The Time I Stayed in a Hostel…

In 2019, I rented a car and headed out to San Diego. I decided to be adventurous and stay at a hostel. It was only $34 a night. I booked a shared room and a single bed for two nights. Parking is always such a headache in San Diego, so I decided to leave the rental car a few miles away with free parking and visit the city by backpack. After a nice little hike I arrived at the hostel and checked in. I was assigned a coed room, but it was just myself and two guys that stayed there. They named each bed in the room I was staying in. Henry Rabbit and Screaming Goat were the two across from me and near the window.

Each person got a small locker in the room to secure things while you were gone. You should bring a small lock of your own if you want to use the in room lockers. No extra charge.

The room felt fine and reminded me of a dorm room in college. Everyone kept to themselves for the most part and were very respectful of others quiet and space.

The first night the other two roommates were in the bed across from me. I luckily didn’t have anyone above me on my bunkbed. The guy that stayed up top and across was very quiet and left early. I was able to talk briefly with the other guy staying across from me as we got up the next morning. We both had our things to do but chatted for about 15 minutes.

He explained to me that he had just graduated from law school and had about 3 months off before he started his first job at a firm. He wanted to take advantage of this break in school and before he felt the pressures of being the new junior attorney. I guess the pay is decent but he said he will be working 16 hour days for the next few years on a salary. He didn’t seem too excited about it. He did seem to be super excited about exploring San Diego and the beaches.

The thing that struck me as odd was how we always do something we don’t want to do thinking it’ll bring us closer to what we do want to do. We said our goodbyes and I wished him well.

I went out into the common area and made myself something to eat. People were friendly and not as weird as I thought they might be. Then it occurred to me that I was probably the weird one.

Many travelers left their native currencies up on the wall. It was like staying in a traveler’s museum.

Next up, I needed a shower and did a quick self tour of the house. I was on the bottom floor and did not want to go up the stairs for fear of disrupting someone sleeping. I went out back and saw a whole communal garden area. It is hard to see in the photo but downtown buildings and the skyline could be seen. The San Diego bay was just beyond that.

I saw this outdoor shower. Was this what I was supposed to use?

After talking with others in the common area, they said I could if I wanted to, or just use the indoor shower upstairs. I laughed and opted for the indoor shower.

Soon after, I gathered my backpack and headed out for the day. My first stop was to rent an electric scooter so i could get around the downtown area more efficiently.

The stay was actually one I would do again. I travel more frequently with my wife, so these stays are not ideal for a couple, but if you are traveling solo and have ever considered a stay like this, I would say go for it. It isn’t as bad as you have it pictured in your mind. With that though I would caution about one thing. Make sure it has many rules and cleanliness standards. This one did and it keeps places like this from getting overrun by people who don’t shower and treat them like a flop house instead of a stop over stay.

Now, I don’t do well with details, but after touching up these photos, I noticed something that was not evident while I was there. The sign over the bed actually says ‘Horny Rabbit’, and the small saying in the garden says, ‘must look good bending over’. This makes me feel like I missed plenty of other things in the traveler’s museum.

Reflections

Captain Joe