Hostels after the age of 40?

[MMMdude]

I have stayed in a couple of hostels and enjoyed the experience.  This was quite awhile ago though.  I know some hostels are party hostels whereas others are quiet.  For me, I'd rather have a much longer vacation experience rather than a shorter/fancier (and more expensive) vacation.  Therefore hostels will probably be in our future.  Is it weird for older people to stay at hostels though?  Just wondering if there is an unwritten cutoff age to staying in a hostel...

[iamlindoro]

I traveled Europe for a year when I got out of school.  One of the guys I hung out with most was a 40+ year old from New Zealand.  Great guy, we got along well.  This was at a party hostel.  I think it's a matter of your personality and comfort level.  Worst case scenario, you sleep, get up, and go spend the day doing the things that interest you without ever hanging out at the hostel.  I don't think there's anything weird about 30, 40, 50 or older staying in a hostel.

[sununderwood]

Yeah just don't be the solitary old guy who hangs around and drinks *just* close enough to all the 19 year old Australian girls that he feels compelled to occasionally throw out a completely out of place comment from time to time which is met with visible tension from the group, and you should be golden.

[CrochetStache]

There are plenty of reviews for hostels the same as any other regular hotel or bed and breakfast place. Just read the reviews and you can also get clues from the hostel's website marketing.

I've stayed at plenty of hostels that were wonderfully quiet, bed and breakfast like places without the b & b prices. Every once in a while I've stayed at a party place usually due to its prime location but the parties are usually in the community room and not the sleeping rooms. Just know that your sleep may be interrupted as other guests enter and leave the room. Over the years I've been pleasantly surprised how respectful the partiers/gap year students were to others in the sleeping rooms when entering in the middle of the night.

Go for it and enjoy your travels!

[limeandpepper]

I suppose you're traveling with your wife? You can get a private room in most hostels, which sounds like it might suit you better than sharing a dorm room with a bunch of potentially rowdy types.

[Nudelkopf]

I've met older people in hostels, both in Europe & in Australia. They seem fine, and it wasn't weird as a 18/19 year old to be talking to them in the kitchen.

[Gerard]

I think it depends on the hostel. I'm in my 50s and stay in hostels two or three times a year. I've felt a bit out of place or even a tad creepy in a couple of party-type hostels (especially in South Beach), but nobody else seemed to mind, so that was good. The most comfortable hostels for me are the HI ones, or any others that don't allow drinking on the premises (I like drinking, but the no-drinking rule keeps away the people who are going to be uncomfortable with you being there). Let online reviews be your guide. And listen to Smai.

[steveo]

Yeah just don't be the solitary old guy who hangs around and drinks *just* close enough to all the 19 year old Australian girls that he feels compelled to occasionally throw out a completely out of place comment from time to time which is met with visible tension from the group, and you should be golden.

This though would be pretty funny.

[mensa]

At 40-mumble we stay in hostels, though usually we opt or the private room, rather than a dorm room. Although we are substantially older than most other guests, I enjoy them. The opportunity to speak with other travelers, in particular, is why we like them. You just can't beat the feedback/reviews on what's good to see and what's good to avoid!