Sometimes hostelling feels like a battle. There’s the enforced marching with heavy packs, the rationing of food, low standards of hygiene and, all too often, cramped and cheerless sleeping quarters. To assist you with fighting the war against travel fatigue we’ve put together a guide, based upon the timeless teachings of Sun Tzu. Forget The Art Of War, it’s time to learn the ancient art of Booking A Hostel.
I. LAYING PLANS: Sun Tzu said: “It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.” An exaggeration? We think not. A backpacker without even the roughest of plans will end up sleeping in a bug-infested hole at some stage, mark our words. Having a plan does not mean setting everything in stone but it does mean having the basic foresight to secure a clean, safe place to rest at night. When you book online with HostelsClub you can do this as late as midnight the day before arriving in a new place.
II. WAGING WAR: Sun Tzu said: “Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardour dampened, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity.”
This is a clear reference to arriving in an unknown city with a hangover, without a bed booked, diminishing funds, and “take advantage of me” stamped on your forehead for all those touts at the train station to see. Don’t have your extremity taken advantage of! Book ahead!
III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM: Sun Tzu said: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
The meaning is obvious right?! If you’ve got the hostel you’re heading to sussed in terms of facilities, location and standards, you have nothing to be worried about. If on the other hand you know what you want but know nothing of the place you are going to, you’re playing russian roulette and are sooner or later going to end up in a place that differs greatly from what you think a hostel “should” be.
If you know nothing of the hostel nor of what you want from a hostel, maybe you’d better stay home.
IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS: Sun Tzu said: “In respect of military method, we have, firstly, Measurement; secondly, Estimation of Quantity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Balancing of Chances; fifthly, Victory.”
This same method can be applied to judging the merit of a hostel and successfully booking it online.
i. Measurement: This is the act of measuring up the hostel’s worth, what it has to offer you in terms of atmosphere, convenience and comforts.
ii. Estimation of Quantity: Once you have decided a place is worthy of your patronage you need to establish if there is a sufficient quantity of beds for you to secure a booking. HostelClub’s advanced booking form allows you to check availability on the spot, and to fine-tune your room choice in case of difficulty.
iii.Calculation: Instant, guaranteed prices for the bed you wish to book.
iv. Balancing of Chances: Weighing up the likelihood of finding an ideal place to sleep and securing a bed there by just rocking up, against booking the aforementioned ideal place online. The latter is much more likely to lead to….
v. Victory: As defined by sipping a cold beer in the chillin’ hostel bar, as opposed to sweating it up pounding the streets looking for a bed.
V. ENERGY: Sun Tzu said : ”The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon”. Well…we just like that image.
VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG: Sun Tzu said: “Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.” As anyone who has backpacked for a while can testify, no one hostel is the same as another (there are no constant conditions!). Therefore it is important to discard any expectations and critically survey the weaknesses and strengths of any establishment before booking.
The strengths of a hostel may include: A bathroom in every room, free breakfast, small dorms, convenient location, bar on the premises.
The weak points of a hostel may include: Cardboard used as dividing walls, train-tracks outside the window, curfews or lock-outs, popularity amongst school groups.
By checking out the photos, descriptions, and customer reviews online at HostelsClub you can assess the weaknesses and strengths of a hostel in a matter of minutes. We offer something for every taste and budget so you are bound to find what you are after.
VII. MANEUVERING: Sun Tzu said: “A soldier’s spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is bent only on returning to camp.”
Oh, the fatigue of life on the road. There truly is nothing better at the end of a hard day travelling or sightseeing than knowing you have a hot shower ahead of you, a cosy lounge room or sociable bar in which to relax with friends, and eventually a comfy bed to crash out on. On the other hand, seeing the sun set on a long day and still having the task of finding a bed for the night is a drain on the spirits.
XIII. THE USE OF SPIES:
Sun Tzu said: “Raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the State. The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces of silver. There will be commotion at home and abroad, and men will drop down exhausted on the highways. As many as seven hundred thousand families will be impeded in their labor. Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge….Knowledge of the enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained from other men.”
There you have it folks, as plain as day. If you don’t arm yourself with foreknowledge, your daily expenditure could amount to a thousand ounces of silver, not to mention you dropping down exhausted on the highway. The trick is to have it all sorted out before you hit the road. The best way to choose and book a hostel is to listen to those who have trod the path ahead of you. While the word “spies” maybe a little harsh for these online hostel reviewers, the fact is that without their insight, bad choices are easy to make. HostelsClub.com invites every person that books online to rate and review the hostel they stay at, and we compile these ratings in a easy to use guide (how smiley is the smiley face?).
At HostelsClub.com we like to make things as easy as possible for our fellow travellers. When you visit our site the only skill that you need to have truly mastered is clicking a mouse. We take care of the rest.
make sure there is a place for you to be alone…..together.
! . Dig up as much information as possible. The more you know, the more you can be prepared.