Lots of people can be quite nervous travelling alone, and travelling on a budget doesn’t help. I started my solo travelling late in life so my concerns are not quite the same as young women. I am just hoping to share some of my personal experiences.
When I did my epic trip, I spent the first two months in Europe. As I had a long journey ahead of me, I chose to stay in hostels most of the time. With the exception of one hostel in Dublin that used a headache inducing cleaner in the bathroom, I managed quite well.
One concern was that I was going to be the old lady at the hostel even at the ancient age of 38. While most backpackers were of a different generation than me, a few were of an unexpected direction. My first hostel in York there were several senior citizens staying there. It helped me feel more comfortable immediately. Also most of the younger people couldn’t care less, in Venice I hung out in the bar a few nights and chatted with a variety of people. While I never chose to join the pub crawls, everyone seemed happy to meet anyone passing by.
Though once in Edinburgh a pack of high schoolers on a trip were slamming doors as they chased each other through the halls. I actually did channel my inner old woman and went to ask them to be quiet. Chagrinned they swore they would go to bed. I had to laugh and said I didn’t care if they went to bed - just pick a room and stay there!
Still, there are safety concerns. Many hostels do offer women’s only dorms. I never really minded if I was in a co-ed or not. I did notice however if Women only was available and I chose mixed, usually to be in a room with less beds, I would end up being the only woman. I never had issues, but it is a consideration especially for young women travelling alone. If there was an option, I started picked the women’s dorm.
For privacy, it can be good to look at pictures of the rooms and see if there are curtains that come with the bunks. If it’s not an option, I had planned ahead. Most people are going to be traveling with a lightweight towel that can work as a curtain, or a sarong wrap works too. Buy a clothes line from a camping store, these often come with attached clips. Ask for a bottom or lower bunk, and you can wrap the line around the posts of the bed, attach your towel and get a little extra privacy. It also works for longer travels to have something to hang clothes to dry.
Be sure to also pack a lock, not just the one on your luggage, but a combination lock for a locker. Try and look for hostels that have locker space in the rooms. It’s a lot more comfortable leaving things behind if you know you can secure them. I never liked carrying my passport out and about, but I was also never going to leave it unsecured. In the same way, I also travelled with cash and back up bank cards. I split them up into separate envelopes or wallets and hid one in various bags. If something got stolen I should always have back ups.
As for booking hostels, there are lots of websites out there, I usually would browse a few of them, the main hotel ones and also Hostelworld. It can help to read a variety of reviews from different sites to be sure a location has what you want, and too see if complaints are dealt with or ignored based on responses on the big sites.
I enjoyed staying in hostels, it was definitely a different experience and took me back to my younger days of travelling. But if you aren’t planning to spend a lot of time at your accommodations it’s a great way to save money. You can meet people to hang out with if you are feeling a little lonely, or pick a place with a bar if you aren’t up for exploring your city alone after dark.
Be sure to have some headphones, both so you don’t disturb others or to help fall asleep when others are being loud. And even in hostels - you do get what you pay for. At the $20 pod hostel in Singapore you definitely got your moneys worth and not a cent more!
