It’s time for the second episode of our sporadic travel show: Travel Talk with Mike and Stephanie! This time we were in Quito, Ecuador and wanted to show the truth about hostels. We even got some of our new friends to play along.
Transcript below:
Michael: Hi, welcome to Travel Talk with Mike and Stephanie. We’re here in Quito, Ecuador, celebrating the Quito Festival. It’s a very festive time of year right now for the month of December. Everyone is dancing on the street, and there’s a lot of music going on, a lot of celebrating. It’s a happy time of the year here in Quito, Ecuador.
Stephanie: And to celebrate, Mike has grown his beard extra long.
Michael: Right after this, I’m definitely shaving.
Stephanie: So today we want to talk about hostel life. One of the questions that we often get from people who maybe don’t travel too much or don’t backpack is what are hostels really like. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about hostels thanks to some movies that I won’t name. So today, we are at the Secret Garden Hostel in Quito, and we’re going to ask some people in the hostel for their best hostel tips.
Jack: Hi, I’m Jack from England. Always pick a hostel with lockers so you can feel secure about your electronics and passports.
Jemima: I’m Jemima. I’m from England, and my tip is a lot of hostels are looking for volunteers, so it’s a great way to see a city properly. You’ve got free accommodation, free food, discounts on tolls and all sorts of cool stuff.
Tony: Hi, I’m Tony from France, and something really important for me in a hostel is a place to chill out and exchange all the information and feedback when you are traveling.
Alex: Hi, my name’s Alex. I’m from the United States, and I would recommend going for a place that serves breakfast and dinner.
Stephanie: Okay. So what’s your hostel tip?
Michael: Okay. So my hostel tip is to always have the business card of the hostel with you in case you go out and you don’t know the language, and you’ve got the address right on the card, so you can give it to a taxi and he’ll know exactly where to go. So it’s very convenient if you’re having a long night out or if you’re lost, you want to go wander, you’ll always have the address right on the card. What’s your tip?
Stephanie: My tip is that hostels are really fun, but they are a communal setting. So it is really important to be courteous and to not be a jerk, and that means not being too loud late at night or early in the morning. If you’re in a dorm room, not turning on the lights in the middle of the night.
Michael: Yeah.
Stephanie: Packing your bag the night before so you don’t disturb people. Just generally being a considerate person.
Michael: Well, thank you for watching. Send in your questions at questions@ArtofBackpacking.com.
Stephanie: Or questions@Twenty-SomethingTravel.com.
Michael: Thanks for watching.
