Hello! I'm travelling alone to Europe this summer. Will be visiting Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen and Stockholm and my budget is pretty tight, so I'm considering to book dorm type rooms. Are they safe for a woman traveling alone? because it's kind of weird to sleep in the same room with a bunch of strangers. Please, I'd love to hear some recommendations.
Reply to this They are as safe as anywhere else. Before booking go to hostelworld.com, hostelbookers.com, or tripadvisor.com and read the reviews. They will give you a good idea of what to expect. They have all women room as well as mixed dorms. There is more of a problem of people coming in late and rattling around or talking while people are trying to sleep than anything else. Between cell phones, the internet, and Skype (free) you can always let people know where you are.
Reply to this Welcome to Travelblog! Reputable hostels are quite safe. You'll likely have more problems from the neighborhood surrounding the hostel than the hostel itself. Read the reviews to gauge their reputation and atmosphere (some are all night party spots) before booking.
The biggest problem by far at hostels is theft. To avoid it, buy a good combination lock and try to stay at hostels that have lockers. If they don't have any, use your pack as a pillow at night (also great advice for overnight train and bus trips).
Sleeping in a room of strangers feels awkward at first. I ultimately got used to it. There will be noise, so bring lots of earplugs.
Reply to this Many European hostels also have female-only dorm rooms and curfews/lock-out hours to reduce the incidence of late-night interruptions. The upside is that while it's nice to have occasional privacy, if you are ever feeling lonely and want to explore a city 'with' someone, you have a room-full of new acquaintances. Many of my strongest travel memories are those with newly made dorm-friends. You won't get along with everyone, but you'll often have more in common with these strangers than you think.
[Edited: 2013 Jun 22 09:44 - Stephanie and Andras:35953 ]
Reply to this I stayed at a number of hostels while traveling around Europe by myself, I'm a guy so maybe its not a big a concern but still I had a few rooms where it was like 5 women and like 2 guys or vise versa no problems. Also if you are going to Prague go to the Czech Inn Hostel. I stayed there for 4 days and it was a really cool hostel.
Reply to this Hello Alex and welcome to travel blog.
As stated above they are pretty safe.
Use common sense and don't leave personal items unattended unless they are locked up. Don't flash money or passports.
After a few days you'll become more comfortable with sleeping in the same room with strangers.
It is always good to check them out on line if you have the time. Some hostels are better than others.
Reply to this I backpacked around europe 10 years ago with my then boyfriend but never felt any issues to do with safety. We stayed in YHA that were in prime locations so we werent walking long distances in strange locations in the middle of the night. The only exception was the co-ed shower in barcelona with no shower curtains that was a bit freaky. But it is very easy to make friends and you can always watch each others backs (excuse the pun lol!)
Reply to this Thank you all for your replies, I've already booked the dorm beds and will be departing in a couple of weeks! :D
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