Today I posted my 1,000th Instagram photo! My feed began in pre-hostel times (I just changed my username after creating this blog), and so I couldn’t help scrolling right back to the very first Instagram photos I posted…

Below, from left to right, you can see my student life in Brighton at Sussex University, my very first trip to Morocco back in 2013, and then my life in Budapest working in my very first hostel.

Thankfully, my photography skills have improved a little since I first started playing around with Instagram!

But not only has Instagram allowed me to practice and develop my own photography skills to produce better content here on the blog. It’s also developed an awesome community between those of you that follow me on there and like and comment each photo!

And the best part? Sharing 1,000 Instagram photos from my travels have helped me inspire more of you to travel. Which is awesome!

So, in celebration, I wanted to share some of my favourite Instagram photos from some of my favourite destinations around Europe and further. Get ready for some wanderlust!

1000 Little Instagram Photos Of My Hostel Life That Will Make You Want To Travel

1. Paris

I had to begin with Paris, because as I scrolled through memory lane (a.k.a. my old Instagram photos), I was reminded that of all the hostels I’ve reviewed, the first hostels to actually invite me were in Paris.

Since then I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone back. And actually, this is where I am right now as I write this article! So yeah… Paris, Je T’aime.

---

2. France

You’ll soon see that some of these little photos of hostel life come from whole countries and cities. I shared Paris alone, because it’s the one city in France that I spend the most time.

But that doesn’t reflect my love affair for the rest of France. The photos below are mostly from trips I haven’t written about here on the blog. Trips made with friends, Couchsurfing, and just general holidays where I can be Katie and not ‘The Hostel Girl’…

---

3. Montenegro

Montenegro comes third because… well, it’s Montenegro! Let’s be honest, you and I both know that I have only spent a total of four days there and my first trip was last month.

But this country, and its people, have made it to the top of my list of favourite trips of 2016. Which is why I keep trying to convince you all to visit.

---

4. Amsterdam

Amsterdam has featured time and again on my Instagram feed because, after hating the city on my first trip here back in 2012, I soon came to call it home. Quite literally as I moved there for three months at the start of last year. Click here if you want to see how you can too!

Itchy feet soon got the better of me, and I soon left my job to follow my heart to Morocco. But by then I was hooked on the city, and have been making excuses to return ever since.

---

5. Morocco

I’m sure you were wondering when this one would come up. Aside from my hometown in England and the seven months in Budapest, I have spent more time in Morocco over the last three years than anywhere else in Europe.

And let’s be honest. Whether you’re a pro photographer like my friend Michael (check out his photos of Morocco in this interview) or an amateur like me – Morocco is so photogenic and I definitely struggled choosing only fifteen to fit in this post…

---

6. Bruges

Ah, beautiful Bruges. My first trip there was in 2013 when I tagged along with two Mexicans I’d met at MEININGER Brussels (click here for the review). We got very drunk and danced the night away in a very small club.

My second trip was with my mum and the city proved that it was perfect for a family Christmas break as well as an alcohol-fuelled rave. And then I began returning alone… which is when I discovered all the fun to be had at St Christopher’s at The Bauhaus!

---

7. Ibiza

Aside from Morocco, I spend far too much of my time in the North of Europe. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But let’s just say that London isn’t the only Northern city on the continent that suffers from bad weather; Amsterdam I’m looking at you…

So visiting Ibiza this year was a wake up call to explore more of the Mediterranean! My experience in Spain is limited (more on that later) and the popularity of Ibiza amongst party-crowd Brits had prevented me visiting before. But not only was the island Instagram perfection; it had more culture and life than I could have ever expected…

---

8. Spain

And so, back onto Spain in general. Last year was the first year I ever travelled there solo, as ‘The Hostel Girl’. I think I’d been a few times as a child with my parents, but those memories are consigned to the family photo albums.

I honestly had no idea what to expect. And whilst I enjoyed some cities a lot more than others (Valencia was magical, Barcelona not so much…), Spain opened my eyes to an international culture I had mostly ignored up until then. So look out for more Spanish travels in 2017!

---

9. Rome

Rome attracts over 19 million visitors every year(!) and yet it wasn’t history, culture or food that brought me to the famous city this year. It was hostels… of course!

However, one week wasn’t nearly enough for me. The food was as good as they say it will be, the wine was surprisingly delightful (surprising because I have a lot of French friends who had previously convinced me of the superiority of their own wine), and my Catholic school girl roots finally paid off when I got to tour the Vatican city!

---

10. Germany

Germany is a country I’m trying desperately to see more of. After my first solo trip there last year to check out this incredible hostel in Cologne, I decided to book a few extra days in St Christopher’s Berlin at the start of this year while visiting for a travel conference.

However, those extra days were spent mostly drinking and sleeping, because I don’t know if you know but St Christopher’s are the best party hostel chain in Europe I think I’ve ever come across! So yeah, long story short I still need more time in Germany…

---

11. London

I’ve left London until last for a couple of reasons. I don’t really enjoy the city all that much, but I spend a lot of time there with friends which means when I am there I still have a great time!

For me, London is great because of the people I know that live there. But the incredible modern architecture, historic monuments and fantastic street art helps too.

---

12. England

My final destination mention goes to England.

I was born and raised between London and the South Coast of England, but thanks to various trips with the YHA over the last few years, and my newest obsession with Strong Island’s Photography Walkshops, I’ve really come to appreciate the natural beauty of the English countryside and history with as much effort as I put into appreciating the same things when I travel to other countries.

---

13. Travel Packing & Souvenirs!

For my final group of Instagram photos intended to make you want to travel, I gathered the best of my travel packing flatlays and souvenir snaps!

It’s been ages since I published one of my favourite videos on Youtube, where I shared my souvenir travel haul with you guys! I rarely buy proper souvenirs, but I keep almost every map, leaflet, business card, sticker and boarding pass that I can from my travels. The box I keep it all in is now fit to burst, but here’s a selection of my favourite immortalised on Instagram…

---

So there you go! Of course, there was no way I could have shared all 1,000 Instagram photos with you. But I wanted to celebrate this little milestone in a way that would encourage more of you to jump on board the hostel life!

I honestly don’t believe I could have seen all these incredible places (many of them way more than once or twice) if it wasn’t for the budget cost of hostels. And the memories I’ve shared with the people I’ve met in these hostels has multiplied over the years.

See you at 2,000!

P.s. I wrote you a note on Instagram…

 

Oh, and don’t forget to follow me at @the_hostelgirl because not only will I continue to publish these little Instagram photos of my hostel life that will make you want to travel. But I’ll also now be live-broadcasting my travels over on my Instagram Stories!