Loading…
11
PSA: Hostels used to cost me $11 a night, now the same ones want $45 and I know why
I kept every hostel receipt from my 2016 trip through Portugal and Spain in a little zip bag, and I dug it out a couple weeks ago just to compare. Back then I paid 11 bucks a night in Porto and about 14 in Madrid, shared room, free breakfast, the whole thing. Last month I looked up those exact same two hostels for a trip my sister is planning and they're now 45 and 52 a night. Nothing got fancier, same bunk beds, same sketchy shower on the third floor. What changed is the booking sites and the whole "experience" push, now they call themselves social hostels and charge hotel prices because people will pay it. I used to plan a 10 day trip on $300 total, food and trains included, now that same 10 days eats closer to $900 and that's if I'm careful. So I've flipped to staying in small towns 40 minutes outside the big cities and taking the bus in, cut my lodging almost in half on the last trip. Has anyone found a region where hostels haven't blown up like this yet, or is this just how it is everywhere now?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
elliot_miller2220d ago
Man, I feel this in my bones. I did the same thing with old receipts from a Balkans trip and it was just depressing. That small town plus bus trick is smart though, might have to steal it.
5