How Much Can You Save Staying In Hostels? The REAL Numbers  

Pssst. Siem Reap? Not in Thailand...
But this is all still good information.

@Anon
Good eye. Thanks for the catch.

My goodness, the savings are off the chain. You are so right Brian. Hostels rock! THey offer cheaper accomodations, shower, cheaper meals (if available) and an excellent environment to meet people and do cool cheaper tours. I am all about them and still regret my hotel stays in Paris and Barcelona. Thanks for the post.

This is excellent information and difficult to collect. Thank You from Andy Graham of HoboTraveler.com

I have wondered for years how people make decisions. I find that very few people have budgets, they more or less spend all their money and go home. Travelers must be able to save money or they cannot travel, tourist want a reprieve from their sins, therefore try to stay in the most expensive they cannot afford. Flashpackers have taken over the planet, and the wanna follow crowd rules, they want to follow the leader.

I hope you did not stay in a Hostel in cities like Addis Ababa. I reserve my hostile hostel experiences for countries like Japan and Amsterdam where room values truly are bad.

I can live in developed countries with a lot of work for 20 dollars per day. In all developing countries, this is 85 percent of the planet for less than 10.

Thanks
Andy of HoboTraveler.com, a couple of years of travel under my belt.

@rhonalala
Yup, when I ran the numbers I even surprised myself. I thought you were going to stay in the hostel I recommended for Paris? That was you right?

@Andy HoboTraveler.com
Glad you enjoyed the post, please pass the word.
I did stay in a hotel in Addis. I was swayed by the Internet connection in the room. Little did I know that the entire country of Ethiopia is on the SAME 56k modem connection!

Hard to refute those figures!! Holy cow - didn't realize just how good a deal it is :-)

I can tell you too, that low priced 3 star hotels can be CRAP. We stayed in one in Barcelona and I am positive a hostel would have been nicer than this place. I have stayed in, lived in, and managed hostels and it can be a great experience, not only in accommodation, but often also in friendships made.

Just found your blog...having a look around. :)

Thanks for this Brian! When I was backpacking I found that hostels are great option for solo travellers on a budget!
Not just for the savings, but also most hostels have common areas like the kitchen, lounge etc where you can meet other travellers. This gives you the opportunity to share travel tips from places you've come from or are going to. When you've been travelling solo for a long time, it's just nice to have a chat, play board games, go out on the town together. Sometimes if you are heading in the same direction for the next leg of your journey, you can link up and make great savings too.
Hostel notice boards abound with tourist info, and some even organise affordable excursions.
Hostels are always my first option!

Thanks for that cost comparison. Very helpful.

Traveling as a couple, hostels seem to make less sense if you start to double those prices.

Also, I have found that it is possible to negotiate better deals with hotels than with hostels. For couples, hostels are not such a bargain.

@Shannon OD
Yup, the numbers don't lie.

@MamaBird
3 star hotels are at the edge of decent to crappy places to stay so unless you are sure of the place sometimes it is a guessing game. And I'm not quite sure what/who determines 3 star vs. any other. Is it the price of the room? Amenities?

Please stay and make yourself comfortable.

@Kymbugs
Everything you said is right on the money.

@John Bardos - JetSetCitizen.com
John, I've never tried to negotiate a hotel room, so I can't speak to that.

I personally saw plenty of couples and families get private rooms that were cheaper than 3 star hotel rooms.

It depends on what city/town you are looking at.

It also depends if the hostel is going to charge you PER bed or one flat fee for the room with multiple beds.

At least investigate it next time you're looking for a room.

Very Nice blog with remarkable ideas I have never thought about these ideas thanks for sharing it would be helpful for my next journey :)

@roofing_insulation
Glad you found the information useful.

Great post... I am a huge hostel fan. I believe it is the best way to travel. Keep up the great work!

Happy travels,
Grant

Interesting. I consider hostels expensive and not much fun.
I spend all my time couchsurfing when I am traveling. It gives me a much better idea of the local culture and is a lot more fun. On top of that, you can spend the money you save on hostels on having fun with your host. Either cooking for them, taking them out to dinner or a drink, etc.
I couldn't imagine traveling with hostels, it feels very empty :)

@Grant Lingel
Hey Grant! Thanks for the good words.

@Walter Heck
Hostels are not for everyone and I totally understand where you are coming from about the benefits of couchsurfing.
Both have their pros and cons.

Any trip is what you make of it, whether you couchsurf or stay in a hostel.

This was a great idea for a piece! I hadn't run the numbers before. Right now I'm researching the most expensive hostels I can find on hostelworld...some of those suckers are $75. It just depends on which hostels you're booking and where.

@waywardlife
$75??? I might be willing to pay that for a private room in a hostel. No way for a dorm bed.

Are these prices still valid.It looks quite cheap to me.Thanks for sharing it.

@Online Hotel Booking
These were valid in January 2009. Maybe time to do another comparison test.