You have probably stayed in Hotels, Motels and perhaps a B&B, but may have not given much thought to staying in a Hostel.  For for a different travel experience, why not consider a hostel?  If you are traveling for several days, staying in many different locations, consider a night's stay in a hostel.  Not only will you save $$$, but you will more than likely meet many interesting people and of course bring home a memory of your experience.

Hostel in Munich Germany

You should shop around as some hostels are geared specifically towards the younger crowd who have recently graduated school and are making their way backpacking through Europe, while others cater to everyone including families with no age restrictions.

You will encounter different sleeping and bathroom arrangements in a hostel.

Some may have large dorm room style sleeping areas containing anywhere from 4 to 10 sets of bunk beds.  With community sleeping areas, keep in mind that people will probably be coming in and out at all hours during the night, so expect to be woken up periodically; it's all part of the experience.  Rooms may or may not have an in-room sink with running water.  There may be a community bathroom or locking bathroom that is private to the person currently using it.  Still other hostels may offer private rooms and bathrooms, but you will pay a higher rate.

We have found nightly rates in large cities for under 10 Euros a night to over 60 Euros a night depending on the location and current local events.  We stayed a night in a hostel in Munch during Oktoberfest and were lucky to find it as we had booked our trip late and hotels were completely booked or outrageously priced at the time.  The hostel in Munch definitely catered to the party crowd as Oktoberfest was in full swing, but we were happy to have a place to stay and we had a great time.  During our stay, we met a couple from Mexico and other travelers from Russia.  We have also stayed in hostels in Budapest Hungary and Reykjavik Iceland and both were positive experiences.

Hostels are about hanging out, meeting new people and sharing stories.  Your hostel will probably have a community kitchen and that is where you will find people socializing with travel being the topic of the day.  People talk about where they have been and where they are going.  They offer advice and tips on where to go and what to do.  Years ago, I stayed in a hostel in Budapest Hungary and met a couple from Holland.  We discovered we had art in common and talked about that as well as our travels throughout Europe; we are still in touch today.

	Securing your backpack
	When you venture out, you won't want to be carrying your large backpack with you wherever you go. Leaving your backpack unattended in a community style dorm room presents a problem.  Nothing is foolproof and if a thief wants something, they can probably get it.  To help detour any would-be criminals there are a few things you can do. Your room may have lockers available to secure your backpack and other items but you may be required to provide your own lock During the night, at minimal lock your backpack waist strap around your bed frame so that no one can simply walk away with it while you are sleeping If you are traveling with a cable and lock, run it through the packs shoulder straps and lock it to the frame of your bed You may also be able to lock double zipper compartments on your pack to prevent someone from easily unzipping it Never leave valuables in your pack while you are away.  Take anything of value with you while you are out, or even when you are just running to the bathroom.