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The thing is that I travel solo, ever since the great late BF died suddenly 8 years ago. It is a different situation from traveling as a "mature couple". But I wasn't going to stop traveling because he died - in fact, later in the year in which that happened, I had to keep moving almost compulsively, to convince myself that the world is still there. What can I say, hostels are good for my purposes, I like them, and I feel totally at home among the travelers who just graduated from college - they and I tend to dress and behave the same way when traveling, and we seem to have similar travel interests.
I think if I were single, I would stay at very high end hotel, why it’s much safer, less crime. I already dress and behave as a student but I need a bit better bed. This is a problem I find with booking anything in Europe. Their king size bed is not our king size bed. Plus I can’t stand people who snore loud anyway.
This isn't called for, someone not wanting to do something that feels weird to them is entirely different than staying at home in a recliner. I'm sure there are people who have traveled more and experienced more than you ever will despite having never stayed in a hostel.
Oops, forgot the smiley. What I meant as a joke came out sounding harsh.
I generally stay at air bnbs but had a couple of great hostel stays during my recent trip to Colorado. One in Salida was very congenial we all cooked dinner together "stone soup" style. Yum. I went to sleep early and slept well through the night. The congeniality was going on in the common are so the room was quiet. I asked in advance for a bottom bunk and draped the sleeping bag down from the top bunk for privacy. Maybe it helps as an oldster I have a regular doctor who will prescribe sleeping pills.
The next stay was at the beautiful shadowcliff hostel in Grand lake west of RMNP. It has the most amazing view! I got lucky and had the room to myself - one of the percs of travelling in the of season. They have private rooms as well but it is a 2 night min. stay.
Oh another recent hostel experience was the Adirondak Loj outside lake placid. They have a huge open room upstairs where I wouldn't have been comfortable but I paid a bit extra for a bunk in a 6 person room. This time also I had the room to myself.
Listen to this...I was researching some hostels last night and happened to see age restrictions for some of them. One of the hostels said 18-40, which would exclude me. Have you ever heard of any hostels having age restrictions?
When I was 38 in 1989, the hostels in only the German state of Bavaria restricted people my age, unless they were a parent accompanying a young guest. Don't know if that's still true.
Wow, the hostel thread resurrected... in Covid times, no less! :-) You raise a good point, though that was already answered, maybe on this thread actually. The majority of hostels have no age restrictions, and Hostelling International even gives a discount on yearly membership card to people older than certain age (I think 55). There are, however, still rare hostels that do limit accommodations to young people only. The only place where I encountered that were privately owned hostels in New Orleans (but there are also two brand new beautiful hostels in New Orleans, one of them a HI, without any age limit). If I intend to stay in a hostel, I always ask the hostel if there is an age limit before I make the reservation.
I used hostels at 70; mostly ex-USSR. Prefer private hotel, where it is easy to find rooms for under $20. All were small hostels, less than 25 beds. None were places I wouldn't go back to. I was probably the worst guest, stumbling around noisily trying to find the bathrooom at 3 am.
A few were so lovely, I'd have been happy to just retire there and live the rest if my life -- Bishkek, Tbilisi, Chisinau. In Darwin I was the only guest and they just upgraded me to a private room. After 5 days in Tbilisi, all the guests came down to see me off in a 1-am taxi to the airport.
Has any senior stayed at Hostels in Lisbon, Madrid or Copenhagen. Im planning a trip to one of these cities, Still not sure which one yet. I've never stayed in a Hostel, but I feel like doing something different. Not to mention the cost savings staying at Hostels is tremendous.
Has any senior stayed at Hostels in Lisbon, Madrid or Copenhagen. Im planning a trip to one of these cities, Still not sure which one yet. I've never stayed in a Hostel, but I feel like doing something different. Not to mention the cost savings staying at Hostels is tremendous.
Hostelling International hostels generally have a good standard of comfort everywhere, and people aged 55+ used to be able to get a discounted HI membership card before Covid, I don't know if that is still the case. HI hostels are generally my first choice, ie, I look for a non-HI hostel only if a non-HI hostel is in a much better location, or has really rave reviews. Here is the info for Copenhagen:
Check for the maximum length of stay - many hostels in Europe have a 7 day limit, so if you are planning a stay longer than 7 days in a certain city, you'll likely need more than one hostel. Also, it appears that the HI in Copenhagen has only mixed dorms, ie, not separate women's dorm rooms (you'd have to ask specifically, they are not always listed) - which COULD be okay, but would cause me personally to look for an alternative.
Ah ok, Copenhagen also has a Generator hostel (another really good hostel chain)! And it definitely has separate women's dorm rooms. Okay! That will be my choice when I go to Copenhagen:
I think if I were single, I would stay at very high end hotel, why it’s much safer, less crime. I already dress and behave as a student but I need a bit better bed. This is a problem I find with booking anything in Europe. Their king size bed is not our king size bed. Plus I can’t stand people who snore loud anyway.
Crime in hostels? Vanishingly rare or none in reputable ones. You may want to stay at a very high end hotel rather than a hostel for the obvious difference in luxury and privacy, but there is no difference in crime. Obviously it is not recommended to stay in sketchy hostels, or visit high-crime places in the first place, but in well-known hostels in generally reasonably safe cities there is no concern of crime (other then normal precautions against theft that you'd take anywhere).
Last edited by elnrgby; 01-15-2024 at 07:35 AM..
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