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Remember when hostels actually had communal dinners? I feel like that whole vibe shifted around 2015.

Every hostel I stayed at in Europe back in 2011-2014 would do a family dinner for like 3-5 bucks, best way to meet people and save money. Now half the ones I book in places like Barcelona or Berlin dont even have a kitchen, just a vending machine. Has anyone found a chain or specific city that still does the shared dinner thing right?
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2 Comments
rileyb61
rileyb612d ago
The whole hostel game really did change around that time. Backpacking got super commercialized once everyone started booking through apps instead of just showing up. Hostels realized they could pack more beds in and skip the kitchen, cut costs, and still charge the same nightly rate. The best dinners I've had were at smaller hostels in Eastern Europe like in Budapest or Krakow where the owner actually cooks and eats with everyone. Even some of the bigger chains in Scandinavia still do family dinners but you'll pay closer to 10-15 bucks now instead of the old 3-5. It's a bummer because those dinners were half the reason hostels worked so well for solo travelers.
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the_emma
the_emma2d ago
So true @rileyb61, a buddy of mine just got back from a trip and said his favorite hostel in Lisbon still does family dinner but it's like 12 euros now for a basic pasta and salad. He met some awesome people there though, so I guess you pay for the company.
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