So, it was day 2 of arriving in Thailand on my first solo backpacking trip. I checked out of my budget hotel and booked a hostel. Why not? It’s cheap, you can travel longer, and most importantly, meet people. But at 29 (a couple of months off 30), I thought, am I too old? In my mind, I imagined a bunch of 18-20 year olds and wasn’t sure how comfortable either side would feel in this situation. But fuck it, I was travelling. Worst thing that can happen is I’ll hate everyone and go somewhere else (spoiler, I didn’t).

Before my trip, I had done a bit of research on the best site for booking. I was used to Booking.com or Agoda for hotels, which are great for cheap hotel stays, but the reviews are usually from holiday travellers who just want a cheap place to sleep rather than a social vibe.

Back then, and even now, the app and website most travellers recommend for hostel bookings is Hostelworld. It gives you reviews not just on the facilities, but on the social vibe too, and that is the number one thing I look at when booking hostels, even today.

You could have the most comfortable bed in the world, but if the hostel doesn’t make an effort to bring guests together, then you may as well be in a hotel by yourself. That said, as I mentioned in my previous posts, it only takes one person to start a conversation, and you never know where that could lead. Don’t always rely on hostel staff to create your experience.

I booked the cheapest hostel I could find for £3 a night, and it still had great ratings. I remember it well. The place was small and rustic, but it had a real Thai charm. It felt cosy, with fairy lights in the common areas, guitars to play, board games, and mats on the floor where people could sit around and socialise.

And people did socialise there. The staff would sit with you too, offer you a beer, chat, and make you feel right at home. Looking back ten years later, the hostel is still there, and you should check them out too. Thanks to the team at Born Free Hostel for giving me that warm Thai welcome that still makes me smile every time I go back to the country.

Yes, in a hostel you will be staying in a bunk bed like a kid again, but the beds were comfortable and you quickly realise that it’s only a place to rest after you’ve spent the day exploring, socialising, and getting to know the culture.

It’s also a great place to start talking to roommates, who are often in the same position as you and have no clue what they’re doing either.

Admittedly, I was in party mode when I first arrived because I was excited about taking a five-month sabbatical for the first time in my life, maybe trying to recapture my early 20s. It might happen to you too. After working full time from the age of 16, I just wanted to go wild, so the socialising went into overdrive.

So how was the hostel? What happened?

I checked in, put my bags under the old wooden dorm bed, and went downstairs to sit near a group of people in the common area. Honestly, I felt a little unsure at first approaching a group who seemed like they had known each other for years. Was I interrupting? Did they just want to stick with their own crowd?

But after I got talking, it turned out they had all met a day earlier and just clicked because they were in a new place together. They welcomed me and invited me on a day trip. I thought it would be a temple or something like that, but it ended up being a sky train journey to the Unicorn Café.

Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. A café where grown-ups can put on fluffy unicorn onesies (I swear, this isn’t a kink bar) and drink coffee or eat muffins. I can safely say it’s not something I would ever have done alone, but it was an interesting experience.

That turned into moving on to some more cultural Thai food markets, then beers later in the day. Me, a few Canadians, Dutch, Germans, and Brits, all meeting in the last 24 hours, eating, dressing as unicorns, drinking, and taking two tuk tuks covered in neon lights, where the drivers raced each other like they were on a Formula One track, on a journey into RCA (Royal City Avenue).

We all partied, drank from buckets of booze, and drunkenly ate fried insects (this is entirely optional and I don’t recommend it), until we all shared a cab home at 4am. On this note, Tuk Tuks are expensive if you use them all the time, so maybe stick with Bangkok’s Uber equivalent, Grab or Bolt. There’s yellow and green taxis everywhere too, but you’ll usually have to haggle on the price.

We woke up in our dorm rooms feeling a little delicate the next day, but happy overall. Some of us said our goodbyes, exchanged details, and even met up further down the road.

I was probably the oldest in the group at 29, with some people in their early 20s, but no one treated anyone any differently. Just another backpacker, looking for a new experience.

Obviously, not everyone’s experience will be like this. I was in a party phase, so I found my party people. If you’re more into temples, markets, and quieter days, you’ll find your people too. But if you don’t, and this is very fucking important to remember, you will not meet people you like or love in every hostel you stay in, and you’ll be very lucky if you do. This is normal, just move on and find a place you like the vibe of more. Please don’t let a single bad hostel experience put you off. I can safely say I’ve stayed in hundreds over the years and some are just shit, don’t stress about it.

That’s the point of this story: hostels don’t need to be intimidating at any age. Ten years on, I’ve met travellers from 18 to 70. As long as you’re respectful and kind, you’ll fit in.

Don’t be a dick, and you’ll see just how easy it is.