Travel Essentials You Won’t Get For Free At Your Hostel

By
Ava K
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Staying at a hostel is a great way to save money on your next trip, but there’s a couple of things you should always bring along after booking a room because it’s highly unlikely they’ll be provided.

Slippers

If you’re going to be using a shared bathroom during your hostel stay, bringing a pair of slippers or flip flops along is always a good idea.

Toiletries

Hostels that provide free toiletries are extremely rare, so make sure to pack tiny bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel before catching your flights.

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So, true story, my husband and I once rode camels around the Egyptian Pyramids. 🐪 I know, it sounds fantastically glamorous, but it was far from it. We were deathly ill from something we ate and spent the entire camel ride on the verge of getting sick while simultaneously plotting our escape. To make matters worse, our ten year old tour guide was awfully sketchy and barely spoke English. We had no idea what was happening or where we were heading. The desert was nothing like the magazine pictures depicted, garbage littered the sand in all directions and the Cairo smog was heavy in the air. We celebrated our survival in the desert by immediately checking out of our bed bug infested hostel and into the Hilton where we stayed for two days straight recovering from food poisoning. . You guys, two things saved me during that pitiful recovery. 1. A well stocked travel toiletry kit. 2. The Project Runway marathon that played in Arabic in our hotel room for those two full days 💃🏼 . When preparing for a trip, a well organized and stocked toiletry bag will have all the comforts of home but in an accessible travel sized version. I love using a vacation as an excuse to try out travel sized versions of more expensive toiletries I wouldn’t normally buy. We also never leave home without a mini medicine cabinet of first aid supplies for this exact situation. You can use a daily vitamin dispenser to pack a small sampling of all the essentials. Should illness strike, no language barrier will get in the way of relief. . Moral of the story. Taking the time to thoughtfully pack for a trip can save you the stress and headache of searching for a particular medication while on the road. Also, avoid bed bug infested hostels and eating street food while in Egypt 🐪 💁🏼‍♀️ . 📷: @jessiebennettphotography ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Towels

You can find towels at any hostel, but you’ll usually have to pay a fee to rent one. They tend to be pretty pricy, so why not save some extra money by bringing your own?

Safety Lock

Rooms in hostel dorms are always the cheapest, and they usually come with security lockers where you can store your stuff. Bring your own padlock for safety, because they’re rarely free of charge.