Langholmen Hostel, Stockholm, Sweden.
What’s the first thing you think of when you imagine a hostel? Cramped, uncomfortable and packed full to the rafters (literally!)? Here is a round up of ten things which may surprise you about hostels…
1. The 100th anniversary of youth hostelling was celebrated this year: The first permanent youth hostel opened on Aug. 26, 1909 in the Altena Castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It was built by a teacher named Richard Schirrmann who came up with the idea of a low-cost hostel while he was sheltering from a thunderstorm one night during a school trip with his class.
2.Flashpacking hostels are here to stay – Boutique and luxury hostels are spreading fast as hotels up their game and techno savvy backpackers start to expect more – for example, when Sydney Central YHA opened in 1997, it was one of the first hostels to have keycard room entry. It is also one of the biggest hostels in the world, with 550 beds in 151 rooms, a rooftop pool and sauna.
3. They take up a huge portion of the current travel industry – It is now estimated that there are two million hostels across the globe. With the current economic climate, the budget travel industry has exploded in all areas with cheap flights, cheap accommodation and freebies coming as a standard.
4. Prisons make great hostels – Many former prisons have been renovated to become huge hostels for travelers. Check out the former Crown prison – now the Langholmen hostel in Stockholm or the Ottawa Jail Hostel in Canada.
5. Planes aren’t just for flying – The Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm is actually an old jumbo jet plane! The best room to book is definitely the front of the plane where the exclusive cockpit suite is located.
6. They’re for everyone – So many more people are taking career breaks, holidays, and travels later on in life meaning that hostels are no longer exclusively for young backpackers. Families, couples, professionals AND students make up the vast backpacking community which now exists across the globe.
Plus Prague
7. Mixed dorms are not a rule – Many hostels offer single sex floors, or dorms. If they only offer mixed dorms, chances are that they also provide private rooms for a slightly higher price. Hostels such as the Pink Hostel in New York and the Cairns Girls Hostel in Australia two of the first exclusively women hostels.
8.The Facilities are as good as Hotels – One of the most important groups to be aware of is Hostelling International, a non-profit organization composed of more than 90 different Youth Hostel associations representing over 4500 Youth Hostels in over 80 countries.Today, many HI hostels are as upmarket and high-tech as major hotels with facilities such as en suites, WiFi, smaller dorm rooms, and experienced professional staff (rather than travelers working for free board).
9. Famous people like them too – Hotel 17 is a New York hostel offers budget style accommodation for travelers, backpackers…and Madonna. Located in Downtown New York near Greenwich Village, it has many claims to fame including the filming of the Woody Allen movie Manhattan Murder Mystery at Hotel 17 onsite. Prices start at just €23 a night.
10. Hostels have kitchens – It can be hard to save money even when you stay in a cheap hostel due to the high prices of food in many city destinations. Many hostels now provide kitchens you can use to prepare meals in – it’s also a great way to meet other people and perhaps even pick up a few handy cooking tips! As well as being found in a family hostel, kitchens are becoming more commonplace in youth hostels, and even in some of the flashpacking hostels. It can save you a huge amount of your budget if you prepare and eat two of your daily three meals in your hotel.
