Asia is, for many solo female travellers, where the backpacking story really begins. Thailand’s hostel infrastructure is some of the most developed in the world, Vietnam’s Old Quarter hostel scenes are legendary for their social energy, and the sheer density of fellow travellers moving through the same handful of cities makes meeting people, and feeling…
Author: Diana Morais
Best Hostels for Solo Female Travellers in South America (With Reviews)
The best hostels for solo female travellers in South America are America del Sur in Buenos Aires, Los Patios and The Wandering Paisa in Medellín, and Pariwana and Viajero in Cusco. All five have well over a thousand Hostelworld reviews, sit in established backpacker areas and offer female-only dorms or strong security. That said, South…
Best Hostels for Solo Female Travellers in North America (With Reviews)
North America offers some of the most rewarding solo female travel anywhere in the world. From the energy of New York City to the beach culture of Los Angeles to the colour and chaos of Mexico City, the continent has a hostel scene that’s matured considerably, with properties built specifically around safety, community, and the…
Best Hostels for Solo Female Travellers in Europe (With Reviews)
The best hostels in Europe for solo female travellers right now are Onefam Sungate in Madrid (rated 9.9 from over 7,600 reviews), Goodmorning Solo Traveller Hostel in Lisbon (9.8) and Women’s Only Hostel Prague, a women-only hostel 100 metres from Old Town Square. If you’d rather have a female-only dorm in a bigger social hostel,…
Hostelworld vs Hotels vs Airbnb: Best for Budget, Social, Flexibility
Three types of accommodation dominate how budget travellers book trips in 2026. One is built specifically for backpackers and solo travellers chasing dorm beds and community. One is the reliable standard that handles every kind of trip from business to honeymoon. One started as a home-sharing revolution and now competes across the full price range…
Why Travellers Choose Hostels Over Hotels
Something has shifted in how people think about travel accommodation. It used to be that budget travellers stayed in hostels because they couldn’t afford anything else, and hotels were the default for everyone who could. That framing no longer reflects reality. 62% of global budget travellers now actively choose hostels over budget hotels, and that…
How to Save Money Using Hostelworld’s Flexible Booking Options
The cheapest safe way to book on Hostelworld is usually a Free Cancellation rate: you pay a deposit, and if you cancel in time through your Hostelworld account you get that deposit back. Non-Refundable rates can be a little cheaper, but you lose the deposit (and the hostel can charge the full stay) if your…
How to Pick a Good Hostel
There is a question that appears in the Hostelworld City Chats constantly, in every city, asked by travellers who have just arrived or are about to: “What’s the best hostel do you think, or are they all similar?” (Budapest) “Can anyone recommend a hostel that they’re staying at?” (Koh Lanta) “Any reccs in a social…
Sunset Spots Backpackers Can’t Stop Talking About
There is a specific quality of conversation that happens in hostel common rooms around 4pm. Plans forming, routes being discussed, a general consensus reaching its conclusion: somewhere with a view, cold drinks optional but preferred, golden hour mandatory. The Hostelworld chats are full of it. “Anyone knows a good place to see the sunset?” (Bangkok). “What’s…
A Guide To The Most Asked-About Hikes in Hostelworld Chats
Some hikes keep coming up in the Hostelworld chats. Not just once or twice: consistently, in the same cities, across months of conversations. The same questions repeated by travellers who just arrived and are figuring out their first few days. “Which hostel is best for the Ha Giang loop?” “Is the Salkantay trek worth it…
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