Hostels are a great. They offer inexpensive places to stay and that lets many people travel long term without having to use up the majority of their budget on a place to sleep at night, but they’re not for everyone. In this article we’ll explore the disadvantages of staying in a hostel.

Location

Hostels are mostly in high traffic areas in downtown area meaning they can be loud and stuffy as central locations don’t always have a ton of space. Going for a hotel, apartment rental or Bed and Breakfast gives you a somewhat wider area in which to stay and depending what type of accommodation you choose might give you a more local experience.

Price

This as usual depends where you stay and when you travel, however it also depends on what level of luxury you’re willing to pay for. You can go for the usual 100$ or so a night for a nice clean generic hotel room with a TV, coffee and tea, mini fridge with a private washroom, maybe a pool and a gym somewhere. Or, you could get a hotel that ranges anywhere from 2,000$ to 100,000$+ a night, depending on your budget.

Room Sharing

If you’re staying anywhere that is not a hostel, there’s about a 99% chance that if you’re sharing a room it’s because you’re travelling with someone and you’re the only ones there, with the exception of couch surfing and Airbnb, where hosts or owners can be at the property with you so, you don’t really need to worry about sharing your space.

Other Things to consider

For hotels and non-shared environments during long term travel can get to be quite lonely and isolating to a point. I treat hotel stays as a treat and a luxury, so I can sleep in for a few days, put a ‘do not disturb sign on the door’ and maybe do some laundry or just catch up on the only decent WiFi in a while. Staying somewhere without a stove or microwave also limits what you’re able to do when it comes to food as well.

Final Verdict

Staying at a hotel or any other private or semi-private accommodation is a great way to treat yourself and to relax, but if you plan to travel long term that money might be better spent elsewhere.