I am probably one of the few to discover the perks of hostels while traveling in North America. Not so long ago i took a week long trip to Montreal. As a rule, hostels are used for a place to sleep and little more. The reality of sharing the room with 2, 3, or 6 other fellow travelers runs counter to the Canadian preference for privacy while on the road. Its not our fault we came of age in a Route 66 type culture saturated with hotel chains and continental breakfast; but as our highly nomadic generation has discovered, hotels of Europe and Australia will shatter any realistic budget.
Planning is essential when it comes to choosing hostels. There are probably over 100 within Paris alone. I suggest hostels.com or hostelworld.com to research reviews and the amenities provided within a particular hostel. Hostels are aimed towards a younger crowd; although hotels have become expensive to the point whereby entire families rent dorms for accommodation. Aside from this trend, I took full advantage of the activities, day-trips, bars and pub-crawls these places have to offer. There is often a small fee for these activities, however you meet those in the building that you may not have otherwise. Besides price, frequent social opportunities place hostels in strong contrast to hotel culture. I have never spent 3 hours in another city without meeting fellow vagabonds who are willing to share the sites. Any good hostel will have a common room, internet access, laundry facilities, a kitchen, and if you are lucky, a bar. The importance of location cannot be underestimated. Try to be near a bus station or major rail station as lugging baggage through long and unfamiliar streets should be kept to a minimum.
Yes there are drawbacks. Most notable of these are nocturnal vomiting from a height of 6 feet on a bunk-bed, people who just don't seem to realize that a sheet does not muffle the sounds of intimate interactions continued from the pubcrawl (try the roof, laundry room or a private room) , and the most awful of all; snoring! Trust me, it takes allot for a guy such as myself to kick the mattress of an exhausted man who flew nonstop from Mumbai in order to disrupt his snoring pattern. This brings me to essential items needed to survive. First, a lock for your locker. Second, earplugs. Third, alarm clock. Fourth, soap and shampoo. There are no minisoaps or towels with the hostel's initials on them. You are often provided with pillows and linens upon arrival. Try to know the check-in time. This will lesson frustration if you arrive only to discover you must wait three hours to enter your room.
If people are determined to travel, they will cope with less luxury. Hostels show our wallets mercy and facilitate interactions with travelers much like us. I didn't know what to expect on the trip to Montreal. However I have since insisted on hostel accommodation on my recent trip to Europe and even Toronto; which has the highest rated hostel on the planet oddly enough (Canadiana Backpackers Inn). My next stop: Quebec City.
HI Montreal - Hostel events
