It all started with guest houses. In the old days, long before hotels existed, sailors and drifters would look for taverns or local farms to sleep in. In our days it’s all about hostels.
Drifters in the year 21st century are called Backpackers and they carry laptops and Ipods.
They are looking for a cheaper way to travel, and an exciting way to find new friends, and so they actually don’t mind sleeping next to other travelers they don’t know.
If you ask me hotels are boring. There is a lack of vibe and when you go to a big hotel (“like one of those Hiltons”) you find the same furniture, colors and shape everywhere you go. They all look the same. The informal type prefers a hostel a lot more then a hotel. Somewhere you can meet new people. A much more open environment, usually with a younger vibe, but you get people from all ages. Have a drink with people that are looking to talk to you instead of the repetitive snobs that you could usually find in hotel bars.
In South America, as in Europe, most hostels are very artistic, and each offer a whole different unique vibe. In Asia, the term hostel does not exist and travelers sleep in Guesthouses. Hostels offer everything you need in a younger and much more lay-back way, as the hostel staff is a young and usually informal. Unlike today’s cheap hotels, hostels still offer a better friendlier customer service for budget accommodation.
In the 21st Century, travelers are heading out for longer, wider trips. It’s not about the 1-2 weeks vacations no more. The only financial solutions that are able to accommodate this new traveling crowd are hostels.
What happens inside the hostels?
Some hostels are ‘party hostels”, very young-people oriented, trying to keep the party going 24/7, for the younger crows that’s looking for fun all day long . Others are more of the Bed & Breakfast style, with a nice lounge and a wide library, to accommodate the chilling traveler, looking to relax. Many are between those catagories, and are fit to accommodate most travelers.
Around South America most hostels offers services such as free Internet and wifi, free breakfast, a lounge room with cable TV and more….
The best way to search for a hostel you’d like is to use the Internet, or through guide books.
Today, when a traveler search for a hostel online, before anything he will find booking pages. I recommend on using online booking reservation pages that allow you to see a link to the hostels web site, and to read reviews in different web sites, so you can get a real clear picture of where you are heading, otherwize you can never get all the information you need.
The only risk you should actually be aware of while traveling through hostels, is the one derived from leaving your personal belongings in shared dorms. Having electronic equipment, cash, credit cards and passports, in shared dorms is a risky thing, and most hostels offers lockers and even to keep you’r valuables in their safe. If you stay in a private room your stuff are safer. Besides traveling as light as possible, I highly recommend putting your valuables in the reception desk in a secure safe box.
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