hostel

Pacific Tradewinds Hostel is open in a very limited capacity during the COVID-19 crisis to help wayward travelers “Shelter in Place” during this challenging time.  However, in order to keep our guests and housemates as safe and healthy as possible, we have modified our services and procedures.  Prior to your arrival at the hostel, please carefully read the procedures below to make sure our new policies and limited services will work for you. If you need to cancel your reservation for any reason, we will provide a 100% refund on any advance payments made. 

Unless you live under a literal rock, chances are you've heard of the Coronavirus. Many people all over the world are cancelling trips and postponing travel plans. We get it - it's scary! However, there are more deaths reported annually from the flu than there have been from Coronavirus. Would you cancel a trip because you were worried about getting the flu? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 20,000 worldwide deaths from the flu since October 1, 2019.

So it’s your first time at a hostel. You’re a little less nervous after reading our post on what to expect in hostels, but you still have no idea what to pack. This post will go over the basics!

Most of what you need to bring with you to a hostel are the same things you would bring on any trip - socks, underwear, pajamas, cow onesie - or wait, maybe that last one is just us.

Back in the day, the only way to find a free stay in a hostel was to show up, be helpful and hope for the best. Now, in the age of the Internet, there are a plethora of websites to help travelers find volunteer opportunities in hostels. If you do your research, you can find all sorts of niche communities that are well suited to your interests that may be willing to take you in and give you a bed.

If you’ve ever stayed in a hostel, chances are you’ve met people in the community who were staying for free. You may not have realized it but they were there. For many, being part of a community like this might seem like an amazing opportunity that’s unattainable to the average backpacker. BUT! If you’re friendly, helpful, and outgoing, you could have one of these opportunities in hostels, too. This post will tell you how.

A few weeks ago, we told you about a new travel trend that’s helping thousands of travelers see the whole world - while barely spending any money at all. This trend is called “Slow Travel,” a.k.a the practice of spending several weeks or months at a time in one city or country. One common way people are doing this is by helping out in hostels.

Imagine this: you start your morning on a white sand beach in Greece, and end your day watching the sun set from a mountaintop in Turkey. The next day, you spend the afternoon exploring Istanbul with new friends from all over the world. That night, after another amazing sunset, you start planning your next adventure with your new friend from Bosnia, who you just met but it feels like you've known each other your whole life, and you're planning on exploring Western Europe together next month.

If we believed everything Hollywood movies told us, we would think hostels are dirty, run-down, and full of people waiting to steal your stuff and/or stab you the second you fall asleep. We’re here to tell you that this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Before we do that, let’s go over the basics. 

With so many different accommodation options for travelers these days, it might be hard to decide which one to stay in. You've got hotels, hostels, AirBnbs, Couchsurfing, VRBO...it can get overwhelming! However, if you are traveling on a budget, want to make new friends, and want to feel at home in a new city, hostels are the best way to go. Okay, we admit it: we might be a little biased. But we have some good reasons. Hear us out.

Here's why we think hostels are better than hotels, Couchsurfing, or AirBnb:

If you've been in San Francisco for longer than a few days, there's two things you might notice:

1. We love any excuse for a celebration

2. Going out for said celebrations can get expensive

New Years Eve is no exception to either of these rules. San Francisco has lots and lots of events going on to celebrate the last day of the year - and most of them are expensive and/or will require you standing in a massive queue to get in the venue.