Although the hostel concept has reached nearly every corner of the world, there are still many people who don’t know for certain how to explain what a hostel even is and a prejudice still exists for this style of accommodation. In the last few decades, the number of people who travel alone has increased dramatically. Naturally, this increase has created a larger demand for cost-efficient individual reservation options. In the past, even if were alone, you usually had to pay for a private room — making it much more expensive to travel on your own. Hostels were thus created to meet the demand for cost-efficient individual reservation options. Today, there are hostels that are structurally organized in much better and more efficient ways than many hotels and other forms of accommodation out there. What is a hostel? What is hostel life like? Learn what a hostel is and what hostel life is like. Find out how you can work in top hostels around the world in exchange for free accommodation. Hostels are hospitality businesses that have shared rooms and spaces. The meaning of a hostel is that you only pay for your bed, and share the rest of the room's space with other people you don’t know. Due to this "co-habitation" set-up, the prices for this type of stay are much more affordable. The "do it by yourself" hostel culture also lends towards creating a vibe very different from that of a traditional hotel. Normally, hostels offer facilities such as fully-equipped shared kitchens and dining areas, laundry rooms, social gathering spaces, etc. Additionally, because the environment is much more laid-back and collaborative, the hostel itself often hosts parties and organizes tours around the area with guests. Most of the time, these tours are not just to well-known touristic points, but bring you to more off-the-beaten-track places only known to the locals. The cool thing here is that even if you are traveling alone, you have the opportunity to have a social experience. In a hostel setting, you will always be surrounded by people just like you. The environment is conducive to creating new friendships and the exchange of experiences and many laughs. You will greatly develop your collaborative spirit. You will not mind sharing your food, drinks, stories, and laughter. You will see that bonds will be created with great ease and the things you have in common with other travelers will exceed your expectations. Due to the regular hostel guest turnover, you will meet people from different regions, countries, cultures, and lifestyles, and best of all... each has their own suitcase of experiences and stories to share with you. You will live in a rhythm in which the day of the week becomes unimportant and where you’ll even forget to look at the clock to see what time it is. You will have moments just for you, for example relaxing in a hammock after hours, reading a book in the midst of nature, returning from the beach just 30 minutes before starting work, watching the sunset every day, all amongst many other experiences that the rush of a daily 9-5 routine just doesn’t give you.