These apps provide user ratings and offer a fast way to secure a good deal while gaining insights into quality, security, location, and style.

Within hostels, dorm rooms are always the cheapest option, and the bigger the room the cheaper it tends to be: 6 beds, 10 beds, 14 beds, 20 beds etc. There are mixed dorm options and gender-based options.

Insider tip: During the winter season in Europe, I often found myself as the only person in a dorm room, making it quite a bargain! However, during the high season, I prefer a small dorm room (4 or 6 beds) to minimize the risk of someone inconsiderate coming back late, turning on the lights, and making noise. There’s also less of a chance of someone snoring.

Safety can also be a concern. Sharing a room with many people increases the likelihood of sharing the space with a potential thief.

I have always been in the habit of locking my bags with padlocks as well as to my bed or using the built-in anchor strap on my Pacsafe bags. I don't believe it attracts more attention or makes my bags a target. Rather, I view it as an added layer of security when I am not near my bags or when I am asleep.

Hotels, in general, are safer, but it is still wise to take similar safety precautions by using padlocks and anchoring down your luggage. I say this from personal experience, as I have encountered a situation where my hotel room was robbed.

Pacsafe backpacks have cleverly integrated a cut-resistant wire into their bag straps, along with an anchor mechanism, making it easy to secure them to a fixed point. Features like these make traveling even more convenient. My go-to padlocks and Pacsafe backpack: Pacsafe EXP35 Travel Backpack.

The world is full of transportation because wherever there are people, there will also be a need for travel. In most cases, I have not felt safer using low-cost travel options compared to high-end luxury alternatives. Buses, trains, and ferries are not filled with terrorists, thieves, and murderers. They are generally filled with students, workers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, and other people. And people are just people.

A big part of traveling is doing research. Before you go somewhere or when you are already there, you need to understand how things work. Do you buy a bus ticket inside the bus, from a counter, or online? These questions can sometimes be answered by searching the internet. I've found that Wikitravel and Wikivoyage have often been helpful. Sometimes the best way to get your questions answered is simply to go to the train station or the bus terminal. In my experience, people are usually very kind and helpful.

If you are traveling by train, then the best source for information is a website called: the man in seat 61 https://www.seat61.com/. It is a free to use extensive database for train travel on a global level.

Whenever I travel by train, taxi, or bus, I always prefer to have my more compact Pacsafe backpack between my legs and locked. I simply developed the habit of unlocking and locking my backpack every time I needed something. My larger backpack has always been placed in the trunk, storage, or overhead compartment, and it has always been locked. Believe it or not, I've never had any issues with my luggage and transportation.

Again, as long as we are dealing with people, I find it to be a reverse lottery where you are constantly winning. Many hostels have various ways to engage people, such as movie nights, game nights, and local parties. They also often sell or offer guidance for trips, walking tours, action-packed adventures, and more.

It is often easy to start a conversation by asking questions like “Where are you from?” “When did you arrive?” or “How long are you here for?” However, you should also expect that a lot of people these days will also just be doomscrolling their smartphones.