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  1. 'Hostel' and 'Backpackers' - what's the difference?

    posted by Colm Hanratty | 0 Comments

    'Hostel' and 'Backpackers' - what's the difference?

    Mar092010

    If you are in the process of planning a trip backpacking around Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, and you’re browsing around Hostelworld.com looking for hostels, here’s a bit of information which will make things easier for you...

    In these three countries a ‘hostel’ is better known as a ‘backpackers’ (above is a picture of the outside of The Backpack, a 'backpackers' in Cape Town). So just as the word ‘backpackers’ is a noun for a collective group of budget travellers, in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, a ‘backpackers’ is a different noun - it is a type of accommodation.

    So if you’re looking for hostels in Sydney or Cape Town or Auckland, (or any other cities in the three mentioned countries) and you keep seeing the word ‘backpackers’ appear rather than 'hostel' don’t worry - they’re both the same. They’re types of accommodations that have shared accommodation known as dormitories (most have private rooms also), and common areas where you will meet like-minded travellers from around the world.

    While hostels are so popular as they are great places to meet other travellers, in some countries hostels have a bad name and are seen as places where homeless people sleep. To help change this stigma attached with the word ‘hostel’ I made a video called “10 things you didn’t know about a hostel” which you can watch by clicking here.

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