I used to be a hostel snob until a stranger called me out in Barcelona

Last summer I was standing in line at a hostel in Barcelona complaining to my friend about shared bathrooms. This guy behind me just goes 'dude, you're paying 18 euros a night in one of the most expensive cities in Europe, what do you expect, a private suite?' I was annoyed at first but he had a point. I started actually looking at what I was getting for that price instead of what I wasn't, and now I book dorms with good common areas and free breakfast instead of private rooms at cheap hotels. Has anyone else had a reality check like that about what budget travel actually means?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_reed556d ago

Hostel snobbery is just a tax on the inexperienced, honestly.

phoenix2466d ago

The thing is, Holly_reed55, I stayed at a place in Barcelona called Kabul Party Hostel that was honestly more like a nightclub with beds than any snob tax situation. It was cheap, but the vibe was so loud I could barely sleep and the showers had a line out the door every morning. I mean, maybe there's a middle ground where you pay a little more for a place that's still social but actually has clean towels and a kitchen that works. Idk, I think calling it a tax on the inexperienced skips over how much the quality and crowd can really change your trip.

the_alice6d ago

Wait wait wait, people actually judge hostels like they're hotels? That's wild to me. I thought the whole point was just finding a cheap bed and maybe meeting some cool people.