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So you’re broke? Can’t afford a high-end hotel to flex your trip abroad on the haters? Gee, i know the feeling. Whatever can you do? You would die for the thrill of the flex but you also enjoy saving that sweet sweet dinero? Turn to hostels or it can get hostile! … Yeah that’s what I’m going with 😅
What I’m tryna say is that hostels are a great way to save money while traveling. The opportunity to meet other travelers in rustic abodes has been one of the biggest blessings the Traveling Gods have bestowed upon my voluptuous caboose. I use big words now. So in this post, I try to make a list of the best hostels I’ve personally visited, providing contact info for those interested. Without further ado, let’s dive into the list, break into a mid-tier backstroke and uh… drown in the sea of hospitality? 😅
1. Train Lodge, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 🇳🇱
Location location location! Plus ambiance I suppose! Plus pot but not really. This is the place I stayed at during my three nights in Amsterdam in 2018 and boy was it memorable. So the hostel is literally an old train at the Sloterdijk Train Station. They still have it on the tracks and turned it into a fully functional apparatus, including beds designed to recreate the experience of overnight train travel. Given its position, you get all the perks of great transportation access to the city proper, sitting one stop from Amsterdam Centraal. Plus, the station has döner kebab. Need I say more? And when I ordered some, the guy told me ‘Black man! Black man!’ Boy did I feel special (not really. It was weird)! So come, lodge yourself in the Train Lodge hostel!! 😉
2. Casa Amina, Chefchaouen, Morocco 🇲🇦
I don’t actually recall what this place looked like from the outside. The real magic was within. RIP Hedwig. Had to say it. I vividly remember arriving late via a Flixbus from Rabat during the period of my Moroccan journey when I feared every living creature would attempt to swindle me out of my lucrative dishwashing earnings. I rushed through the mazelike streets of the Medina, avoiding all eye contact until I plopped myself down on the quaint bed of my characteristically azure-colored room. It contained all I needed; a quiet ambiance with wide, airy windows. The cherry on top was the terrace, which truth be told is nothing like a cherry… but it is where I spent hours peering over the entire cityscape, which ressembled an army of blue polka dots scattered within an enchanting green valley. I sipped tea in that hood. What the fuck is up?
3. No Rain No Pain, St. Petersburg, Russia 🇷🇺
This one was quite hard for me to find. It’s nondescript but conveniently located across the street from a metro station whose name I forgot. It was in Russian. And I’m Mcdumb. Still, this hostel offered free jelly beans, wooden bunk beds, and nice hosts. I stayed there right at the onset of the Covid 19 Pandemic and I remember returning to this spot after long cold days pondering the coming woes of the world and finding momentary solace in the warmth and comfort inside. It’s right by KFC too, and Russian KFC is some of the world’s best Russian KFC. In fact, my life literally peaked during my stay at this hostel when I became a philosophical juggernaut. Once I dared question if I could get a night bite at KFC and instinctively, I responded with ‘KFC is always open. It’s our hearts that close.’
4. Downtown Beds, Mexico City, Mexico 🇲🇽
My last-minute decision to lead an exodus from the frozen depths of Canada and seek refuge in Mexico was a lifesaver and I owe that to Downtown Beds. Arriving around 4 am, I was immediately taken aback by the hostel’s location within a grand restaurant in the middle of Mexico City’s Zona Colonial, offering amazing architecture matched only when one takes a morning stroll onto the massive scope and vibrancy of the Old City. I wanna say this place gave off a dark vibe but in a positive way. Its black decor felt chic and mysterious and dealing in breakfast and quality showers gets me bricked up quick (cap). The only problem was that as I visited during the Pandemic, it wasn’t as lively as it likely is. Still, if you consider yourself down with towns and you hate clowns come ’round!
So that’s my list!! 0 or more likes and I’ll do a part 2! Remember these are all based on my opinions and experiences and you may go to these hostels and get abducted by aliens or some shit so don’t take my word as gospel…unless you want to 😉
