Hotel or Hostel?

It may seem odd for someone who is 39 years old, but I actually choose to stay in hostels. Sure, sharing a bathroom with dozens of other people can be a chore, and hostels are often noisy and not spotlessly clean. But they have a few benefits as well: they are often highly social, raucous, and fun; they're often conveniently located, and they're budget friendly (cheap!).

I didn't stay in a hostel until I was 37. I was in Seattle, in the midst of a divorce, and wanted to travel and experience some new things. When I was married my then-wife had much higher lodging standards than I, so we always stayed in standard, clean chain hotels. When I started traveling solo, I reasoned that I could cut the lodging expenses in half by staying in hostels; that's been fairly accurate, and I'm usually happy with the tradeoff. I like roaming around, seeing the sights, partying 'til dawn, and looking for adventure. I don't sleep much while traveling, and certainly don't lounge around the hotel. So for me, a cheap hostel works well as a home base and a place for a few hours of sleep per day.

That said, I've learned that a hostel is not always a better value than a cheap hotel. Here's what I found recently.

Do your research
Using www.hostelworld.com, I found a hostel in Seattle at $40-45 per person for a private room with a double bed and a shared bath; so that's an $80-90 room for two, the price dependent on the day of the week. Tax and breakfast are included, and there's a kitchen so you can cook meals; plus, there are laundry facilities and bike parking. Not bad for your own room. The location is excellent; it's downtown, not far from Pike Place Market, Seattle Center, and so on.

In comparison, using Travelocity I found a room with a double bed and private bath for $80 per night in a hotel that's a 10-minute-walk from the Seattle Center. It's basic, with no swimming pool, restaurant, workout room, breakfast, or kitchen. I've stayed in dozens of hotels similar to this one. If they're cheap enough and the location is reasonably convenient, I do enjoy the privacy occasionally. Because of the price, they fill up quickly for holidays, big events, conventions, and so on.

The appeal of each option is quite different. The hostel is a place for making friends, staying a few days, catching up on laundry, and taking a break from restaurant food by cooking your own. The hotel is a place to sleep, to find some privacy, and keep your valuables while you're out and about.

If you're traveling alone, as I often do, you may find that you prefer hostels. It's easy to hang out and meet people, including fellow solo travelers who may have loads in common with you. The hostel vibe means it's easy to socialize, join people for fun activities, and still maintain a reasonable (low) budget.

And when you're traveling solo and willing to sleep in a dorm-style room, you can get the per-night cost down to $20-25. I see that option as a last resort; it's often too much action as I want to wind down, and it seems that every night I'm either waking someone up or being woken up in the middle of the night. Plenty of people, however, usually young vagabonds on gap year, take this route exclusively.

Mom-&-pop hotels
Another option to remember is independent or "mom-and-pop" hotels. On Whidbey Island a year ago I stopped at a restaurant with adjacent hotel. I checked the room and found it well cleaned, with two double beds and a bathroom with no tub but a fine shower. It was cheap, too, at $70 per night, or only $35 per person. The restaurant next door hosted karaoke that evening so we had our fun built in, too!