I used to book hostels blind, now I check the map first

For years I just picked the cheapest bed in whatever city without looking at where it sat. That backfired hard in Lisbon last March when my 14 euro dorm was a 40 minute bus ride from everything. A buddy told me to spend 10 minutes on Google Maps checking walk times to the main spots. Now I filter by location before price and I've saved more on transit and meals than I ever did on the cheap bunk. Has anyone else had a bad hostel location ruin a trip for them?

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violamurray2mo ago

Man, nobody talks about checking if the hostel is near a metro line for late night returns!

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simon7172mo ago

Ugh, tell me about it. I did the same thing in Rome and ended up near the main train station, thought it was convenient. Turns out it was just a bunch of sketchy streets and the walk to the Colosseum took forever past all these car rental places. Now I do the exact opposite, I'll pay a little more to be within walking distance of like two or three things I actually want to see. Saves me from buying bus tickets every day and honestly, my feet thank me after a long day of sightseeing. Location is the real budget hack, not the bed price.

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holly_sanchez752mo ago

My friend made that exact mistake in Barcelona, booked a place way out because it was cheap, and spent an hour on the bus every single day just to see one sight. By the third day she gave up and moved to a pricier spot near the Gothic Quarter, and suddenly the whole trip felt easier. She always says the extra 20 bucks a night was the best money she spent all vacation.

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