When I fell in love with hostels.

This photo was not taken on my first trip to a hostel - though the community and vibes were identical. During my first hostel stay, I had a tiny digital camera (hi 2014!) and the photos are on a drive somewhere forgotten.

I remember my first ever hostel stay. I had just turned 20 and was setting out on my own. The hostel I stayed in (now defunct, sadly) gave you a little key and pile of sheets when checking in, and I dressed my mattress myself. My room had three other girls in it, two traveling from China, one from Sweden, and every night we’d somehow find our way back to the room around the same time, say goodnight to each other, and switch on the noise machine, then turn out the lights.

That hostel experience set me up with incredibly high expectations of hostels. While the stay itself wasn’t glamorous, the community was. At any time of day, I could find another person to experience my trip with. Whether it was the staff stocking the oatmeal for breakfast or a quick chat with one of my roommates while brushing our teeth, it would always turn out that there was indeed someone who wanted to go on a historic ghost tour with me, and that there would be a bonfire later that night - bring beer!

It was such a special experience it lead me to create my own hostel in my later 20’s, then start Hosteling.US, sharing my deep love and appreciation for hostels with as many people as I could!

We can’t wait for you to experience the fun and unique personalities of every single American hostel on our site - and look forward to more hosteling together.

Remember: hostels are more fun!