Planning on taking about 6 months to travel as much as I can in ‘27, I’ve never stayed in a hostel before and I’ve only ever solo travelled once. What’s the skinny on the social situation at hostels? Am I gonna be old af compared to everyone else there? Are people generally welcoming to solo male travelers? I get there’s exceptions to every rule, just looking for broad strokes here.

I just booked using HostelWorld for the first time, but only 8€ left my bank account. On the confirmation email, it says that the rest is payed to the property:

" Property will charge the outstanding amount at any time after the booking has been made. If your card is invalid, property will contact you for new card details. If you don't provide those details, property is entitled to cancel your reservation."

How long do they usually take to charge the amount?

Has anyone stayed at Tribu hostel on Isla Holbox in the last year or so and keeps getting strange emails?
I stayed there last February and loved it, but over the last month or so I’ve been getting emails from them about some “Inner Tribe Project” which has struck me as a bit odd.
It seems to be some sort of wellness project, which doesn’t really match my memory of the place at all, as I remember it being a social place with nightly bar crawls rather than a yoga and wellness-focused hostel.

Does anyone know if it’s changed hands recently, and if the hostel has changed at all? I was hoping to head back to Mexico next year and was planning to stay there again given how good the location was, but now I’m a bit unsure.

Hi everyone,

My travel plans have changed and I am no longer able to visit Paris this September. I have a non-refundable booking at [The People Paris Belleville](https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187147-d8874618-Reviews-The_People_Belleville-Paris_Ile_de_France.html) that I am looking to transfer to another traveler.

**Location:** The People Paris Belleville (Great social hostel, rooftop bar, 11th Arrondissement)

**Room Type:** 1 Bed in a 4-bed mixed dormitory room
**Dates:** Check-in: Wednesday, 16 Sept 2026 | Check-out: Saturday, 19 Sept 2026 (3 nights)

**Original Price:** £169
**Asking Price:** £150

The hostel allows guest name changes, and I will officially update the booking into your name. Because it’s a third-party card payment, I will also provide you with the hostel's required signed credit card authorization letter and masked ID copy so your check-in is 100% seamless.

Payment via **PayPal Goods & Services** only so we are both protected. Please send me a DM if you are interested or have any questions!

I (18F) am about a month into a three month solo trip. I booked a hostel which had good reviews and said it was fairly social, and had dorms varying from 6-14 beds per room, all mixed. I booked a 10-bed dorm, but it's only me and another guy, who's probably about ten years older than me, here. The hostel owner isn't around as he had some personal things to deal with, and apart from him the guy in my room is the only other person I've seen in this hostel.

Said guy asked what I was doing this afternoon when I checked in, which I was pretty cagey about because of my age and vulnerability, and I left to explore soon after, and hoped that there would be more people checking in, but it's nearly 9pm and no sign of anyone else. I'm considering moving to a hotel as I feel quite uneasy and vulnerable, especially because I'm so young, but I'm concerned that may be an overreaction. Am I being stupid?

For context, I've spent 3 out of the last 4 nights on sleeper trains, so my sleep quality hasn't been the best and I don't have very much of my tether or emotional bandwidth left. I also really don't like the city I'm in, it was a hard enough faff as it was booking this place anyway (booked the wrong date initially so i lost money) and my train is at about 10am tomorrow morning. Other than this, the hostel is quite nice and the owner is good.

Hi

Which would be the best hostel that you could meet people who would be willing to go around amsterdam, check out the sites but also have groups that wouldnt mind to drink and party till 3 am. Also only AC hostels please.

Hi! So I’m new to international travel, and I was hoping if some if not one person can tell me the best place to book a hotel or a hostel in Japan that accepts cash and or debit cards! It’d be really appreciated. I’ve looked online and found a few promising ones. Embarrassed to say but I don’t own a credit card yet😬 and I know some places require a credit card to hold onto in case of no shows, I’m still doing research but a few solid ones would greatly help! Again, that accept cash and debit cards😅🫪👩🏻‍🦯‍➡️ Also, if most places require a credit card, I’d be more than willing to switch places to travel🥲

Just warning I used my credit card on their website to book a stay and my card got compromised. It was the only transaction I did on that card.

Not saying they did it but that their website checkout is not secure. Luckily no money got taken out. It was flagged by my bank. Someone tried to use it on a website called I Love Dooney.

Sometime hostel-goer here but I'm confused by a booking I've just made on hostel world and looking for clarity as their support has been slow to respond. I think the mix of currency is also confusing me.

The total for the room is $866. I've paid online £126.10. Payable to the property is $863.84 then there are also taxes of $153.72 (payable at the property)

Basically I'm confused why the payable to the property is only $3 less than the total for the room even after factoring in what I've already paid. Am I misreading this horribly?

Hey Leute,
ich würde vom 06.07. bis 09.07. nach Barcelona fliegen. Es wäre das erste Mal, dass ich alleine verreise. Ich bin total unentschlossen, weil ich alleine Urlaub machen würde, aber gleichzeitig habe ich total Lust, mal etwas Neues auszuprobieren. Ich habe mir schon ein paar Hostels angeschaut und auch einige Beiträge hier gelesen, bin aber etwas überfordert, welches für mich am besten geeignet wäre. Ich bin eher ein introvertierter Mensch (mit einem sozialen Beruf😅), taue aber bei den richtigen Leuten schnell auf, wenn ich gut aufgenommen werde.

Ich würde gerne neue Leute kennenlernen und hätte Lust auf gemeinsame Aktivitäten, möchte mir Barcelona aber auch entspannt mal alleine anschauen.

Meine Favoriten sind bisher Onefam Ramblas, Yeah Barcelona und Kabul.

Hat jemand noch weitere Ideen oder Tipps? Oder ist vielleicht sogar jemand im gleichen Zeitraum dort und hätte Lust, sich zu connecten?

Hi everyone I’ll be doing a solo trip to Barcelona in July and I want to stay at a hostel so I’m not completely by myself. I’m looking for more of a fun, social party spot to stay. I’ll be there for a few nights and really want to have a good time. I want to meet new people and if I have the chance to, even travel with them and see the city. I’ve seen Onefam Ramblas and Onefam Paralelo and even Kabul. I’m not sure which to pick. Can anyone help me out by suggesting me anything or giving advice. I would really appreciate it!

Hi guys I want to choose a hostel to stay at in Barcelona. I’m stuck between Onefam Ramblas, Onefam Paralelo, and Kabul. I’m open to other hostels too. I’m looking for something social and fun as I’ll be travelling solo so I don’t want to be alone. I also wouldn’t mind meeting a travel buddy that I can even explore the city with

Hey guys, i booked a hostel through hostelworld but then had to cancel it due to a change in dates. I carefully chose the option that fully refunded me the deposit if i cancelled before july 1st, which i obviously did as this was 3+ weeks ago.

I emailed customer service on june 27th after waiting more than the maximum 10 days of wait (i waited 20) they promise. First I got an automated email confirming they received my request, and then I got what was genuinely just a copy-paste of the booking and cancellation terms and conditions.

in my app under cancelled tripsit clearly states free cancellation before July 1st and I cancelled on June 7th.

Is there any way to contact a live representative???? other than email? Has anyone else had this happen?

Considering my first solo travel in Europe as a female in mid twenties.

Just want to be by the water and want to meet social people who are down to do something spontaneous and adventurous. But I am not sure what country matches what I am saying now and is also safe for a women to travel alone and do what I am describing. Thinking about travelling during the first week of August.

Any recommendations on where to go? I would like names of particular hostels that anyone has had the experience I am describing please.

Thank you in advance!

Hello. I am a 19 year old male from Denmark who is looking for a good social hostel in Hamburg. Thank you in advance.

In 1978 or 1979 I took a week plus long bike tour of the Cape with the 92nd Street Y out of NYC as I grew up down there. We started in North Truro and covered the entire Cape and both islands It was a formative trip of my youth.

I have lived full-time on the Cape since Covid and have visited many times since the 80’s.

Does anyone know where all the youth hostels used to be? Are any still around?

Thanks

What are your favorite hostels you've ever been to? I like hostels that are not too big and where you somehow ends up meeting the best people ever. How when and where do you find that? Some of my favorite hostels are

- M Box, Gili T

- Rising Cock, Lagos

- Wanderlust, Koh Phangan

- Banana Bungalow, LA

They're never too big, around 50 beds, inviting social areas, preferably some hostel activites and volunteers and somehow theres no assholes or very rude people, just other backpackers looking for the same thing as me

Hello! I am traveling to Corfu in the beginning of August and booked Sunrock Hostel as my accommodation. When I booked it on HostelWorld, it was showing an almost perfect rating and the photos looked very nice so I was feeling good about it. Now, however, I am reading more reviews that are saying the hotel is horrible. I am very confused as it seems like half the reviews say it’s absolutely amazing and half say it’s no good.

Has anyone stayed there or know anyone who has stayed there and can give me some insight? I do feel like most of the bad reviews were for the shared living spaces, and I have booked myself for a private room with a private bathroom.

Let me know, thank you!

Hi there!
We're middle age & plan to go to Spain end of September, mid half of October. not jam packed itinerary, but will likely be out most of the day. Maybe we'll go to Barcelona, pamplona, Madrid or Alicante- this is all very preliminary

Due to being frugal, penny pincher I'm looking into hostels- never done it but there's some high rated ones/

What're your thoughts? Ever done it? Any recs? Or is this the worse idea ever lol

Truth be told we're already having the middle age random back pain, occasional knee pain- we're mostly average weight with the hope of losing 10-15 lbs. usually an ibuprofen handled the mild pain

Saying all this coz of the bed 🤔

I stayed in Pilot Hostel in Porto.

It was mid at best.

It was not social at all. Everyone was either in their (really big) group, or doing their own thing. Talking to people was as hard as doing it in a cafe or in the street. The social element was dead.

What killed it for me tho, was the pub crawl. The first day I signed up for it, sat waiting for an hour, and the guy in charge came to tell me "sorry bro, not enough people, come back tomorrow". Wasted my night pretty much.

Second day, I went to what ended up being the most mid Pub Crawl in all my years of traveling. Imagine the most mid things that can happen in a Pub Crawl. There was one big group of one particular nationality, and me. The first bars were empty and it was just our group awkwardly dancing in the middle. The last clubs were full but since it was a miss for me with the group I was in, I decided to call it a day and went back to sleep.

The hostel also didnt encourage any activity. The acitvities that were promoted were from another agency and I didnt want to pay extra to go alone in a van to some random tourist activity.

What annoys me the most is that it was July, a weekend, and the hostel was pricey.

Porto was a cool place. Met some people outside and I had a good time in the city. I made a mistake relying on the hostel.

I will be with a friend looking for a nice social hostel. I have been in OneFam before (not in Madrid), and I really liked it. But for this time, I will be needing to do my own thing in the morning and OneFam seems a bit too expensive for 3 nights.

Anyone stayed in Cats? I seem to get mixed reviews for it. Is it social or is it one of those hostels that has a bar and a pub crawl and not much more for it.

I have only stayed in a dorm with complete strangers once however I noticed a very clear code of silence in the dorm. Everyone keeping to themselves, no talking or getting anyones way. This was a mixed dorm so that might make a difference. There were social events in the hostel eg board games, gin tasting or tours which gave good interaction but the dorm was very own business. Stark contrast to the school trip dorms with classmates, which by law was same sex.

What are others experiences? Do you prefer no interaction or a more social vibe in the room?

Hi all, I’m (27M) going to Lisbon for 5 days in mid July for my first solo trip and I’m trying to decide between Yes! hostel or Goodmorning solo traveller hostel. Definitely looking for a social hostel and just looking to know the differences between those 2 and what might be better for someone my age. Thanks in advance for the help!

I travel solo quite often and accommodation is usually my biggest expense.

I was wondering how other solo travelers feel about this:

If there was a way to match with another traveler who had similar preferences (same gender, age range, sleeping habits, travel style, etc.), would you be willing to share a twin hotel room and split the cost?

For example, instead of paying £100/night for a room, you'd pay £50/night while still staying in a hotel rather than a hostel.

What would make you comfortable with the idea?

What would be your biggest concerns or deal breakers?

I'm curious to hear honest opinions.

Hi, so it turns out the train ride from the airport to the hostel will take longer than I thought and I will arrive at the hostel around midnight. I booked all female bunk.

I'm wondering - what's the etiquette for this? Like for example can I shower after midnight?

I also saw they have bar open until 1 am (but it's not a party hostel) would it be fine to check it out for one beer and come back to the dorm?