Almost everybody likes to travel. You get to see beautiful historical sites, experience new cultures, meet new people, and just have fun and escape from your daily life.
As fun as travelling is, it’s always hard to pick the place of accommodation. We’re here to tell you the differences between two of the most popular accommodations among younger tourists.
What are hostels?
Hostels are basically inns that provide inexpensive food and lodging. They’re perfect for young travellers and students, and are overall good if you have a tight budget.
The only downside to them is that you might have to share your room and bathroom with other travellers, especially if you want to save as much money as possible. You might get stuck with someone annoying or really untidy, but you might also get lucky and make friends for life. Either way, it’s sure that you will gain a lot of new valuable experience if you decide to stay there.
Many hostels have communal kitchens where you can cook in order to save on eating out. Not only does this save money, but it’s one way you can meet other travellers. Some hostels have a restaurant and/or bar attached as well – this can range from a simple café with sandwiches to a full menu of entrees, drinks, and happy hour specials. There are even hostels that organize free or cheap meals if you sign up ahead of time.
If you’re travelling for a long time or packing light, you will probably need to do laundry. Some hostels have washers and dryers you can use for a small fee, and others offer laundry services that are almost always cheaper that what a hotel would charge to wash your clothes.
What are Airbnb’s?
Airbnb’s provide affordable lodging for those who are in search of a place to stay besides the hotels. The hosts open their doors to travellers for a night, several days, a week, or maybe even longer.
Airbnb gets its name from the air mattresses founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia used when they were renting out their San Francisco digs during a design conference. It stands for Air Bed and Breakfast.
If you want to stay somewhere where it feels more like home, the Airbnb’s are a perfect fit for you. You’ll be able to access things such as the fridge, oven, and other kitchen appliances, comfortable furniture, and many other niceties of a home that you wouldn’t be able to find in most other types of accommodation.
The similarities
In both cases, you will gain new experience, have access to the kitchen, and will share your space with people you haven’t met before.
You will spend less money than you would if you decided to stay in a hotel, and you will feel more at home than you would if you stayed in a hotel.
The differences
Hostels tend to be cheaper than Airbnb’s, but Airbnb’s feel more like home.
You are most likely to meet a lot of new people during your stay in a hostel, but you will get to experience the town’s culture more if you decided to stay at an Airbnb. Either way, you will have the time of your life exploring what the city has to offer.
No matter what you choose in the end, keep in mind one simple thing – enjoy every new experience that you will come across.