Traveling in North America
Okay so I know to some of my friends this post is a no brainer, but I want to inform all of my other friends about hostel living! I feel like everyone in their 20's should stay at a hostel at least once in their lifetime while traveling. I stayed in a back packers villa in Switzerland with my dad when I was a kid, but other than that I have never really stayed in a hostel. Back in August, my friend Mallory and I did a little weekend trip to Chicago and she suggested staying in a hostel. I thought, what the hell, why not. This was the best decision I have ever made and shout out to Mallory for booking it. Side note: She did book the wrong night so we didn't have a place to stay for the first night, which I still think is hilarious. Very typical. Luckily my friends Nick and Danny just moved to Chicago so they let us sleep on their couches which we are eternally grateful for. I needed to add that little story in because it makes me giggle when I think about it. Anyways! The hostel in Chicago was perfect! It was in Greek Town and just outside of downtown. It was perfect because the hostel was right next to the train, so we could just hop on the L or just walk to downtown. It was only 30 dollars a night with breakfast included. Our room held 8 girls and they were all so nice! I did felt bad for our roommates, because one night we didn't get back until three in the morning. whoops.. I couldn't imagine how expensive a normal hotel would cost in downtown Chicago. Plus, you wouldn't get to meet anyone. How boring. I got to talking with this girl from England, and she mentioned that she was traveling all throughout America and was only staying in hostels. This got me thinking and I started doing research. I had no idea how many cities in America had hostels. I just figured they were in the big ones like NYC and Chicago. I also thought it was mainly a European thing. After that weekend, I promised myself that when I'm traveling, I will stay in a hostel if possible.
New York/Canada
A couple weeks ago I visited my friend Kasey, who moved to Syracuse about two years ago. We thought a two day trip to Niagara Falls would be fun because my trip was just a short four days. Of course we wanted to stay the night on the Canadian side, so it was the perfect opportunity for us to stay in a hostel. Side note: They searched our car crossing the border. Kinda intense! Anyways, we had so much fun! We met some awesome people and had an amazing time in Canada. It felt like every other person in our hostel was from England or Germany. We were really the only people from America that were staying in there. I felt like I was back in Europe! Our hostel was super close to the falls, and you could even rent bikes through them! We didn't do that because it was waaaaay too windy and cold. Everyone was so nice and it was so much fun getting to know new people. We even gave a guy from South Korea a ride to the falls on our way to go hiking. Compared to the hostel in Chicago, this one was a little bit nicer because it was smaller. I am now in the mindset that when I am in a new city, out of country or in the U.S, I will stay in a hostel. I haven't had any bad experiences yet, so I don't see why not. You can't beat a place that offers free breakfast, a place to sleep, and a place to meet interesting new people. Pretty much I wanted to share my little weekend travel stories with you, so maybe some of you will step outside of your comfort zone and stay in a hostel on your next trip, whether if it's in the U.S. or overseas. You won't regret it! "Travel while you're young and able. Don't worry about the money, just make it work. Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be."
hostels are the way forward! i've stayed in plenty of them while in europe! hopefully you and i will be able to travel somewhere together and stay in one as well! love you stace! cute post!!
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