Staying at Hostels with Kids: What to Do to Make Your Visit Easy and Fun
When you admit that you're thinking of staying at hostels with kids, many people will probably look at you as if you're crazy.
After all, aren't hostels for backpacking young adults who are trying to see Europe on $5 a day?
That's part of the hostel audience, but don't limit yourself to just that interpretation. Hostels can be affordable for travelers in all walks of life, including those traveling with kids.
Learn how hostels can be great experiences for everyone in the family while saving money on your trip!
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Can Families Stay in Hostels?
As a general statement, yes, hostels welcome travelers from 1 to 99, though there are some family-friendly hostels and others that are less so.
It's always good to call or email the property ahead of time to ensure they don't have any age restrictions on their occupants.
I have seen some hostels that only provide rooms to young travelers or enrolled students.
That's fine since these properties are looking to create a specific community feel, but you'll need to know that before you show up with hungry, tired kids, and get turned away.
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At the gorgeous YHA Hartington Hall in Derbyshire, UK (above), for example, the hostel offers multiple ways of staying with children.
Older kids (12-15) can stay in the general bunk rooms with 6-8 beds as long as an adult of the same gender is there to chaperone them.
That same hostel also has private bunk rooms for 4 people, which would make for a great place to stay when traveling with little kids. If your kids are anything like my kids, they're ALL FOR anything with bunk beds!
Tips for a Stay at Hostels with Kids
Anyone who loves traveling doesn’t suddenly stop feeling this way once their kids come along.
However many people believe that, because of the extra costs and complications that come along with having a family, they have to hang up their hiking boots and backpack for good.
This is not the case!
Not only is traveling with children possible, it’s also a great way for them to learn about different cultures, countries and life in general.
Hostelling is an opportunity to meet people from all over the world and also helps to keep the traveling costs low. This beginners guide to hostels with children will quickly put to bed any fears you might have about traveling with the little ones in tow.
Opt for a Private Room
This is where having a bigger family works for your advantage.
Many hostels offer smaller-sized dorms of around four to six beds in size alongside their smaller private room options.
Although these rooms might be a little bit more than the bigger dorms, the privacy they will give you is invaluable to ensure your kids are safe and that they get a good night’s sleep.
Although most hostel users are usually decent people, you can never know for sure who you’re going to end up bunking next to.
Even people with the best intentions for an evening out can come home a little bit too drunk at 4:00 a.m. or make a little too much noise when packing up to leave to catch their 6:00 a.m. flight.
And let’s be honest: a child who’s awake in the early hours of the morning in a room full of ten other people is an unquestionable recipe for disaster.
This is one case where the bargain basement pricing should be skipped in favor of a slightly more expensive option. You won't be sorry with the privacy of a private room or rooms when staying at a hostel with kids.
Have the Necessary Equipment
Traveling anywhere with kids is all about being armed for any emergency. Having the right kit is a sure fire way to keep the temper tantrums to a minimum and the good times rolling.
Some essential things to pack for hostelling with your child include:
Earplugs
Even if you do have your own private room, hostels can be notoriously noisy.
Packing some child-friendly earplugs is a great way to make sure they can get good night’s sleep even if you happen to have an unfortunately loud neighbor in the next room.
This set of earplugs is specifically designed for children's little ears, and they come with a carrying case!
White Noise App
We've also had great luck with a white noise app.
My kids' all time favorite app is Moshi Kids, which has soothing bedtime stories and ambient music.
Even with late night returns from other guests, your kids will be able to sleep right through it.
Blankets and cushions
Some hostels come with the bare essentials, some not even that.
Bringing some familiar comfort items can be a great way to encourage a calm and comforting atmosphere for bedtime and avoid any pre-sleep squabbles.
This comfy travel blanket also turns into a pillow!
It's a great item to toss into your luggage so you're covered when the provided pillows are too lumpy or the hostel blanket is too scratchy.
If you want something that will do double duty as a floor pillow and a must-have plane accessory, I highly recommend the 1st Class Kid Travel Pillow.
>> Read my full review of the 1st Class Kid Travel Pillow here. <<
Stuffed animal or a favorite toy
Being away from home can be an overwhelming experience when you’re little, so having something familiar with you can be a real comfort.
We have had to deal with kiddos crying at 10 PM when they realize their favorite stuffy didn't make it into the suitcase!
My kids have always loved these stuffed animal-style neck pillows as they use them on the planes, in our rental cars, and as an actual bedtime stuffy.
Ensuring they have their comfort item is a great way to settle kids down in a fun new place like a family friendly hostel.
Have A Back-Up Entertainment Plan
Perhaps the most important piece of equipment in a parent’s arsenal when staying at a hostel with kids is a laptop and tablet.
[We love the Amazon Fire kids tablet as it can be customized to different children's needs, and we can require educational content be consumed before they binge on videos!]
Although the sense of adventure and great outdoors is by far more fulfilling, sometimes the easiest way to avoid a potential tantrum disaster is to pull up a favorite app, book, film, or TV program.
Many hostels don’t have TVs, and the ones that do usually only air local channels, so having your own Netflix or Disney+ account nearby is extremely handy.
However, be sure you have a VPN installed if you’re traveling overseas because Netflix is subject to geo-blocking, making much of its content inaccessible when you’re abroad.
Ensure There’s a Kitchen
This is where using hostels when traveling with children is far more advantageous than hotels or other types of accommodation.
Kids can be, and usually are, extremely fussy eaters, so choosing a hostel with a kitchen for you to use means you can quickly and easily whip up some of their healthy home favorites.
When a hostel does provide a kitchen for its guests, it typically offers all of the things you'd find at home to prep your own meals, including pots, pans, serving utensils, and more.
This also means you can avoid racking up massive bills by having to eat out in restaurants everyday.
It’s important to check the facilities before arriving, however. Although many hostels come with a functioning kitchen, there are also some that do not.
If your budget, allergies, or kid's diet depends on the ability to make your own food, call or email the hostel beforehand to get the lay of the land.
Choose the Right Environment
Each hostel has its own set of characteristics, and finding the right one for you could be instrumental in ensuring your, and your children’s, hostel experience is a successful and enjoyable one.
There’s a delicate art to distinguishing a hostel type by it’s description, but a good first step to avoid keywords such as party, lively, bar crawl, social, etc. as these usually steer themselves more toward late nights, parties and alcohol-fueled clientele.
Instead aim for those that claim to be quiet and family friendly hostels.
Some hostels also have set curfews after which noise/social gatherings are not allowed, so choosing one of these ensures that you and your children will get a good night sleep.
Read the reviews on the hostel listings on Booking.com or similar to see what others have experienced. You might also reach out directly to the hostel, but it's better to get an unbiased review from a previous guest in my opinion.
Have “The (Hostel) Talk”
Kids are usually a lot brighter than we give them credit for.
Most of the time, difficult situations arise when children don’t understand what’s going on or feel out of their comfort zone.
For most children, staying in a new place with lots of strange people and communal living facilities will most certainly feel alien and cause them to kick up a bit of a fuss.
However this can be easily bypassed by sitting them down and giving them an explanation of what’s going to happen before they actually get there.
Going over the basics of what to expect and what is expected of them means they won’t feel threatened by the situation and they will understand what the hostel etiquette is. This is particularly important if you've never stayed in a hostel with kids before as they'll be used to the much different layout and atmosphere of a hotel.
But, before you know it, they’ll be running round, making friends and happily slotting into the community!
Staying in a hostel with kids is understandably a daunting task, but with these simple tips, you can easily manage the situation and even save a few bucks in the process.
How to Find the Best Hostels for Kids
If I’ve sold you on the idea of hostelling as a family, your next question is probably, “Where do I find these hostels?”
Here’s a step by step guide on how to search for the best accommodation on your next trip.
First, pull up your favorite booking site.
There are a bunch of options here, including Booking.com, but I like a site specific to hostels like Hostelworld as you only have to sort through hostels and other accommodations types.
Below, you can see I have the landing page for Hostelworld.com up.
Type in where you’d like to go with your family. I chose London since it is a popular destination, and one of my favorite places.
Next, set your basic parameters.
Indicate when you’d like to visit and how many people will need a bed. I arbitrarily chose early June 2022 and 3 guests (myself and my 2 kids).
Third, filter down even further.
Click the “filter” button below the dates and guests options. This will open up a panel with lots of options, including price, rating, room, and more.
You want to click on the “Room” option within the filters.
Fourth, mark “Family Room.”
You can see this option all the way to the right of the screen below.
Finally, scroll and research.
Not all of the results are going to be equally good. For example, the first result was St. Christopher’s Village, which all reviews indicate has a party vibe.
After scrolling down and reading through the first few results, I found a private family room for 4 people at NX London that might work.
Reading through the comments, I’ve noticed that an upper floor would need to be requested as there is a live music venue next door. The comments also note that very young children aren’t allowed, but older children under 18 can stay in the family rooms with an adult.
As mentioned before, it’s really important to read through ALL of the comments, notes, and reviews before booking a hostel with kids as each property is different.
I hope this process demystifies the process of finding the perfect hostels for kids.
It can be more work than going straight for a regular hotel, but the experience and pricing can’t be beat.
Have you stayed in hostels with kids before? Would you consider a family friendly hostel for you next vacation?
