Today is my last day staying in this hostel before I move into my own place. As far as hostels go, this one wasn't bad. It's in a great location, only 10 minutes from Taipei Main Station, which gives you access to all the MRT and bus lines you could ever need. It's also close to this delicious dumpling place that happens to be uber cheap. If you prefer Western-style food, there's a McDonald's and KFC nearby (not as cheap as the dumpling place, but helpful if you have a craving). And there's a night market not far away, which I haven't gone to yet since I've gone to bed pretty early most nights (humidity not only makes me sweat profusely, but also makes me sleepy).
I'm really glad for the existence of hostels because it has allowed me to travel on a more affordable budget and therefore to travel more often and to places that might initially be deemed too expensive. Ideally, it would be best if you could stay with a friend in a new place, and I'm so grateful for all my friends (and family members) who graciously opened up their homes to me while on my travels. But sometimes, if you don't know anybody or if you plan to stay somewhere awhile, hostels are your best bet, at least for people like me. I don't like spending money on hotels when I travel because it seems like a lot to pay for a mere place to sleep. Plus I think I'm just uncomfortable with the idea of indulging in luxury. It's just not me. Even the MGM Grand is too fancy for my tastes.
I know some people like to pamper themselves when they travel, especially after long, tiring hours trekking around to various sightseeing areas, but I like to pamper myself in other ways (such as on food, drinks, and novel experiences). Whenever I travel, I always look for the cheapest flight and the cheapest accommodation. Of course, this isn't without its downfalls, such as the time I waste trying to find a hostel on my own or the very minimal legroom I sometimes have flying from one country to another. But to me, these are all temporary lapses that rarely, if ever, mar the overall experience.
I can only think of two times when I wished I hadn't booked a bed in a particular hostel. To date, I've stayed in hostels in Birmingham, Auckland, Queenstown, Wellington, Singapore, Kyoto, Osaka, Sapporo, Shizuoka, Hiroshima, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Seoul. My very worst hostel experiences were in Auckland and, surprisingly, Kyoto. In Auckland, the hostel happened to have its own nightclub on the first floor, and unfortunately our dorm room was located directly above it so you could hear the music raging all night long. To top it off, having drunk, inconsiderate guys make a lot of noise right outside your door is never a good way to spend the night.
The ordeal in Kyoto was more of an unhappy coincidence. I usually don't mind staying in a mixed room dorm. I know a lot of females who do, and it's perfectly understandable. But in my experience, I've never really had a problem. Except in Kyoto. This hostel had come highly recommended from several friends, and the staff and rooms were nice enough. However, it happened to be New Year's Eve in Japan, which meant everyone had consumed a hearty amount of soba and sake prior to sleeping. When certain people drink, they tend to snore. A lot. Out of the 8 people in the room I stayed in, 7 were male - and 4 of them snored that night. These weren't the kind of snores you could ignore even at a normal decibel, and I happen to be a light sleeper, meaning it's very difficult for me to fall asleep with any noise present. I have an easier time staying asleep, but that initial drift-off can be problematic. These guys were snoring so loudly that they were waking themselves up. Unfortunately, when one woke up, another was usually still asleep, which meant the snoring never completely ceased. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep that night, and I am one grouchy traveler when I don't get enough sleep. I happened to be traveling with a friend on that particular trip, and he didn't get much sleep either, so we made for a friendly pair in the morning. Just thinking about that night makes me want to buy earplugs (which can only do so much).
Anyway, two bad experiences aren't too significant in the great scheme of things, and it certainly hasn't deterred me from booking hostels in the future. I think when a lot of people think of hostels, they think some dingy building filled with young, bearded travelers who share bunks crammed into one room. While I have encountered this situation, most of the time, it isn't like that. Most hostels offer at least a few private or semi-private rooms, albeit at a slightly higher price. If you're traveling with one or two friends, this would be a great way to go. They also offer female-only dorms in addition to mixed dorms. All the hostels I've been to have had really friendly staff who were more than willing to give tips on places to visit or things to do. They were also all fluent in English, which is nice when you've just gotten off the plane and don't have the brain capacity to try to make conversation in another language. And the location is almost always smack in the middle of a boatload of things to see and do.
The best part though is definitely the price. I don't think I've ever paid more than $30-40 USD for a room, even when I booked a room for just me and a friend. And even if you're the more reserved type who likes a space of their own, you might get lucky, especially during the off-season. One time I booked a bed in a 6-person dorm in Osaka, and there was nobody in it except for me (there were other people in the hostel, but they were all staying in other rooms). For about $15 USD, I basically had my own room and personal bathroom. It was great. The hostel owner was also extremely considerate and charitable - she even met me at the entrance of the train station because the hostel was supposedly hard to find.
Obviously, hotels are still much nicer and spacious in the grand scheme of things. But travel doesn't have to be as expensive as many people make it out to be. I managed to hit up 5 separate countries after leaving Japan, and my total flight costs were around $1900 USD (including my flight back to the U.S. from South Korea). I either stayed with friends or in hostels in all 5 countries, which meant my living costs were probably around $350 USD (even in Singapore, which is notorious for being expensive, a room cost me $20). For around $2500 (including food, activities, and souvenirs), I got to have some pretty awesome experiences abroad. I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend $2500 on travel than on some electronic gadget (*cough* Apple products) or brand-name purse that will probably disintegrate into disuse in ten years. My travel experiences will stay with me for years to come, even the bad ones like getting food poisoning or almost getting scammed (they make for good stories later on).
My next post will be about traveling with less, which is a lesson I still have occasional trouble with. But it's definitely something that I'm getting better at with time.
*Actually, it might be a little while before I get the internet cable for my apartment, so posts might be halted until then.
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