Hostelling

The best travel experience is always going to relate to the people you are with, or meet along the way.  I don’t believe you can have any stories without the lives and adventures of others intertwined.  For this reason, I love hostels.  Staying in them really completed the whole Euro-trip experience for me because I was able to meet people of all ages, from all around the world, who were in the same locals, for different reasons.  And in hostels, people are generally out for adventure, which makes them even more interesting to meet.

Wonderful ladies I met in a hostel in Paris - we were actually all traveling solo too!

There are many ways to find a hostel, but I had an amazing experience with Hostelworld.com.  So much so that I don’t mind promoting the site without reserve.  They have pictures, recent reviews, pricing, city maps, directions from wherever you are arriving from and you can book your reservation right there.  I was able to find some excellent hostels and I highly credit this site for me not getting bed bugs and/or not being miles away from where I wanted to be.  In addition, I met some incredible people and learned about local spots I would never have known to visit!

Yes! Lisbon Hostel in Portugal

If you are a little nervous about hostels just from what you've heard, read the reviews and look at the pictures.  What I found was that many of the bunk beds had curtains so you could have a little privacy, almost every hostel had lockers available for you to lock your stuff in, and many even had kitchens which is very helpful when you are on a budget.  Not to mention, pretty much every hostel has a social area and internet access.  Of course, I was in Europe, so this may not apply everywhere.  My one hostel experience in Brazil was just as good though.

Oasis Backpacker's Hostel in Sevilla, Spain

If you want to meet other travelers, learn about free tours, get local insights, and don’t mind a bunk bed, a hostel may be exactly what you are looking for!