I constantly hear the following:

• Aren’t hostels dirty? (Not these days…)
• Hostels are just full of drunk teenagers (Maybe you’re in the wrong hostel)
• I’m too old to stay in a hostel
• Are mixed dorms safe? (Here’s the answer)

There are so many myths that surround hostels in Europe, so I thought it was time to set the record straight and share with you the things that makes hostel life great!

47 Things No One Tells You About Hostel Life

1. You will make friends for life!

2. New friends will be international… so you will always have a couch to sleep on!

3. Falling in love happens alot

4. …and more often than not your heart will get broken when you or they move on to the next country

5. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye…! Saying goodbye to new friends on a daily basis becomes normal

6. Hello, hello, hello…! Making new friends daily in a space of a few hours also becomes normal

7. Sightseeing all day on 4 hours sleep becomes an essential skill

8. Aside from travellers, you will develop a very strong bond with coffee

9. Your food will be stolen from the fridge, regardless of whether or not it has your name on it

10. You will steal food

11. Jamie Oliver eat your heart out as you learn how to be creative with leftovers

12. But you will still eat pasta every 5 out of 7 days

13. You will hear the same five questions from every person you meet.

14. You will ask everyone you meet those same five questions

15. You will forget everyone’s answers to these questions

16. But you will remember exactly what those people did after too many tequilas last night

17. You will meet at least one creeper

18. But you will love the staff! 😉

19. …and you will want to be part of their little hostel family

20. There will be one member of staff who will have slept with 75% of the guests

21. You’re probably going to want to work and live in at least one hostel

22. You probably won’t meet many locals

23. You will hear people having sex

24. Someone will probably hear you having sex

25. Everyone at breakfast will know you’ve had sex

26. The Wifi will be shit

27. As will the showers

28. As will all those people you meet who think they can play guitar

29. Old men in white y-fronts. Everywhere.

30. Pub-crawls. Every night

31. Hangovers. Every morning

32. You will meet someone you hate more than you’ve ever hated someone before

33. You’ll feel bad about wanting an early night with catch-up episodes of Game of Thrones

34. Free breakfast…hallelujah!

35. If there are Americans & a table… there will be beer pong

36. When you finally meet a Welsh traveller, all your dreams will come true

37. You funniest memories will be with your new Irish friend

38. You will see Australians…everywhere!

39. Stained sheets. It happens

40. Clothes, everywhere

41. You will meet hostel pets, and cry when you have to leave them

42. Getting lost trying to find your hostel is a right of passage

43. You will see the most impressive use of small spaces… 8 beds in a toilet-sized room… no problem!

44. Other travellers will spill all the non-touristy secrets of the city you’re in

45. For everything else there’s Mastercard? Not a chance… cash only

46. You will learn an endless number of drinking games

47. You may cry when you leave

Can you think of anything I’ve missed out?? Let me know in the comments!

Lots of love,

*Edit: written content remains the same but images updated 17-03-2016