Why You Should Always Stay at a Hostel
- Ashley Preininger
- Mar 3, 2017
- 3 min read
One of my favorite things about being abroad were the hostels that I got to stay at. For those of you that don't know, hostels are "establishment[s] that provides inexpensive food and lodging for a specific group of people, such as students, workers, or travelers." On top of being the cheapest way to lodge in a new city, hostels connect you with people all over the world. I now have friends in Australia, South Africa, Belgium, etc., with the hostel we chose being our place of meeting. Its one of the things I love about my time in Europe - sometimes the cheapest options ended up exerting the best experiences.
Not only are hostels cheap and inviting of all walks of life, they are also generally in the heart of cities. Since they don't require tall, vast structures, you can generally find hostels next to shops and restaurants. All of the hostels I visited had bars on the bottom floor with English-speaking bartenders, making it the perfect place to unwind and meet fellow travelers. One of my favorite experiences in a hostel was actually in the first one I went to, called The Bulldog in Amsterdam.
The Bulldog has many locations, with two hostels in Amsterdam. Full disclosure - I don't remember which one I stayed at. This was the first country I traveled to after settling down in Florence, and I was a bit overwhelmed. That, and the fact that I didn't know there were two locations until after we had finished our stay. After we checked in and settled into our room, we went downstairs to grab a drink before leaving to explore for the day. Thats where we met these three college students from Belgium; their names were Arno, Felix, and Jan. Just a few months ago, Arno reached out to us as he was visiting Miami and wanted to see everyone; three years after we had all met. We ended up having a blast with then, and they accompanied us on our entire trip. It was so cool to learn about their culture, watch them speak their language to each other, and share different stories about our experiences as humans. It really humbled all of us, as we learned that underneath various cultures and societal influences, we all had so much in common.
On our last night in Amsterdam, we got back to the hostel very early in the morning around 3 a.m. When we walked in, we heard a guitar coming from a room that acted as a coffee shop, or a designated place that you are able to smoke marijuana. We ventured into the room and witnessed something I'll never forget. People staying in the hostel from all over the world were singing along as another friend that we met from Ireland was playing the guitar. He played "American Pie," "Wonderwall," and even "God Bless the USA," for some reason unknown to myself. We joined in, and for an hour we all sang together, swaying back and forth, to songs that we all knew...even though we were all from different places, all different races, all different beliefs. In that room, we were all the same.
These are the kinds of experiences I had staying in hostels my time abroad. While I wasn't joined in song at every place, I met many friends from all over the globe and learned more about their cultures than I could've ever been taught in a classroom. Come for the cheapest prices you'll find, and stay for the experience and bonds of a lifetime.
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