Travelling alone and staying in a hostel for the first time

Hello everyone,

This is my first post and I am looking for a bit of guidance!

I have flight tickets saved and hostel information up but I have never done this sort of thing before and I'm looking to travel at the end of the month!

I am normally a hotel girl and never travelled alone before Let alone staying in shared accommodation but I need to be near the spandau area!

Has anyone heard or been to the Generator hostel in Berlin?
Any advice as I will be there for 3 nights

I've decided I need to take this trip, but am I doing it the right way? Is there anything I should know?

As you can see, any help you can give I would be grateful!

Thank you so much in advance

You'll have a ton of fun! I leave for my own solo trip to France and Spain tomorrow. Four years ago, I did a month in Italy and Greece staying in hostels. I've never stayed in Berlin but I can give you some generic hostel tips.

• Bring a lock. Most hostels have places to keep your stuff secure, usually a small locker in the room you can lock up with your own lock.

• Get a microfiber towel. I never saw any towels to use so I was glad I had my microfiber towel that dried super quickly

• Shared bathrooms can get a little gross, especially the floor if you are near the beach. I was glad to have cheap flip flops I could wear in the shower

• Take advantage of any extras the hostel offers. My hostel in Athens had cheap guided tours of the city and my hostel in Rome had a little kitchen in the common room where we could cheaply buy wine and bruschetta and couple other simple things cooked by hostel workers.

• Get to know the other people staying in the hostel. When you are traveling alone, it's a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world and sometimes you need to start the conversation. So worth the chance and everyone who stays in a hostel is open to meet people.

• Intend to travel low maintenance in terms of hair and makeup. I found it really hard in a shared bathroom situation with possibly no outlet to be super picky about what I looked like

• Pack as light as you can manage. Try to choose hostels with laundry facilities halfway through your trip so you only need to pack for half the days. In a hostel it's kind of hard to do the wash in the sink thing because there's nowhere to hang stuff. One hostel had a balcony so we all hung some stuff out there, lol.

• Pay attention to whether your hostel has "lock out" times. My hostel in Cinque Terre wouldn't let us in for a large chunk of the day so they could clean. Kind of a bummer if you tire yourself out and would love a quick nap. Plus, you need to make sure you have all the stuff you need for the day with you.

Have fun!

Hi Bonney-Marie,

personally I also only used to stay in Hotels, but since I made so many wonderful experiences in Hostels, I don´t really want to travel any other way.
People sharing dorms are usually trying their best to respect the sleep of others but since some come back later to the room or sometimes people snore, I always take a sleeping mask (the one used in airplanes) and some earplugs just to be safe.

Thank you both for your vey helpful and encouraging advice! I have learnt a lot!!

I have booked it and go on the 29th of this month... I did go for the Hostel but an all girl dorm, I actually got the last bed so that was lucky!!

I am so excited and nervous all at the same time and you have helped me a lot

Thank you

A very excited

Bonney-marie

I was there last year with my partner. we suffered in a problem and I was going back. but my partner stayed here for a week more and I think it is not difficult to find a hostel in Berlin. You will go to property dealer and he help you to find a hostel.

Thank you ...

I have a hostel booked already as I need to be at the Citadel that evening so needed to know where I am going but for moving around that is great to know, thank you!!

Bonney-Marie

Bonney-Marie,
I am super excited for you as this will open your eyes to a completely new and wonderful window to the travel world. Like Niels, I too prefer the hostel stays because of the opportunity to meet other travelers. This makes your experience so much richer. You can exchange tips of where to go and it is not uncommon to find a travel companion for a day, the next destination, etc. Don't be shy to start the conversation and ask questions. It is great to meet so many people who share the love of travel and enjoy the authentic experiences to be had when you stay close to the locals.
Enjoy your trip!

Chapincita

Aww thank you for this, that's really nice.

I am really excited and can't wait to come back and tell everyone all about it!

There are so many nice people on here, I am glad I joined :-)

Thank you

You've probably picked a very good hostel because I've been to the Generator when I went over to Berlin on a University trip and I loved it.

It's a very big hostel and you'll probably be sharing a room with 5 other people, so it's a good opportunity to get to know others and making new friends.

There's also a internet cafe and breakfast/lunch atrium on the ground floor which usually turns into a bar in the evenings, if you're feeling like just chilling out at the hostel rather than going out in the evenings then I would recommend hanging around there and socialising with others like yourself.

I was with my classmates so I was with them the majority of the time, so this could be a different case if you're on your own.

There's also a train station just behind the building down a steady gradient so it's also great for getting around Berlin quickly.

Hope that helps and have fun!

[ Edit: Edited on 23-Jun-2012, at 05:40 by Rambot ]

Bonney-marrie,

Your gonna have an unreal time, The first hostel I stayed in I was 18 and it was a 16 person room in Amsterdam and I had an amazing time, I was travelling with friends on my first trip but have since travelled solo and its always a good time. Im travelling solo this year and living at the end of the month and cant wait... Im going to Berlin and was looking at some hostels from my understanding the Generator is renowned party hostel (which I have no problems with) but I did read several reviews about people saying it was difficult to meet people as a solo traveller, but others said the complete opposite so I'm guessing its a hit or miss. Im not sure when your going but if your there before August 1st could you respond back on this thread and let me know how it was for a solo traveller...please and thank you in advance, have an amazing trip

Dejo Teo