Well, my biggest concern is security. Are there lockers, how big are they, how secure are they? Do some hostels have extra locker space you can rent? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to ship some of my clothes home after the internship so that I don't have as much stuff to lug around/lock up.
I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
Was going to email a reply, but it might be more useful to people here.
A lot of that varies from hostel to hostel. Most of them have a safe or locked room that people can store valuables in, but I know people who've had things stolen from hostels (maybe even from the storage room) so it's hit or miss. I don't know about lockers (but they'd be a great idea!)
If I don't want to pay for a single, the four-person rooms are easiest for me to deal with - no bunkrooms for me unless I'm in nomadic backpacker mode. BUT the four-person rooms can be a group of friends who're hoping to have it to themselves, and you're the odd one out, whereas in the larger rooms (6-8 people), you won't feel like you're intruding.
I was startled by how old I felt relative to the people staying at the hostel in London last winter (I was 28, they were mostly 18-yr-old high school kids from France) but during the summer there are a lot more recent college grads at least.
Things to look for: *BATHROOMS! Some have real showers. Some have push-for-10-seconds-of-tepid-water showers. I don't know how to find out ahead of time, though. *Look online for reviews *There are places described as hostels in London that are actually sketchy halfway houses that homeless people & criminals use their gov't money to stay in. So check online for the scoop on a hostel, and maybe stick with ones associated with Hostelry International or some other youth hostel group. *Some of them include breakfast, which is nice. Just cereal and toast and other things to make yourself, but it beats having to find a grocery right away.
Are you planning to stay in a hostel during your internship, or only afterwards? There are plenty of things I can handle fine when I'm traveling but wouldn't want to deal with if I'm going to work each day.
Sure -- I've stayed in a lot of hostels in a lot of countries over the years. If you're specifically asking about the UK, I've got some fairly recent dish on the different types of hostels there.
Well, my biggest concern is security. Are there lockers, how big are they, how secure are they? Do some hostels have extra locker space you can rent? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to ship some of my clothes home after the internship so that I don't have as much stuff to lug around/lock up.
I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
What do you usually look for in a hostel?
Thank you thank you thank you! p.s. Any advice on air fare to and from the UK -- especially if I don't know when I want to come back, or am hoping I'll be able to stay longer than I currently can budget for? p.p.s. Any advice on food and entertainment budget for London per day?
I lived for a year in various youth hostels. Granted, they were all in the US, but I'd be glad to answer any questions. I don't imagine the european or canadian ones would be much different.
Well, my biggest concern is security. Are there lockers, how big are they, how secure are they? Do some hostels have extra locker space you can rent? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to ship some of my clothes home after the internship so that I don't have as much stuff to lug around/lock up.
I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
I'd look for hostels that house large groups of Irish. They tend to roam in packs, are great company / drinking buddies, and know their hostels. :) Look for established hostels. I heard great things about Travellers House if you're going to London. All but the shadiest hostels have safes you can store things in.
I have stayed in hostel rooms that have had 2 bunk beds, with 4 to a room, all the way to a room that had 4 or 5 bunks in it. Private rooms are definitely the best, if you can find someone you trust. In all the hostels I've been in, even the private rooms don't have their own bathrooms.
I generally make it a point to stay at Hostels when I'm travelling, it's a good way to meet intresting people and the staff usually has a lot of knowledge about local conditions. I recommend getting membership with Hostelling International. If you've got any question just let me know.
Well, my biggest concern is security. Are there lockers, how big are they, how secure are they? Do some hostels have extra locker space you can rent? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to ship some of my clothes home after the internship so that I don't have as much stuff to lug around/lock up.
I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
All hostels I've been in so far have large personal lockers in the rooms. You might need to bring your own lock though. There are also rental lockers (for example if you want to leave some stuff at the hostel but you've already checked out). All hostels I've seen so far have everything from single with a private bathroom to multishare rooms with common bathrooms. You can guess which situation is cheapest. Unless I was travelling with a friend I've generally gone for the 8-person multishare to lower costs. Remember, just because the room can hold 8 people doesn't mean it'll be full all the time. And I only really used my room for sleeping. Well, there are three things I look for in a hostel; location, location, location. Actually I also usually thing a little bit about amenities and such. Also, some places have free net access (Taiwan) some don't (Australia).
Your mileage will very, and I'm only speaking of hostels that are part of Hostelling International.
Well, my biggest concern is security. Are there lockers, how big are they, how secure are they? Do some hostels have extra locker space you can rent? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to ship some of my clothes home after the internship so that I don't have as much stuff to lug around/lock up.
I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-01-29 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 07:48 pm (UTC)I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
What do you usually look for in a hostel?
Thank you thank you thank you!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 08:11 pm (UTC)A lot of that varies from hostel to hostel. Most of them have a safe or locked room that people can store valuables in, but I know people who've had things stolen from hostels (maybe even from the storage room) so it's hit or miss. I don't know about lockers (but they'd be a great idea!)
If I don't want to pay for a single, the four-person rooms are easiest for me to deal with - no bunkrooms for me unless I'm in nomadic backpacker mode. BUT the four-person rooms can be a group of friends who're hoping to have it to themselves, and you're the odd one out, whereas in the larger rooms (6-8 people), you won't feel like you're intruding.
I was startled by how old I felt relative to the people staying at the hostel in London last winter (I was 28, they were mostly 18-yr-old high school kids from France) but during the summer there are a lot more recent college grads at least.
Things to look for:
*BATHROOMS! Some have real showers. Some have push-for-10-seconds-of-tepid-water showers. I don't know how to find out ahead of time, though.
*Look online for reviews
*There are places described as hostels in London that are actually sketchy halfway houses that homeless people & criminals use their gov't money to stay in. So check online for the scoop on a hostel, and maybe stick with ones associated with Hostelry International or some other youth hostel group.
*Some of them include breakfast, which is nice. Just cereal and toast and other things to make yourself, but it beats having to find a grocery right away.
Are you planning to stay in a hostel during your internship, or only afterwards? There are plenty of things I can handle fine when I'm traveling but wouldn't want to deal with if I'm going to work each day.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-29 10:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 07:49 pm (UTC)I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
What do you usually look for in a hostel?
Thank you thank you thank you!
p.s. Any advice on air fare to and from the UK -- especially if I don't know when I want to come back, or am hoping I'll be able to stay longer than I currently can budget for?
p.p.s. Any advice on food and entertainment budget for London per day?
no subject
Date: 2008-01-30 02:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 07:49 pm (UTC)I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
What do you usually look for in a hostel?
Thank you thank you thank you!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-01 05:31 am (UTC)I have stayed in hostel rooms that have had 2 bunk beds, with 4 to a room, all the way to a room that had 4 or 5 bunks in it. Private rooms are definitely the best, if you can find someone you trust. In all the hostels I've been in, even the private rooms don't have their own bathrooms.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-30 02:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 07:50 pm (UTC)I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
What do you usually look for in a hostel?
Thank you thank you thank you!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-01 12:41 am (UTC)All hostels I've seen so far have everything from single with a private bathroom to multishare rooms with common bathrooms. You can guess which situation is cheapest. Unless I was travelling with a friend I've generally gone for the 8-person multishare to lower costs. Remember, just because the room can hold 8 people doesn't mean it'll be full all the time. And I only really used my room for sleeping.
Well, there are three things I look for in a hostel; location, location, location. Actually I also usually thing a little bit about amenities and such. Also, some places have free net access (Taiwan) some don't (Australia).
Your mileage will very, and I'm only speaking of hostels that are part of Hostelling International.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-30 04:35 am (UTC)My friend
no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 07:50 pm (UTC)I've mostly been looking at private singles so that I don't need to worry about that, but those are rare to find and certainly a lot more expensive than staying in a normal hostel room with x number of strangers.
If you stayed in non-private rooms, how many people did you usually aim to be sharing with? I know some of these rooms are 8 or more people and some are only four. Some are mixed and some are not.
What do you usually look for in a hostel?
Thank you thank you thank you!