Travel can be expensive, so it’s no big surprise that a lot of people want to cut corners wherever they can on travel costs. Since there is only so much you can do with cutting costs with things like flights, sometimes it comes down to how costs can be cut in regards to housing. For this reason hostels are quite popular, often with students but really for anyone is trying to save money and possibly see a lot of locations on a single trip. Here are some things to know about staying in a hostel if you haven’t done it before.

A hostel is essentially a low budget setup that is made that way by creating a shared space. Sometimes this means that many people sleep in the same room together, and sometimes this means that people just share bathrooms, depending on how much you are willing to pay. Of course having your own room or just shared with one other person will cost more than staying in a room with a big group. The prices vary by country and sometimes time of year, but in general the prices are quite low such as anywhere from $10 to $40 a night. It’s easy to see how much money you could save making this option over staying in a hotel.

If you are on a group vacation staying in a hostel can actually be quite fun, since you can all stay in a room together which eliminates having to choose between rooms and also having to share the space with strangers who you may or may not like. The lack is privacy can be an issue for some people, since there really isn’t anywhere that you can go alone. In fact many hostels are quite boisterous since people are usually on a trip where having fun is a goal.

Most hostels have security that prevents people who are not guests from entering into the hostel, but there is always the chance of theft. Most hostels have a place where you can lock up some of your belongs if you are worried about it, so look into that ahead of time if that will be a need of yours.

The staff can be limited at hostels which is another thing that makes it different than a hotel, so if you lose a key or something you might not be able to get a replacement at all hours of the day. Some hostels actually have a curfew in place for this reason which can be helpful in some circumstances, but not if you are in the habit of keeping your own hours and might lose track of time and get locked out for the night.

Most hostels have kitchens so you can buy your own food and cook it there which can also save a lot of money in comparison to eating out all the time. Some include a free breakfast but it is generally nothing to write home about thanks to the cheap costs of board.