviours do not constitute the majority. Although I have noticed an increase in incivility for some time now, it is still largely manageable.
The choice of a dormitory is usually financial, that’s its major asset: a bed in a dorm is very cheap
Why pay so much to spend so little time in a hotel room, ten times more expensive than a bed in a dormitory?
Let’s put things into perspective: you don’t spend your day in your room! If you’re abroad, unless you’re a criminal on the run, you’re here to see the country, explore the city and go outside to discover the neighborhood.
So you only use the room to sleep in. In your room or in the bed in your dormitory you will spend little time there, so if it is not worthy of the Ritz but remains clean and comfortable, it does not matter.
If you would like to enjoy more comfort such as more space for work or a more pleasant common room, you will find it all in a good café-restaurant.
The only thing to worry about when it comes to dormitories for senior travellers: the age limit!
The first time I was refused access to a dormitory was in Paris, my hometown! Luckily for this time, I negotiated firmly and managed to be accepted in the dorm. This situation shook me up a lot because when I asked why the hostel imposed an age limit, I was told: “we prefer to avoid problems“.
Alas, this situation has been repeated twice in a row in Israel.
Since then, I have to be very careful and read all the rules of the hostel until the end to make sure to be accepted.
I hope that this practice will not tend to develop, because dormitories are in great demand all over the world. More and more good hotels are converting some of their rooms into dormitories, sometimes even an entire floor.
These professionals have understood the expectations of this new nomadic clientele of all ages and offer very good services.
Dormitories and hostels should be places accessible to all. You’ll meet all kinds of people there and that is precisely what interests frequent travellers.
In my favourite hostel in Athens, I shared a dormitory with Poppy, a 72-year-old Canadian, Eddy, a 57-year-old Irish and a whole bunch of younger nomads from all over the world in a great atmosphere.
So, what is this anti-old ostracism?
Hostels and dormitories are almost always warm and comfortable places, I can tell you that, but on top of that, you meet some really nice people there
Guests at these establishments are a bit like you, looking for people to get to know, spend an evening with, share tips or travel adventures. Usually, everyone meets in the common areas for a drink or a slice of pizza.
In the dormitories, we get to know the neighbours, borrow shampoo, give each other good tips or advice on the surrounding towns, things to see and things to avoid. Sometimes we also make friends and share part of the journey together.
It may sound surprising but even if I had an unlimited budget for the trip, I would still go to hostels and dormitories. I prefer community to private spaces. I prefer the company of others to the sad loneliness of an empty room. I prefer open space to closed doors. Even if the dormitories require an effort of adaptation and tolerance, travelling in this way also allows you to learn about sharing!
Long-distance travel, adventure and discovery are accessible to all ages. Seniors, the great trip is also made for you!
