I'm planning on backpacking across europe this July, should I book hostels before hand?

Question

i'm planning on visiting barcelona, rome, venice and paris, is it a good idea to go there and book hostels or do it before hand. i leave in a week, which is why i'm asking. my budget is a big concern to me, but having a good time is more of a concern. i heard that it's best to follow crowds around and just see which hostel is the most lively by actually going there and taking your chances.

any thoughts???

Answer 1

You shouldn't book hostels way in advance since you might change your plans.  You might consider booking hostels one city in advance - a day or two before you leave for a city, then book the hostel.  If the party hostel in a city is full, you can always stay in a quiet hostel, and then go to the party hostel to find people to head out with.

Answer 2

You should definitely make reservations for the first night. You will be very tired when you arrive because you will have lost sleep on the flight. The most important things about this first reservation are (1) that you can get there conveniently from the airport, preferably by regular city bus, (2) that the desk is open all morning so you can register and settle in, and (3) that the room or dorm will be available for you to crash right away if you need to (this one may be hard to pull off).

One of the greatest things about backpacking and hostelling is that you are right in the flow of information. So you may get to place A and find out from a group of travelers about Place B, which is not on your initial itinerary. Talk to people who have been to different places, and about where they stayed. You'll get a lot of really great tips, and you may well pick up traveling companions. I always have.

For this reason it is not a great idea to lock yourself into a set itinerary. If you know you will be going to, for example, Rome on a certain day, you may play it safe and arrange a place to stay in advance. You can generally cancel up to 24 hours before. Try to make sure you can cancel without a charge. Avoid on-line hostel agencies that take all of your money up front and don't allow cancelations.  

Read Let's Go. They are generally reliable about which hostels are best and about the need for reservations in summer.

Answer 3

Make reservations for your first night, being tired and looking for a place to stay is a b****. I didn't do all my reservations before I left because I changed my itinerary so many times and ended up throwing it away. Sometimes I made reservations 2-3 days in advance, and sometimes I just winged it. If you want a particular hostel, then I suggest you do, Europe is crowded in July.

Some hostels don't have much respect for reservations. Some hostels will show no availability on internet, but I was told (again, SOME hostels) that they have a certain number of beds for internet reservation, a number of beds for telephone reservations, and a number of beds assigned for show ups. You might find a bed if you show up early, even if you didn't manage to make an online reservation. If you decide to wing it, you have to be an early riser or early arriver, be sure to reach the hostel before check out, which is usually around 10-11am.

Bon voyage.