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Overheard a guy at a co-working space say 'hostels are for kids' and I totally disagreed
Last week in Chiang Mai, I was working from this co-working spot near the old city, and this guy on a Zoom call goes 'hostels are for kids, I'm 35, I need real walls now'. And I'm sitting there thinking, man, I'm 42 and I still stay in hostels like half the time (the private rooms, not the dorms). There's a hostel in Lisbon I go back to every year that has this rooftop bar where I've met some of my best travel buddies. Sure, sometimes you get a thin mattress or noisy neighbors, but for $20 a night in a good location, I can save enough to stay longer in a place. Has anyone else found that hostels actually get better once you're older because you know which ones to pick?
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nina_butler13d ago
That Lisbon hostel with the rooftop bar sounds incredible, I totally get why you go back every year. I'm 38 and just stayed in a hostel in Medellin that had this amazing jungle garden and a co-working space built in (way better than any hotel I've been in). The secret is definitely knowing your hostels - I've learned to look for ones with a bar or cafe that's open to the public, because those tend to attract a cooler, more mixed crowd. I've met people in their 50s and 60s staying in private rooms and hanging out, so the whole "hostels are for kids" thing is just outdated. Plus, you're right about the money, staying in a $15 dorm lets me take a week-long Spanish class or a day trip to a salt flat that I couldn't afford otherwise.
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logan64813d ago
See, I don't know if I'd say the whole "hostels are for kids" thing is outdated. I'm 29 and I've stayed in some hostels where the vibe was still very much party crowd and 20-somethings drinking all night, even with a public bar. Maybe it depends on the city or the specific hostel, but I've had plenty of experiences where I felt way too old for the common room.
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