Can we talk about how I changed my mind on hostel dorms after overhearing a guy in Dublin

I always thought private rooms were the only way to go for safety, but last week in Dublin I heard this traveler talking about how he saved $400 over 10 nights by booking a 6-bed dorm instead. He said the lockers were solid and he met people who shared dinner tips. Now I'm wondering if I've been wasting money on privates for years. Has anyone else switched over to dorms later in their travels?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.sam21d ago

...and honestly the privacy thing is overrated once you get used to it. I switched to dorms like two years ago after a similar thing happened to me in Berlin lol. This guy in my hostel was telling me how he'd been traveling for six months on a budget that would've lasted me two weeks in privates. He showed me how he just uses earplugs and one of those sleep masks and he's fine. Now I actually prefer dorms in cities where I'm gonna be out all day anyway. The social thing is real too, I've had people tell me about free walking tours and cheap restaurants I never would've found otherwise. Just check the reviews for locker security and bring a padlock, you'll be fine.

the_piper21d ago

Oh man, this hits way too close to home lol. I spent like three years paying for private rooms in hostels and honestly I think I was just paying for the illusion of privacy because I'm a disaster at sleeping in public. I always imagined some stranger would steal my socks while I was asleep, but then I realized most people don't want my crusty socks anyway haha. So I finally tried a 10-bed dorm in Barcelona last month and turns out I'm the one who should be worried about annoying other people with my snoring, not them stealing from me. I brought a padlock and earplugs and actually ended up chatting with a couple who told me about this killer tapas place that saved me like 15 euros a night. Now I feel kind of dumb for all that money I burned on privates just because I was scared of my own shadow lol.

victorb7421d ago

The social thing is the real game changer honestly. Like @the_piper said about that tapas place in Barcelona, I had the same thing happen in a hostel in Krakow where someone told me about a free vodka tasting event I never would have found on my own. A good lock and some earplugs are all you really need to make dorms work without any trouble.