Good to hear! :)

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Yeah, I know what you mean. What’s great is that now, some hostels are even offering private rooms, so you can get the comfort and privacy while still having access to much of the information and social interaction.

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Thanks! I’m envious of your African experiences and can’t wait to follow in your footsteps. When camping, do you worry about gear (if you have gear with you worth worrying about)?

How were the hostels in Africa different than elsewhere (if at all)??

-T

I’m about to cross the Cambodia/Vietnam border tomorrow and looking forward to sharing the hostel experience with my father, who I’ll be traveling with for three weeks. We’ll probably do a double private instead of dorms, but still mingle in the common rooms.

You’re saying Hotels are cheaper than Hostels in Vietnam?

-T

I’m right there with you with having a nice private room on occasion (but only on occasion :P).

-T

Yeah, the tours can actually be a primary reason to pick a hostel. Just recently in Chengdu, China, I stayed a “Mix Hostel”. Apparently, they offer the best and least expensive tours that get you to Tibet. People were flowing through that place like water just to book the tours and get the necessary permits for Tibet. Pretty interesting.

-T

I too have two travel accommodation loves – hostels and staying with locals. For finding awesome hostels, I too recommend using hostels.com – and also asking for advice from tweeps (which is great especially when you’re going to a more obscure, off-the-beaten-path destination). For finding locals, I got to: https://www.tripping.com. You’re right on that hostels, hotels and hospitality exchange don’t have to be mutually exclusive!

Its true that some hostels are dodgy, that’s why I ALWAYS check their ratings on tripadvisor, lonelyplanet and hostels.com :)

Sounds like you had the best of both worlds. Don’t get me wrong, a hotel is nice every once in a while, especially if you’d like some privacy and/or a tub to soak the aching bones in. Hostels, however, should be looked at as more than just a cost savings. Of course the main reason people choose hostels over hotels is the price tag, but there are so many more benefits to a hostel if you’re willing to sacrifice a little privacy and, possibly, cleanliness. Joey’s comment is a good example of why one who can afford to stay in hotels while traveling might choose a hostel instead.

Good tip as well: Check the ratings and reviews of a hostel before you book, and also when you get there double check it meets your standards!

-Travis