Many people I meet who’ve never stayed in hostels often express a negative view of them. This is really unfortunate because hostels are fantastic places not only for single travelers, but couples and families as well. I have stayed in heaps of hostels around the world and whilst not all of them have been stellar, the majority have been excellent and I will continue to stay in hostels by choice, not just for reasons of circumstance.

Here are my 5 fantastic reasons to stay in hostels when you travel:

1. Price

Price is a big reason why many budget travelers and backpackers choose to stay in hostels. Whilst prices vary in different countries and regions, in general hostels will be significantly less expensive than a hotel room, and far more friendly. There are usually a variety of options available such as shared dorms in mixed or single gender as well as private rooms.

2. Complimentary Services

Not only is the cost of a hostel room inexpensive, but the freebies provided are fantastic. Most hostels will provide free wifi, lounge & relaxation areas, dining rooms often with free or cheap breakfast options, and a bar area for your nightly drinking needs. Smaller and more intimate style hostels will almost always have a kitchen available which is shared amongst guests, creating a social cooking area for some meal time conversation.

3. Interesting People

A huge variety of people stay in hostels, it’s definitely not just young backpackers. Whilst traveling I’ve enjoyed hostel dinners with South African women in their 60s visiting Italy, eaten breakfast with young parents wrangling toddlers, and spent many nights with people of all ages speaking a multitude of different languages at once. Hostels are a melting pot of different nationalities, personalities and ages with everyone having the same open-minded attitude in common.

4. Availability

If you arrive at a destination with nowhere to stay, there will almost certainly be a hostel somewhere close-by. The number of hostels throughout the world, especially in Europe, Asia, Central and South America mean that it is almost impossible for you to not find somewhere affordable to rest your head. With websites like hostels.com or hostelworld.com you can easily book accommodation online the night before you arrive, or just show up on the doorstep and try your luck. Whilst you may not have a large choice of room options upon your surprise arrival, you will have somewhere affordable for the night.

5. Chain Hostels

Hostel chains offer a variety of locations often in the same city, country or around the world. Staying in a chain hostel such as Hostelling International, Wombat’s Hostels or St Christopher’s Inns usually means the hostel will be larger, have good complimentary services and hopefully a consistent quality throughout every hostel in the chain. These larger chain hostels can be a little more expensive than the independent ones, but having had great experiences staying in all of these chains, I usually find myself selecting to stay with the chain I know and like.