Hei hei! During my study abroad trip, UA: Adventures in Literature, our class had the opportunity to travel all over the beautiful country of Norway. Along the way, we stayed at various establishments, but our main lodgings were typically in the form of hostels. When I explained to my family back home that we had been staying in hostels, they were skeptical about whether that was a suitable housing option. As I talked to my friends, they too were uncertain about the idea. It occurred to me the typical stigma around hostels was negative, with people thinking of them as gross, dirty, and unsafe. However, my experience with hostels was actually quite wonderful; I would probably even argue that they were one of my favorite parts of the trip! There were several reasons why I so greatly enjoyed my hostel experiences, but in this post I’ll just highlight two.
1. Multiple opportunities to exchange cultures
Our fellow travelers at the hostels represented several countries from all over the world, as well as a wide range of ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. This made the hostels highly unique environments; they were a melting pot of several types of people, such as French middle schoolers, college-age solo travelers, and even retired couples on their anniversary trip. Since everyone in the establishment had to share the common rooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and the occasional bathroom, we had countless opportunities to interact with many of the other occupants. We played games, went on hikes, and made food together, learning about their cultures and customs while also explaining our own. It was so cool to converse with so many types of people from all over the world and I have never so closely experienced that many cultures at one time.
2. Provides a more immersive and authentic traveling experience
This leads to my second point – staying in hostels provides a more immersive and authentic experience. I think the immersion part might be a little obvious since you have to share pretty much everything but your bed and your belongings with everyone else at the hostel. However, I believe that you gain a more authentic traveling experience since you are sharing them with so many types of people from all over the globe. The environment was so different from anything I had ever experienced back home; I truly felt like I was studying abroad, and not just in some other part of US. It really made the trip for me, since it drove home the fact that I had gone to a completely different part of world and was actually out living in it, exploring new cultures, exchanging new ideas, and making new friends.
Here’s the thing: you might not like staying in hostels if you’re not willing to interact with other people. If you’re looking for a private, quiet vacation, a hostel is probably not the best choice for you. However, if you’re truly wanting to experience the culture of not only the country you’re traveling in, but also mingle with people from other countries, too, a hostel could be an excellent option!
*Disclaimer* This is based off my own personal experience while in Norway; I have no idea if the hostel community around other areas of the world are also like this. However, according to people we met, the hostel culture in Norway is pretty similar to other parts of Europe, too!
