Hostel Philosophies and Articles

While traveling internationally, I almost always choose to stay in a hostel, budget hotel, or bed and breakfast.  Those who frequently stay at hostels often refer to the practice as hosteling[1] or backpacking.  As noted on the European Hostels website, hosteling is “perhaps best described as traveling cheaply with an adventurous spirit.”  See http://www.europeanhostels.com/help/Questions-about-hostels-and-hosteling.html.

That is my preference, primarily, because I love to travel for as long as I can, see as much as I can, and not eat ramen noodles upon my return home.  I want meaningful cultural experiences, so I am often willing to trade in high end accommodations to have that experience.  But someone new to hosteling should understand—this is often not just a preference, but a philosophy and way of life.

As Rick Steves so eloquently put it:  “Hosteling is a philosophy. A hosteler trades service and privacy for a chance to live simply and communally with people from around the world.”   (See http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/1198hostels.htm)

To give you some insight into what hostels are and different perspectives on the hostel philosophy, I’ve picked out some interesting blog posts that you may find insightful.

* I love this blog post because it defines hostels and gives several opinions about the hosteling philosophy.  http://www.gomio.com/blog/index.php/hostel-definition-whats-a-hostel/

*  Quotes and philosophy from El Viajero Hostels:  “All good backpackers share a same philosophy: make friends, get to know other cultures and make our culture known. Our philosophy looks after giving you what we look for when we travel: let ourselves know, be treated as a friend and live a new experience in each place we visit.”  http://www.elviajerobravabeach.com/

*  Questions and answers about hosteling http://www.europeanhostels.com/help/Questions-about-hostels-and-hosteling.html

*  Hosteling for families http://www.today.com/travel/forget-fancy-hotels-more-hostels-offering-family-friendly-accommodations-1C6428384

[1]  I have also seen this spelled as hostelling.  I think that may be the European spelling, but most US publications use one “l” so I will continue that trend here.