Before traveling abroad, I learned about the three different lodging options we have while traveling from the palace; a hotel, an Airbnb, or a hostel. I had never stayed anywhere other than a hotel before. I was open to the idea of staying at an Airbnb because they are apartments or homes that people are renting out. I was most hesitant about staying in a hostel. When I thought of a hostel, I thought of open room with random people, uncomfortable beds, and people going through my things. So as we began to plan our weekend vacations, I always jumped at the idea of staying in a hotel or Airbnb and turned my nose up to the hostel option. To my liking, we stayed in a hotel for almost all of our trips before midterm break. When I began to plan my break with my brother, we decided to travel to Barcelona, Spain. We were both on tight budgets so after buying plane tickets, we decided to book the cheapest lodging option which was a hostel. I was very hesitant so I checked out Hostelworld.com and read all the reviews for about an hour until I finally decided on a hostel named Mediterranean Youth Hostel. The reviews were great so I was anxious to see what staying in a hostel was really like.
After our flight landed in Barcelona, my brother and I took a short cab ride to our hostel and when we arrived, I had my map pulled out and I realized our hostel was in the middle of everything the city had to offer! I was very excited but still hesitant how the three-day stay would be. We entered the hostel and the man at the front desk had a huge smile and greeted us with a warm welcome. My nerves were immediately at ease as the man began to check us in. It was an easy check in process and the man started to go over the hostel, which included a full kitchen, a game room, a laundry room, lockers for our things, and free walking tours every morning. The man led us to our room, gave us clean sheets and towels and told us to let him know if we needed anything. When he left the room, my brother and I both looked at each other knowing we had made the right decision.
The next day, we did a free walking tour with the hostel, which included a tour of Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. The tour guide was so informative and the groups of people with us were all so nice. Throughout the tour we got to know the people in the group who were from all over the world, and we decided to all have dinner together at the hostel. So that night, we had a great dinner at the hostel that a chef cooked for us for only 11 euros. It was a delicious meal and it was so much fun getting to know so many different people that were doing the same thing we were – trying to enjoy what Barcelona had to offer.
After our three-day stay was over at the Mediterranean Youth Hostel, I was sad to say goodbye to not only the people we met but also the hostel itself. The hostel made our entire Barcelona trip so much more enjoyable and fun, I am so glad I decided to book there. Not only was it budget friendly, the workers provided us with so much helpful information and we met friends that we look forward to keeping in touch with for a long time. I cannot wait to stay in another hostel and see what it has to offer!
Olivia Still