I’m sure those of you that are avid travellers have had plenty of experience with hostels. Which, obviously, comes with a lot of good, and a lot of bad. There’s the dread of stepping into a hostel room with blood-stained sheets, hairs on your pillow, and some old man snoring in the corner. But with the best moments come meeting new people from around the world, making new friends, and spending time with people who may not normally cross your path. Some of the best adventures happen with people who you spend a day, or a week with, and never see again. But they gave you those funny moments that you will always look back on.

Speaking to a friend, I asked about her worst hostel experience. She told me it happened when she was with a group of friends in Brisbane, Australia. The hostel was dodgy, dirty and with some questionable characters staying there. One of which was an intimidating middle-aged man who was staying in her room. One evening when she came home, she found him fast asleep in her bed. Understandably, she was too afraid to wake him! Another evening, she was brushing her teeth in the communal bathroom, and halfway through he came in and simply said ‘out.’ She left.

My best experience happened in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. When I arrived at 7am after spending the night on a bus and struggling on 2 hours sleep, I was sat waiting for check-in and made instant friends: a group of people of all different ages and life experiences. There was the Swiss man who was obsessed with techno music, the Danish girls who had been backpacking for a month but still had the most stylish outfits, the schoolteacher from Texas, and many more characters. That was the ideal hostel – it had organised day trips every day to beaches and waterfalls, and a bar that opened in the evening. Everyone was sociable, and there would always be someone to sit and chat with at any time of day, even though I had arrived there alone.

There really are ups and downs to hostel life, but one thing’s for sure – they give you the best adventures and the most interesting stories.

Image: Iona Normandi