a good hostel makes all the difference

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: a good hostel makes all the difference 🏠️ 

this tanzania trip marked my first time staying in hostel.

general media paints hostels as gross, unsafe accommodations only for people with no other option — which it can be — but hostel culture is so lovely, especially when you find a hidden gem.

after staying at some really great hostels in the past few weeks, i don’t think i can go back to the hotel-life. good hostels foster community and are largely centered around the social aspect of meeting other travellers and connecting with local community.

we stayed at 4 different hostels throughout this trip and 2 in particular stuck out. one of the hostels, banana hostel, ended up being a completely self-sustaining banana farm and living space for locals and travellers alike. it was such a uniquely positioned hostel, with free activities lined up every single day. one realization that stuck out was the fact that the staff love their job so much more in hostels because they’re actual contributing members to a community, rather than just corporate slaves working pay-check to pay-check. 💰️ 

on the other hand, we started off our journey in tanzania in a pretty questionable hostel and it was evident how significantly that factor contributed to the experience. to be honest, i’m unsure how the “house” we stayed at was even a hostel but we survived. 😭 some random spanish family walked right into the house claiming they had booked it — we both even had confirmation emails. it was a whole ordeal …

anyways! i am in love with quirky cute hostels now, i already booked my next couple for my upcoming trips (stay tuned ;)).

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