How To Choose A Hostel & Tips For Finding The Best Hostel (2025)

Wondering how to choose a hostel?

Then you’ve come to the right place because I am a full-time backpacker and I book hostels everywhere I go.

It’s important to choose a hostel which is right for you, a hostel which you are going to enjoy.

But how can you choose the right one every time? I’ve got a fool-proof method and I’m about to share it with you.

Want a quick answer? Use Hostelworld, read the ratings for each category and choose what matters to you most. And of course, read the reviews.

How To Find Hostel Options

First of all, before we focus on how to choose a hostel which is right for you, we need to establish the best ways of actually finding hostels. There are a few methods to use, some will be common sense, and some you might not have thought of. So I’ll go through the top 5 one by one now.

Search On Google

The most obvious way to find hostels is by searching on Google. A simple search of something like “hostels in Bangkok” or “Lisbon hostels” will bring up a list of all your options.

It’s probably how you found this post – by searching on Google.

When you search for hostels, you’ll get all of the hostels in the city to come up with their ratings etc.

And Google is advanced enough in 2024 that you can book stays directly through Google without even having to go onto a site. But I personally don’t recommend this.

Nonetheless, Google is a good way to quickly put together a list of possible contenders of where you’re going to stay.

Google search results page showing a list of hostels in Lisbon with prices and ratings.

Use Hostelworld

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While Google is a good way of starting the process of choosing a hostel, it’s not how I recommend booking it or even deciding on which hostel.

Instead, I recommend using Hostelworld. It’s the number one platform for booking hostels, and it has the most options too.

It has hostels in over 180 countries! So you’re bound to find one that suits you, no matter where in the world you are.

Hostelworld has a number of features which I really like but one of my favourites is that when people leave reviews (which you can read), they have to rate the hostel based on certain criteria, and then the hostel has an average for each rating.

Hostelworld listing for NapPark Hostel at Khao San in Bangkok displaying its ratings for a number of categories such as Security, Location, Cleanliness, etc.

For example, a hostel has a rating for safety, a rating for atmosphere, a rating for location, etc. It makes it really easy for you to decide which hostel is right for you.

If the reason you want to stay in a hostel is to make new friends, then the atmosphere rating will be a big deciding factor for you. Or if you want to stay in a hostel that’s suited and booted, then the facilities rating will influence your decision.

I’ll go into more detail about how to choose the best hostel later, but in short, Hostelworld allows you to lay all of the information out and decide which one you think is best.

Ask Your Friends

If you’ve stayed in hostels before, you’ll have probably made friends along the way. Use these friends!

Most people who stay in hostels have stayed in hostels before, and they might have a recommendation for where to stay in the place you’re going to.

If you know for a fact that someone has been there, simply send them a message and ask if they have a suggestion. That’s why I always tell people to make as many connections as possible when travelling on a budget and follow each other on social media.

Or if you don’t know anyone who’s definitely been there before, put it on your Instagram story asking for recommendations and see if anyone replies. The worst that can happen is no one replies!

If you want a third option, you can join my Facebook group for backpackers and see if anyone there has a recommendation. As always with travelling, someone will have always travelled to a destination before you.

A promotional image for my free Facebook group. If you click on the image, you wil be taken to my group.

Use Blogs

Another good way of finding hostels is to use blogs, just like the one you’re reading right now (thanks for reading!).

Bloggers are – usually – travel experts and experts in the destinations they write about. So wherever you’re planning on going, find a blog for that place and see what they have to say.

Again, a simple Google search should bring up some blogs for you to check out.

Even if you don’t find a hostel recommendation, you’ll probably learn a lot about your destination along the way.

Browse TikTok

One of the most modern ways to pick your hostel is to use TikTok. And while I’m pretty bad at social media myself, I have to admit some people do put out really good content.

The good thing about TikToks is that they aren’t really over-produced and they show you what a hostel is actually like to stay in.

You get an insight that you won’t get just by reading reviews and looking at pictures, you get to see what it’s like on a day-to-day basis and that insight is invaluable in my opinion.

Type into TikTok “Medellin Hostel” or wherever you are staying, and you’ll be transported straight there and see inside all of the hostel options.

A TikTok search results page with videos related to hostels in Medellin, Colombia.

How To Choose A Good Hostel

Now that you know how to find hostels, it’s time to talk about how to choose a good hostel and choose a hostel which is right for you. Because everyone has different preferences, right?

When choosing a hostel for myself, I go through this exact process so I can find which one suits me best. So let’s get straight into my hostel-picking steps, shall we?

Oh, I should say that all of these steps are taken using Hostelworld, it has everything you need to be able to make the decision.

Read The Reviews

The most obvious way of choosing a hostel is by reading the reviews. No one is going to want to stay in a hostel which is rated 3/10, are they?

I usually look for hostels which are rated 6 or higher, and immediately I have ruled out any hostels rated lower than this.

Next, I read some of the reviews. If the reviews are looking negative like “really dirty and in a bad location, but the staff were really friendly”, then I’ll rule that hostel out. I don’t want to stay there just for nice staff, no offence.

If the reviews are positive, congrats to the hostel, it’s made it to the next stage of my shortlist.

Usually, the reviews will reflect the hostel’s overall rating, but this isn’t always the case.

Hostelworld webpage showing hostels in Hanoi, Vietnam, with event promotions and ratings for various accommodations.

Location

Next up for what I look at is the location. I have a nice balance which I try to find.

I try to choose hostels which aren’t right in the centre but also I don’t want to be a 30-minute drive away either. Somewhere in the middle is nice.

But I do combine this step with looking at price, which is the next step. As if somewhere is in the centre but isn’t overpriced, I’ll still consider it.

I find location can be a problem in two scenarios: 1) When it’s a large city such as London, as all hostels in “Greater London” will still be labelled as “London” and you can actually be an hour from Big Ben, for example.

2) In destinations which are regions rather than towns or cities, such as Krabi in Thailand. If I want to stay in Ao Nang, I’m going to need to be more specific rather than just putting in Krabi.

So I try to find a hostel which isn’t too far away from the centre but isn’t going to be a tourist trap hostel either. I go for a nice balance.

Price

As I said, I use this step in conjunction with the location step. As if there is a hostel right in the centre which isn’t too expensive, I won’t take it off my list just because it’s in the centre.

But the thing about hostels and prices is that it’s not always a case of cheap=bad and expensive=good.

Sometimes the cheapest hostels can turn out to be the best, and sometimes an expensive hostel can turn out to be straight crap.

So what I do is I take a look at the ratings and reviews again, and if there is an anomaly, I’ll strike it off. For example, if one of the most expensive hostels has one of the lowest ratings, it’s gone.

But on the other hand, if one of the cheapest hostels has one of the best ratings, I’ll take note and remember that.

A variety of international currency notes including Euros and British Pounds on a grey surface.

Safety Ratings

Even though I have this as my fourth step, I kind of do it just throughout the whole process anyway.

On Hostelworld, I never stay anywhere with a safety rating lower than 7. I just don’t really fancy putting myself in a dodgy neighbourhood of a city or the shady part of a town, I’ll pass, thanks.

To be honest, I personally don’t think there is that much of a difference between a safety rating of an 8 and a 9. So I don’t really use it as a deciding factor, but I will use it to eliminate options.

Common Rooms & Atmosphere

For me, one of the best parts about solo travelling is the ability to meet new people easily and make lots of new friends.

So I use this as a deciding factor when I choose a hostel to stay in. If the atmosphere rating is really low, I’ll probably not stay there. But if it’s really high, like 9 or above, then I’ll almost certainly be choosing that hostel.

When I first started backpacking, I didn’t use this as something I considered, and I stayed in a few hostels where I didn’t really meet anyone and that was it, I have looked at the rating from then on, and I’ve always been able to meet new people since.

Some people say that the best part about travelling isn’t where you go, it’s the people you meet. And I’m inclined to agree, so I encourage you to choose a hostel which is designed to make it easy to meet new people.

A group of friends I made in a hostel. When I go to choose a hostel, I always look at the atmosphere rating.
A group of friends I made in my hostel in Washington DC.

Events

Continuing on from the atmosphere factor, I also choose a hostel based on the events that they run.

If a hotel doesn’t run any events, it’s probably not a hostel which is designed for meeting people.

Whereas if a hostel does run events, it’s actively encouraging people to come together and socialise.

Events can be anything from a pub crawl to a quiz night, karaoke, board games or anything in between. I don’t really care what the events are, but if there are events, I know that it will be a social hosel.

Amenities

While it’s obvious that a hostel will have fewer amenities than a hotel, some hostels do still have a ton of amenities which could be a unique selling point.

Most hostels will all have the same facilities: a common area, a kitchen, a bathroom, dorm rooms, a reception and maybe one or two more.

Some common USPs include a rooftop bar, a bar in general, a garden area, and a gym. I always love a hostel with a gym as it can be hard to stay fit while travelling.

The best unique facility in a hostel where I have stayed was in Next House Copenhagen which had a mini football (soccer) pitch. It’s my favourite sport so I loved it!

Inside view of a modern indoor sports area with a soccer pitch and a view into a gym at Next House Copenhagen.

Room Size

The average size of a hostel room is between 4 and 12 beds, but I have seen hostel rooms with as little as 2 beds, and as many as 40 along the Banana Pancake Trail.

So depending on how many people you are comfortable with sharing a room with, this could be a deciding factor for you.

From travelling across Europe on a budget and beyond, I’ve found that I prefer hostel rooms with 6-8 people. I find it the best balance between budget and the ability to make friends.

Hostel room interior with wooden bunk beds, personal belongings scattered, and towels hung for drying, depicting a common backpacker's lodging arrangement.

Type Of Travellers

If you are conscious of how many people you want to share a room with, you’ll probably be conscious about the type of travellers too.

To find this out, you’ll need to read the reviews and sometimes read between the lines.

If a review says that there was lots of noise until 3 am and lots of people disturbed them during the night by coming in drunk, then it’s probably a party hostel where the type of travellers are backpackers who like to go out, party, and then continue the party at the hostel.

If a review says that everyone went to bed really early and it was difficult to make friends, then it’s probably a hostel with a slightly older demographic.

I try to find somewhere in between. I don’t drink alcohol personally so I don’t want to be surrounded by people whose only idea of fun is getting absolutely plastered, but I also don’t want to be surrounded by people who ignore me when I say hi.

Breakfast?

This is just a bonus for me, if a hostel includes breakfast in their price per night, I’ll use it as a deciding factor if there are a few hotels with similar atmosphere ratings.

I really really like hostels which include a free breakfast, it helps you save money on 1/3 of your meals for the day, but that’s not the only reason I like it.

A free breakfast also makes it incredibly easy to meet other people as everyone is going to be in the same place at the same time, and if you’re sitting at a table and someone is sitting 2 seats down, you’re probably not going to ignore each other.

It’s one of the biggest secrets to choosing hostels in my opinion, and now that you know the secret, you’ll never look back. I promise you.

Note that it only really works if the breakfast is free. If there is a breakfast offered but you have to pay, it can still work, but usually not as well because everyone who stays in a hostel is a cheapskate, myself included!

A group of friends I made in a hostel at breakfast. Breakfast is always something I consider when choosing a hostel as it makes it easy to meet people.
A different part of the friend group from Washington DC, and I actually met everyone here at breakfast!

Choosing A Hostel: FAQ

Below are some common questions related to how to choose a hostel along with my answers to each question.

What to look for when booking a hostel?

Some important factors to consider when booking a hostel are its location, the safety rating for the hostel, how expensive it is, and how good it is for meeting people. This will ensure you only stay in good hostels.

What is an ideal hostel?

An ideal hostel is a hostel that’s reasonably priced, is in a good location, has a high safety rating, and has lots of common areas which make it easy to meet new people and make new friends. Bonus points if the hostel organises events like pub crawls.

What is the best site to find hostels?

The best site to find hostels is Hostelworld. It shows all of the available hostels in a destination along with ratings for them based on a number of categories including location, safety, atmosphere and more. It makes it really easy to choose the hostel which is right for you.

Wrap Up

And there you have it, a complete guide on how to find hostels, and how to choose a hostel which is right for you.

Staying in hostels is an amazing experience, but only if you like where you are staying, so make sure to take your time to find the right hostel for you.

Now that you know how to choose where to stay, do you know what it’s like to stay in a hostel? I think these hostel life quotes sum it up pretty well.