How to choose accommodation: hostels, hotels, Airbnbs, co-livings

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on any of those links and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission, at no cost to you, to help support this website. 

Picking the right accommodation can make or break your trip. When you arrive in a new country for the first time and everything is foreign, the place you’re staying becomes your temporary home base, a safe spot to relax and unwind. So you should choose accommodation wisely. 

Of course, the type of accommodation you choose depends on the kind of traveller you are and many other factors. Here’s a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of four common accommodation types: hostels, hotels, airbnbs and colivings.

Cost: budget

Best suited for: backpackers, solo travellers, digital nomads

Where to book: Booking.com, Agoda, Hostelworld

• Fun and social: hostels are a great way to meet other travellers, make friends and have a buzzing social life, which is especially great for solo travellers
• Free hostel activities: Many hostels have volunteers who run free social activities for hostel guests including walking tours of the city, bar crawls and more. 
• Very good value for money: hostels are an insanely cheap deal. For a low price, you get access to all the basic facilities you need.
• Hostels often have kitchens where you can cook your own food, so you can buy food from supermarkets and save money.
• Many hostels have cheap laundry services available. 
• Some hostels have dedicated co-working facilities, perfect for digital nomads.
• Hostels are usually situated in very convenient locations in city centres. 
• Cheap and cheerful, or something more luxury? You choose. Nowadays there’s a growing number of chain hostels focusing on offering a more luxury service than your typical hostels. This can include swimming pools, gyms, rooftop bars, free breakfast and more. 
• You can generally store your luggage in hostels before/after check in or check out.

• You’re sharing a dorm room with strangers. If you’re lucky, you’ll get nice roommates. However you can also be unfortunate enough to get very unpleasant roommates.
• Lack of privacy.
• Safety concerns around belongings. Most hostels have lockers, however having stuff stolen is still a possibility if it isn’t locked away. 
• Difficulty sleeping due to noisy roommates or people turning the light on during the night.
• Sharing a bathroom with others.
• Cleanliness issues in some hostels.
• Many hostels don’t give you free towels, so bring your own.

Cost: mid range – high

Best suited for: families, couples, groups, digital nomads, luxury travellers

Where to book: Booking.com, Agoda

• Having a private room and bathroom to yourself. 
• Access to any facilities the hotel might offer: gym, swimming pools, sauna, bars, restaurants, lounge area.
• Most hotel rooms have a desk, so digital nomads have a space to work in.
• Some hotels offer free breakfast, or breakfast included for a cheap price.
• Room service, so you can have food or drink delivered straight to your room. 
• Daily servicing and cleaning of your room. 
• You can book tours and day trips through most hotels.
• You can generally store your luggage at hotels before or after check in / check out.

• Quality can vary greatly, and sometimes online adverts are misleading. Always check the reviews of a hotel before booking. 
• Lack of opportunity to socialise or meet new people. 
• Hotel rooms are the same price for one or two people. So for solo travellers, they are quite expensive.
• No access to a kitchen. 
• Laundry services can be very expensive. 

Cost: mid range – high

Best suited for: families, couples, larger groups, digital nomads, luxury travellers

Where to book: Airbnb.com

• You can rent out a whole flat or house to yourself, which is especially useful if you’re a larger group and need multiple bedrooms. 
• You can find Airbnbs in some more obscure locations, including more rural places where there aren’t any other hotels or hostels available. 
• Special one-of-a-kind Airbnb stays exist, such as this amazing treetop cabin in Norway with incredible views, or this glamping dome I stayed in in Romania. You can even rent out a castle to stay in!
• Most Airbnbs come with basic utilities: kitchens stocked with pots and pans, washing machines, TVs etc. 
• Easy to use online platform for booking stays and communicating with hosts.
• Airbnb customer support are there to help if you are having problems with a stay or host.
• You can get weekly or monthly discounts for longer stays, which is great for slow travellers or digital nomads.
• Some Airbnbs are pet-friendly, for those travelling with an animal companion.
• For some stays, you rent out a room in the house of the host. If you’re lucky, this is a good way to make a new friend and get to know the locals better.

• Inconsistent quality: as Airbnbs are run by private hosts, the quality can vary greatly and is less standardised than hotels.
• Communication with private hosts can be challenging if you’re unlucky and get a bad host or unresponsive one.
• Adverts and photos can be misleading, so always make sure to check real guest reviews before booking.
• Can be more expensive than staying in a hotel. 
• An extra cleaning charge is normally added to the cost. 
• There are more rules to follow. Hosts normally provide a list of their rules, which can involve some basic clean-up before check out. 
• No-contact check-in systems can be confusing for some. I once stayed in an Airbnb in Copenhagen where I had to pick up the key from a parcel locker. Except the parcel locker code didn’t work, and then the key didn’t work. The host eventually paid for me to stay in a nearby hotel that night.
• Ethical concerns around Airbnbs increasing rent prices to unaffordable levels for locals.

Cost: mid range – high

Best suited for: digital nomads and slow travellers

Where to book: Mapmelon, coliving.com, Instagram, direct search

• An accommodation option made with digital nomads in mind: this usually means private rooms, calm and tranquil environments, co-working facilities, kitchens, lounges and laundry facilities.
• Community: built-in community of like-minded digital nomads and slow travellers, usually in the late twenties to forties age range. Sometimes there are staff or volunteers to run social events to build community.
• Made for longer stays: there is often a minimum stay requirement of 1 month, so people are less transient and there’s more time to really settle in and feel at home. 
• Generally high quality accommodation.
• Strong and reliable internet for remote workers.

• Some co-livings can be overpriced for the quality offered.
• Hard to find: there aren’t many co-livings around outside of certain digital nomad hubs like Medellin and Bali. 
• Limited availability: because there aren’t as many co-livings around, rooms are often booked out in advance and it can be hard to find availability. 
• Not suitable for those wanting short stays. Many co-livings require a minimum stay (usually 1 month). 
• Your experience can be dependent on your housemates, and how well you get along with them. 
• Not for someone who wants a more lively, party atmosphere. 
  

While there are pros and cons to all the accommodation types listed, your decision should be based on what things you value and prioritise in accommodation, your budget and the kind of experience you want out of your trip. I hope this guide has been somewhat helpful to you in making that decision!

Do you have a strong preference for one accommodation type over others? I’d love to know!