Secrets to Staying in a Hostel as a Women over 40

‘Can I still stay in a hostel as a woman over 40?’ ‘Am I too old to stay in a hostel?’ ‘Will I feel old staying in a hostel?’ I see many women asking these same questions time and time again on social media. There is obviously some anxiety going on, linked to the now outdated understanding that hostels are only for the young. As hostels used to be known as ‘youth hostels’ it’s easy to see where this misconception can arise. So this blog post is all about staying in a hostel as a women over 40, who is travelling solo. Read on to find my secret formula to ensure you have the best stay ever!

What actually is a Hostel?

If you have never experienced a hostel before, you are probably wondering what the set-up is actually like?

A hostel is a type of accommodation which has dormitory style rooms with multiple beds. These vary from 4 to over 20 beds in a room. Most have bunk beds, some use single beds. Some hostels offer mixed sex rooms, some offer a combination of mixed and female only rooms. The use of dorm rooms means that they can keep the price lower than hotels can.

Most hostels have shared bathrooms that you will need to leave your dorm room to go to, although some have a shared bathroom within your dorm room, meaning only the people staying in your dorm have access to it.

Some hostels these days also have a number of private rooms to rent, either double or twin, again either with a private or shared bathroom facilities.

The most loved features of hostels are their common areas. All hostels have a social area that you can sit and meet other guests, sometimes these will incorporate a bar, but not always. Most also provide kitchen facilities, further lowering travel costs as you can cook for yourself. The fridge will be shared and you will need to label your food with your name, room & bed number and date.

Some hostels also provide activities and tours that you can sign up for, allowing you more opportunities to meet new friends on your solo journey.

Reasons to choose staying in a hostel as a women over 40

So, why choose a hostel over a hotel?

There are a few main considerations that people take into account when choosing hostels over hotels.

1. Cost
2. Chance to meet other travellers
3. Opportunity to cook for yourself – this could be important from a budget perspective, but if you have food intolerances, it might be more important to be able to prepare food you know to be safe for you to eat.

Cons of hostel life

1. You can’t choose your room mates
2. Snoring – some of those said roomates. It’s always a good idea to equip yourself with a sleep mask and ear plugs for any hostel stay. Some hostels have jars of them on the front desk.
3. Shared bathrooms

My secrets to staying in a hostel as a women over 40 : My formula for great hostel experiences

Choose female only dorms

This is obviously totally personal preference, but I prefer to choose female only dorms. So far I have only stayed in one mixed hostel dorm, and that was in Edinburgh at The Code Pod Hostel. It was absolutely fine, I had no issues and felt totally safe. The only thing is I had to go to the bathroom to get changed, as opposed to being able to change in the room.

Look for rooms where the beds have privacy curtains

One of the main concerns I hear about staying in a hostel as a women over 40, is about privacy. My preference is for a hostel that has privacy curtains hanging on the bunk bed, that you can pull across for that extra bit of privacy when you are sleeping. If you are on a lower bunk, you can always improvise using a sarong or a towel, but many hostels have this option. I have stayed in a hostel without and it was fine, but again, it’s all about your personal level of comfort.

Ask for a Lower Bunk

I always ask for a lower bunk these days. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be climbing up and down creaky ladders in the middle of the night when I need a bathroom break. You can do this in the message section or the box asking for any special requests when you book the room. I’ve only ever been told once that the beds are given out on a first come, first served method, but even then, when I arrived the staff at the desk were happy to give me a lower bunk. It’s a good idea to remind them of the request when you check in, just in case it hasn’t been noted anywhere.

Read the reviews!

I’m gonna say that again. READ THE REVIEWS. You can quickly tell from reading the reviews if the hostel you are looking at is quiet, or if it’s a bit of a party hostel. I used to avoid hostels with a bar for that reason, though the Code Pod and the Rome Hello both had bars and are 2 of my top 3 hostels so far. Hostels that have party nights and pub crawls are probably going to be frequented more by the younger crowd. I realise this is a generalisation, but it is something to consider if you’re looking for a good nights sleep.

If there are lots of photos of young people having a great time, holding drinks and with coloured lights in the background, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to give that a miss. I’m looking for reviews that speak about cleanliness and helpfulness of staff.

I try to use only hostels that are given and 8+ rating. So far, this has worked out for me.

Check if there’s an upper age limit

Almost all hostels allow people of all ages to stay, but there are a few still out there that have an upper age limit of either 35 or 40.

Look for rooms that have a bathroom for only your dorm room

Staying in a hostel as a women over 40, these are my favourite type of hostel room. If I’m in a 4 bed, female only room, I’m only sharing with at the most 3 other ladies. For me that’s a win 🙂 And I don’t have to wander down corridors in the middle of the night for my bathroom break! Double win! 🙂

Location, Location, Location

How close is the hostel to the sites you want to see? There’s no point saving pounds on accommodation, if you are going to use it all on taxis and Ubers instead.

Think about the number of beds in a room

You can look at this 2 ways.

The first is – the less beds in a room, the more peaceful it is likely to be and the less people you are sharing a bathroom with.

The alternative way – the more beds there are in a room, the more people you have chance of striking up conversation and friendship with.

Again, this is all personal preference. What is more important to you? What are you hoping to get from your hostel stay? If the answer is clean, budget friendly accommodation, then the 1st option might work for you. If you are looking for people to hang out with and visit sites with, then the 2nd might be preferable.

Luggage and check the stairs situation

Consider the luggage you are taking! Staying in a hostel as a women over 40 means you need to then look at if you are going to be hiking up 4 flights of stairs with it. Some hostels in Europe have lifts, many do not.

Also, think about storing your case. Most hostels provide a locker either under your bed, or within the room, for you to store your stuff. Most will fit in a hand luggage size case or rucksack, nothing bigger. You can store your bigger case just in the room, but consider how much space there is, big cases take up a lot of space. If you are planning to travel using hostels, less is more.

As a bonus, many hostels also have washing and drying facilities that you can use for a small fee.

As a side note, many modern hostels use a key code system for their lockers, but some still expect you to bring a padlock to secure the locker. Check before travel.

What activities do they offer?

This may or may not be important to you. Many hostels have a programme of events, such as walking tours, food tours, pub crawls etc. Others sell tickets for local tours to help with your sightseeing.

All the hostels I’ve stayed in so far have at the very least had maps and the staff are happy to highlight for you where the attractions are in relation to the hostel, what is the best transport to use to get there etc. The staff in the hostels are a huge source of knowledge, so don’t be afraid to ask them anything.

This secret formula has worked well for me so far in my solo female travels. I can honestly say that all the hostels I have chosen have been clean, friendly and in an area I felt safe returning to at night.

My Top 3 Favourite Hostels in Europe as a woman over 40

Code Pod Hostel, Edinburgh

Hostel Galia, Brussels

The Rome Hello, Rome

Consider Monastery Stays

If you still think hostels could be a little too out of your comfort zone, but would like to keep accommodation costs down, then consider looking into Monastery Stays. I’ve not done this yet, but I’m interested, having only read good reports of other women’s experiences.

Where do I find my Hostels?

I use Booking.com and Hostelworld

Where have I stayed in hostels?

So far on my solo travel journey I have been using hostels in Europe. Staying in a hostel as a women over 40 I have experienced hostels in London, Edinburgh, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Barcelona, Rome and Venice.

On my recent tour of Andalucia, I splashed out a bit and used hotels in Seville, Cadiz, Ronda, Granada, Cordoba and Barcelona. This was because it was a belated 50th birthday present to myself 🙂

So hostels? Yeah? or No!

So what do you think? Have I convinced you that staying in a hostel as a women over 40 is an appealing option? At the moment, financially, it’s the best option for me. Then I like to splurge a little on special hotel rooms when I want a day off to relax.

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Want to read more about life as a solo female traveller?

Check out this post on starting to travel solo, this post on the best 5 places for your first solo trip, or this post on how to deal when a trip doesn’t work out as you imagined

Looking for inspiration for safe places to travel as a solo female?

Check out my posts on Scotland – Shetland and Edinburgh: https://travelingerelax.com/how-to-have-the-perfect-3-day-edinburgh-weekend/