12 Ways to Avoid Staying at a Bad Hostel in 2025

I love the hostel. After more than 19 years of travelling the world, I still stay at the hostel. Because they are the best way to meet people in many of the world with the cheapest accommodation options.

But what makes a good hostel?

And how do you avoid bad hostels?

After staying in hostels with over 1,000 people since I first started traveling the world, I have become adept at getting a very quick grasp of what the hostel owner is doing or if he randomly wakes up and says, “Let’s open the hostel.” Sounds fun. ”

While hostels are all about people, management can do a few things to make the hostel the perfect framework for making your experience better. Certain features make the hostel memorable (normal rooms, group activities, kitchens), but other features can make them forget – or even worse (push button showers, general filth, uninformed staff).

All of my favourite hostels share common traits that make them the best in the world.

Here’s a breakdown of what I’m looking for in a hostel that will help you choose the best one for your next trip:

1. Are there any common rooms?

I love meeting new people while traveling. I’m usually on a solo trip so if I want to be social, I need to get out of the way to meet people. A regular room in the hostel makes it easy. They help me chat, get tips, do activities and find people to travel with.

Plus, they’re just good to enjoy. They usually have a pool table or video game console, TV/movie (perfect for rainy days), foosballs, ping pong, and a comfortable sofa (a comfortable sofa is a must!). If you want to be social, try to stay somewhere with a decent common room (or multiple). It’s a great place to easily connect with other travelers.

In warm destinations, the common outside areas are also a big plus. Rooftop bar, patio, barbecue area, pool – social outdoor spaces are a must.

2. Is it located in the center?

Location, location, location. Whenever you are looking for a new hostel, make sure it’s close to what you want to see. When I get somewhere new, I don’t want to spend my time commuting. So I always make sure my hostel is in a central location and is close to public transport. That way I can easily move and don’t have to worry about wasting money in a taxi.

This is especially important in big cities where things are spread out, when shorter trips and time become essential. Yes, they may cost more, but you save money on transport. Additionally, centralized hostels are usually more popular hostels, making them a better place to meet people.

Don’t waste your vacation during transit. Make sure you book somewhere Central!

3. Is it beautiful?

Certainly, budget travelers like cheap things, but that doesn’t we like things getting dirty. Hostels have come a long way in recent years, but they have not been maintained and there are still many people who need thorough scrubbing. Avoid dirty hostels as it is easy to get sick on the road. Even if the hostel is cheap, the rough bathrooms and showers (and the increased risk of bedbugs) are not worth the risk. Invest in yourself. You deserve a clean room!

Photos hostels post on their websites and social media can be misleading, so read reviews specifically on sites like Hostelworld for cleanliness tips. If only one person complains, maybe it’s not a big deal. But if a large number of reviews mention a lack of cleanliness, take that as a clue.

4. Have you read the review?

Always read reviews before booking. Is the hostel quiet or loud? Is it a party hostel or a rear-back? Is the mattress comfortable? Do bunk beds squeal? Usually, reading reviews will allow you to answer all these questions (and even more).

Websites such as Hostelworld and Booking.com have plenty of reviews to help you find the perfect hostel for your needs and budget.

You want to bring them with a grain of salt (people love to complain), but they definitely help when it comes to choosing the best hostel. You should also leave a review – a good review will help the hostel grow, while a bad review can warn your fellow travelers not to make the same mistake.

Plus, make sure you only stay in the hotel with many reviews. The hostel may have high ratings on HostelWorld, but if you only have 10-20 reviews or 20, I might leave it (it’s easy to fake such a rating). However, if the hostel has hundreds (or thousands) of reviews and still has an 8 out of 10 or 9 ratings, that’s a good sign.

Generally, I try to book hostels only with ratings of 8 or higher at Hostel World.

5. Do they organize group activities?

If you are planning to stay in a social hostel and want to meet people, choose a hostel that offers group activities. These can be walking tours (my favorite activities), pub crawls, trivia nights, cooking classes, or barbecues. These events are a great way to meet other travelers and learn about their destinations.

My favourite hostel is the social hostel that always holds events. It makes your stay more enjoyable and lively!

6. Are you late check-outs?

Do not stay in the hostel at check-out time before 10am. The best hostels have a check-out time at 11am and you can check out anything really good at noon. Sleep is rarely good, so sleep is worth it. Hostels with late check-out times understand this and often have a more relaxed environment. There’s something wrong with the hostel asking you to come out early in the morning.

7. Do you have a bar?

The bar is not a deal breaker and there are plenty of great hostels without them, but it makes it a great place to interact with guests from other hostels. Usually, if there is a bar in a hostel, they focus on ensuring that the people who stay there are enjoying, interacting and celebrating.

If you want to socialize and meet people, you’ll want to stay somewhere at the bar.

8. Do they have lockers?

That’s amazing, but I’m in a hostel that doesn’t actually offer lockers or charges you. Lockers must be the norm for this day and age. You should not pay for security. This is a contract vandal for me (especially after traveling with electronics). Always bring a lock. That way you can use it once the locker is provided.

9. Is there a kitchen?

Try looking for a hostel with a kitchen, as you can prepare your own food, lower your food budget and share meals with new friends. Nothing holds people closer than a shared meal (and a few glasses of wine).

10. Do they serve breakfast?

Find a place for a decent breakfast (i.e. more than bread or cheese) or where it starts and ends when people are actually awake (breakfast starting around 8:30am is usually late). Breakfast is also a great way to load up snacks for the day and cut down on your food budget.

11. Do they have a pod-style bed?

The days of sleeping on creaking metal berths are over. If possible, look for a hostel with pod-style beds. These beds offer much better privacy, dampen the surrounding noise and help you sleep better. They are usually always a big plus in my book.

12. Are there individual lights and outlets?

Before booking, check if the dorm inn has its own exit and light. This not only allows you to charge your device without fighting for space, but also means that fellow travelers can turn on their own small lamps instead of the room’s main light. (I hate it when people turn on the lights in the middle of the night. Use your bed lamp or flashlight!)

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You don’t need a hostel for having all of these things, but there are a lot of the above mentioned hostels that really great ones understand what travelers are looking for.

Furthermore, as more and more people moved to remote work, hostels began to accommodate long-term travelers working on laptops. If you are a remote worker, these hostels are a great place to stay as they have fast Wi-Fi and can easily connect and network with other digital nomads. However, if you are not working online while traveling, avoid these hostels. Most people are just on laptops and if you haven’t done it either, it’s boring. Instead, they stay in a hostel that caters to backpackers. It will be much more fun and you will have an easy time meeting people.

Ultimately, it’s the people who make a really good hostel and even the worst hostel would be great if you meet good people. But removing people from the equation, I look for hostels that have some of the above qualities. As a traveler, the hostels know what you want and are there to enhance your travel experience. It’s not just taking away money from you in exchange for a bed. I would rather stay in a place where I am trying to make sure I am having a good time.

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