Welcome • User Guide
ToS • Privacy • Canary
Donate • Bugs • License

©2026 Poal.co

1.3K

I'm pushing half a century soon and i'd like to do some more international travel. i used to rent a car and sleep in the back when i traveled previously, but that can make for some uncomfortable evenings. so for the bucks and does on here who don't want to spend $300 a night on a fine star hotel, let alone even 100, how do hostels work for middle-aged people? is it even a thing?

I'm pushing half a century soon and i'd like to do some more international travel. i used to rent a car and sleep in the back when i traveled previously, but that can make for some uncomfortable evenings. so for the bucks and does on here who don't want to spend $300 a night on a fine star hotel, let alone even 100, how do hostels work for middle-aged people? is it even a thing?

(post is archived)

[–] [deleted] • 3 pts

I wouldn't go to hostels, probably full of migrants. Suppose I also wouldn't go to hotels because they fill those full of migrants too. Looks like I'm not going to Europe... not now, not ever.

[–] • 2 pts

I wasn't necessarily thinking of Europe. Maybe Northern South America and or South East Asia. But I don't know I'm a big dreamer and dreamers suck.

[–] [deleted] • 3 pts

I'm a big dreamer

So, like a fat mexican or some shit like that?

[–] • 3 pts

No I'm northern European. I just like to dream a lot about stuff. that's how I got through my drunk Irish dad and 10 years of Catholic School.

[–] • 2 pts

If you're going to S.E. Asia you can afford a hotel. Hotels are like 10 to 40 bucks a night depending on the country and quality. Quick searched showed Gio Lao Eco Lodge in Vietnam for 5 bucks a night.

[–] • 1 pt

This girl that I follow on Instagram is actually in Vietnam right now. She might have killed herself though because she was riding on a moped moving her camera back and forth and she was going down a hill that was ridiculously switch backy. I never thought much about Vietnam until just recently because of the war and everything. my father was over there and I was like fuck those gooks. But it seems like since we pretty much get a ton of our clothes made there it's all water under the bridge. that war really had nothing to do with the plebs it was just a political power move.

[–] • 2 pts

I haven't stayed in a hostel since my early 20s. I would rather spend the money on a hotel than go through that again.

[–] • 0 pt

Are they that much of a shit show?

[–] • 0 pt

Are they that much of a shit show?

In the late 80s England, yes. But that was my only experience with them.

[–] • 1 pt

I'd imagine you could, but I'd never do it. No privacy. Electronics would all go missing.

[–] • 1 pt

The last time I traveled I only went with my phone and my tablet. Now I would just go with my phone and nothing else maybe a charger and an international plug. I learned the hard way not to bring a lot of shit when you go somewhere. Don't they have lockers at these hostels?

[–] • 0 pt

As far as privacy, do you suppose they have rooms for different aged people? I mean I wouldn't want to be in a room with a 70 year old that goes to bed at 8:00 but I also wouldn't want to be in a room with a 22-year-old who's comes back blasted on ecstasy at 4 am who decides they want to sleep rape a cute girl bunked next to them. I'd also imagine they have private rooms for a little bit extra cash. Some places even offer camping as an option. I experience this in Iceland about 10 years ago for 12 bucks. threw a tent in the yard, and camp out that way. Only thing that sucks about it is when it rains, and it did on me.

[–] • 1 pt

Fuck no.

The last straw was a nightmarish night in a hostel in Cork, listening through the paper-thin walls to two dudes whine about how they couldn't get fucked, before the fire alarm went off and we all got to stand outside in the rain at 2 am. (For 2 hours.) I won't get into the bed bugs we picked up in Brussels.

Definitely a hard no from me.

AirBnB and other online rental places. Cheaper than hotels. Fewer amenities but also fewer hassles. You can have problems, but they have been rare for us.

[–] • 2 pts

No kidding. Wow that sucks. I did the camping one in Reykjavik, Iceland and then another time in Sweden with a woman I was dating. we got a single room for 70 bucks. Other than that I've never stayed in one. I've showered at the one in Moab, Utah a dozen or so times. I've seen older people there but I never really thought much of it all.

[–] • 0 pt

Camping would probably be safer, for sure. In-city ones are hit and miss and I'm too old to put up with the misses.

Er, no pun intended... But she did complain so much that I couldn't even consider it anymore.

[–] • 1 pt

That's kind of what I am feeling as well. That's what I do now and I've been doing it for years and years. I'm not much of a city guy but I know you have to start out in cities anytime you go anywhere.

[–] • 1 pt

Only hostels b/c they're free if you rob the old people. (/s)

[–] • 0 pt (edited )

Hostels? ...ooohh, I thought at first you said hospitals.

... I have an RV van that I can usually drive to where I'm staying,, but I'll try to find a quality, inexpensive basic hotel or motel room if I really need it I have definitely seen some hostel-type places that looked fine, though. Could be worth considering. What exactly does a person's age have to do with it (asking as an older person)?

[–] • 0 pt

Because I'm almost 50 and if I'm in a bunk room with a bunch of 20 year olds taking copious amounts of drugs and acting fools I don't want to deal with that. Not saying that would happen but there's more of a likelihood seeing I was 21 once and I could only imagine how they act now.

[–] • 0 pt

Shit, it's been 30+ years since I stayed in a hostel... haven't even considered them since getting married (most are dorm style, men together, women together ~ no "couples") Back then, in the US and Canada, they were fine. Never had anything stolen, never had anything Worth stealing either. Met lots of cool people, went on adventures I would have never otherwise known about ~ something I'd wish on every 18~24y/o for at least a few months.

Now? When we've gone out of the country we've used hotels only as a last resort (usually when arriving/departing airports for the long haul between there and home), otherwise it's guest houses, airbnb, etc... One of the coolest places was a room over a brewery in Germany, woke up to the smell of malt and the clinking of bottles... walked down the stairs to their "morning window" and ordered a Weissbier (hefewizen, they even do them in low alcohol variants). I think we paid like $25us for the night there. I don't think we've ever paid over $100us for a room, in any country outside of the US.

Mostly we stay in the country... or at least where we can drive, and our bed is in the back of a DIY van conversion. Suits our pace a whole lot better, just stop when you find something worth stopping for, stay till you've gotten your fill and then move on. This was our acceptance of "middle age", recognizing that the discomfort of exhaustion (long distance air travel takes weeks to recover from anymore) isn't worth the rewards anymore. Thankfully we didn't wait to travel... and maybe in the future we will be in a position where we can Spend a week or more recovering from the flight and still have time to enjoy the destination... till then, we drive a van with a bed.

[–] • 0 pt

I didn't really think about overseas stuff until about 10 years ago. And I did a few trips. But then I dumped the corp life I had for the back of my Subaru then a van. I do agree that being young affords you the luxury trying things that might hurt or are kind of not smart. The only way I would head over the pond again would be if I could piece together a long stay somewhere. It would be worth my time and money at that point. 10 days somewhere barely scratches the surface.

[–] • 0 pt

I’ve never been to one so I’d love to. I’ve hosted couch surfers before so I’d like to do that.

Basically you become hyper best friends with whoever you couch surf with because both sides are trying to get it to what they would have someone sleep over at. You end up getting the best insider killer tour and trip of wherever you go.

Go to a couch surfing meetup and talk with these people. These people live more of a life in a week than most do in a year. It’s stunning

[–] • 0 pt

That sounds very caffeinated to me. If they could slow the do more in a week than you've done in a year to maybe do more in 6 months than you do in a year, I'd probably be able to swing that.

[+] [deleted] • 0 pt
[–] • 0 pt

In Europe, hostels are mainly used by homeless junkies.

[–] • 1 pt

I didn't know that. So do people mostly stay in Airbnb now?

[–] • 0 pt

I did that a while back for a month. Bit pricey for a single traveler, but a smooth option to have inside info from the host.

[–] • 0 pt

That's just it, I'd be traveling on my own. And I don't need a gigantic space. I just want to have sound sleep. Maybe I should just go back to renting a car and bringing a cheap tent, sleeping bag and whatnot for camping.

[–] • 0 pt

Airbnb has gone to shit as well. If I was you I would stay in hotels or B&Bs with good reviews.

[–] • 2 pts

So I guess there's no way to budget travel anymore huh?

[–] • 0 pt

fuck no.. i never leave the house

[–] • 1 pt

I never do either, I've got a camper van. it's only saving grace of that is I get to drive somewhere new every few days. Although much of where I go unfortunately is overrun and has lost most of its luster.

Load more (7 replies)