Hostel Life Vs Real Life, 39 Reasons Why Hostel Life is Better

Hostel life can be hard, but which is better in the competition between hostel life vs real life?

The Urban Dictionary defines a Hostel as:

cheap accommodation for students and other budget travellers. Usually consisting of dorm-style rooms and shared bathrooms but you can get private rooms at some.

Although this definition pretty much sums it up, it is important to note that the Urban Dictionary is not the most of credible sources, and gains its definitions from the general public.

The Urban Dictionary also defines a Hostel as:

The place in Europe where your girlfriend stayed while on that gap year backpacking trip and slept with a bunch of dirty uncircumcised European men who promised to call her and told her they'd come to Australia to visit her so they could get in her panties

Here at Base we like to define a Hostel in a number of ways:

a place where dreams are made of, a reflection of what the real world should be like and a place where barriers are broken, life lessons learnt and lifelong friends are made

Regardless of the definitive meaning, hostel life is pretty damn good. A hostel becomes your home away from home and plays a huge role in our life changing travels. One thing IS for sure - Life in a hostel sure is better than life in the 'REAL' world. Here are 39 reasons why...

1. Drinking is acceptable at all times of the day
2. There's less judgement and you are more confident in who you are 
3. You find yourself surrounded by people who encourage you to try new things and chase your dreams
4. Your weirdness is not just accepted, but celebrated
5. Your new friends open your eyes to different cultures and parts of the world
6. They say the less you have, the less you have to lose - this also applies to your dignity which is diminishing each and every day
7. Your one week friendships have progressed so quickly that they feel life a lifetime
8. Your stress levels are at an all time low
9. The way you look doesn't bother you as much as it used to
10. You've learnt how to cook on a budget
11. Boredom? Sorry can you please explain what that word means?
12. You have developed a Liver of steel
13. You will no longer have to pay for accommodation for future travels - you have a couch to sleep on in most major cities
14. You don't have to clean your sheets as you would in the 'real' world
15. You can dish out sleazy pick up lines in 5 different languages
16. You can order a beer in 5 different languages
17. Each day brings a new surprise
18. You've become more open to where and when nudity is acceptable
19. You can sleep at any time and everywhere
20. You find yourself saying "yes" to things you never imagined yourself doing
21. Each day you awaken excited by the freedom and new possibilities that the day may bring
22. You've become more tolerant of differing personalities, cultures and beliefs
23. You're constantly exposed to new foods, books, films and music
24. You have a world of different stories within the four walls of your dorm
25. You're never lonely
26. Your attitude towards saving and material pursuits is no longer 'questionable'
27. You feel sexually liberated
28. You feel more in tune with 'yourself'
29. You've formed friendships with the people you have chosen to accompany yourself with. The type of people that know you for who you are today - not who you were. And these will last a lifetime.
30. You now embrace the term 'you've changed' - yes you have, for the better!
31. You have obtained certain life skills that will empower you forever - such as the ability to drink 10 hours a day, 7 days a week
32. You don't have to deal with hangovers as you would in real life. In fact, you may have become so used to waking up with a hangover that the feeling has become your norm
33. Each day your lust for life is triggered by yet another amazing travel story - there's too many places and not enough time!
34. You don't have to wash your hair as much
35. You can comfortably wear the same clothes 3 days in a row in the knowledge that you will not be frowned upon
36. Each day you wake up content in the fact that you can do what you want, where you want, when you want
37. You've learnt to appreciate the little things in life - like a hot shower or a room to yourself
38. You know that the world is a book, and you are reading a new page each and every day
39. You know that you will never be completely at 'home' again, because a part of you will always be elsewhere, in people and in places. And that's the sacrifice you have made to live, as opposed to just exist. Where to next?

Not sure you could survive hostel life? Then make sure you read these tips on doing just that "12 Tips to Surviving Hostel Life", and if you think life in a hostel is for you then maybe you should think about working in a hostel.