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Questions tagged [hostels]

Budget accommodation focusing on individual and young travellers. Hostels should have dormitories and kitchen facilities. See also the "accommodation" and "hotels" tags.

Budget accommodation focusing on individual and young travellers. Hostels should have dormitories and kitchen facilities. See also the and tags.

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How to discover if a hostel is more a travel hostel or a party hostel?

I have done some traveling and I have often stayed in hostels. These are great for many reasons. One of them is meeting people that share the same mindset and that actually need to sleep at night :) My experience tells me that you can basically find…
nsn
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Most respectful way to set alarm when sharing the room

I'm a pretty heavy sleeper and sometimes I need to wake up earlier for a bus/flight or to catch early light. When sharing a room in a hostel type place, what's a good way to set an alarm without waking the whole room ?
blackbird
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How to safely store my locker key in a hostel at night?

When staying in hostel dorms I usually place my valuables in a locker provided by the hostel and lock it, typically with my own key-padlock. When I go out I take the key with me and I'm perfectly fine with that. However when I am sleeping at night,…
mts
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What are the signs of a bed bug infestation?

Bed bugs have become a real problem recently, with more and more places reporting outbreaks. What can you do to avoid being exposed to these nasty parasites? If you do get exposed, what can you do to get rid of them (preferably before you bring…
Beofett
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How do you 'self-isolate' in a hostel dorm room?

NZ, Aus and other countries are now requiring people to self-isolate for 14 days to ensure they don't have Covid-19. There can be some rather strict ramifications if you fail to adhere to this. What I wondered after seeing a question on FB…
Mark Mayo
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Why do hostels require you to 'rent' bedding?

Why do increasingly amount of hostels ask you to pay to make your bed comfortable. I mean, you can buy a dorm bed for a night and then get there just to realise they charge for pillows, blankets, towels, everything that a hostel should really (in a…
insidesin
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Why do some hostels only allow international visitors?

Some of the hostels in the Gold Coast, Australia, only allow international visitors. I'm a bit surprised at this because the average Australian is not at all dangerous only dangerous in the same way your average backpacker is (likely to drink a lot,…
Golden Cuy
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Is it considered uncouth to check in early into a hotel?

I usually never early check into budget hotels. In relatively more expensive hotels (3-star or higher) I feel that it's appropriate to check in early, but not in cheaper hotels or hostels. I don't know if my policy is correct or not, but sometimes I…
Aditya Somani
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Do hostels provide toiletries?

From my experiences at hotels, I'm used to toiletries (soap, shampoo, etc.) being provided. Do hostels also provide these, or do I need to bring my own? Do hostels provide towels as well, or will I need to travel H2G2-style?
user82
21
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Hostel wants my Credit Card security code via email, is this legit?

Why would a hostel I book through HostelWorld want my credit card's security code (on the back)? Are they going to use this to charge their own deposit and essentially mess around with bookings instead of letting HostelWorld manage it? They say the…
insidesin
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Are "Albergues de peregrinos" typically restricted to pilgrims?

While planning a trek through the Spanish province of Almería, I came across an accommodation option called albergue de peregrinos, which apparently means a pilgrims' hostel. Cheap and basic, but good enough for me (and there's nothing else in that…
gerrit
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Is there a nudist / FKK backpacker hostel anywhere in the world?

So there are thousands of backpacker hostels in the world and there are many FKK beaches, resorts, and other accommodations designed for nudists in the world. But has anyone yet opened a hostel for nudists anywhere?
hippietrail
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Is it possible to buy a travel curtain for hostels/trains?

While traveling in couchettes and sleeping in hostels, I realized that a lot of them lack a very basic amenity — a curtain for privacy. Is it possible to buy a portable curtain that you can easily install in a couchette/hostel bed? Ideally it would…
JonathanReez
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Can e-cigarettes / vaping set off smoke detectors?

I work in a backpacker hostel in Australia. Of course smoking is not allowed inside the building and there are smoke detectors in every room and corridor. By law in Australia the smoke detectors in backpacker hostels set off a fire alarm which we…
hippietrail
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Hostels in US vs. Europe

How do hostels in the US compare with hostels in Europe? Are they similar in terms of convenience, availability, cost, amenities, etc? Or is the "hostel culture" completely different in the two places?
jrdioko
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