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7 Ways Hostels Will Make You More Confident

 

 

7 Ways Hostels Will Make Your More Confident www.taylorstracks.com

Travel can do wonders for you as an individual. During any trip you’re bound to learn a thing or two and see some things that will change your opinion. You may begin to question things back home as your eyes are opened to new worlds.

Regardless of where you go, seeing and doing new things is bound to help create a new you. It may not be obvious to those outside, but you’ll find it inside and that’s all that matters. What others will see is the confidence that you developed during your travels.

It may not necessarily be the places you go to or what you do, but the people you meet and where you stay. Hostels are one sure way to make sure you come back home thinking better of yourself and showing people that you do have something to be confident for.

Hostel Friends in Koh Tao www.taylorstracks.com

A friend I met who was in the same room in Koh Tao, Thailand.

1. No Mirrors

It takes a while to realize, but majority of hotels don’t have full-length mirrors. Yes, they do have mirrors so you can check to see if you have an annoying pimple coming in or to make sure your hair looks fine. But these mirrors are scarce as there is usually only one in the bathroom, rarely ever a second in the room.

Very quickly you will become accustomed to walking out of the room without double or triple checking your outfit because someone else will be in the bathroom, limiting your access to the mirror. You’ll learn to just accept how you look and go with it. With that attitude you’ll begin to develop more confidence.

2. Talking to Strangers

You won’t have a choice, if you’re staying in a hostel you will end up talking to strangers every day. Even if you’re in a private room, guaranteed you’ll find yourself in the hostel common room or kitchen for breakfast and a random will start talking to you. You’ll most likely be asked the same questions over and over but this will loosen you up, make you less shy, and eventually you’ll find yourself asking the same questions to others.

From there you’ll graduate to chatting with others in your room before going to bed or asking people to hang out or to go for drinks. The more strangers you talk to, the more open you’ll become and with that your confidence will develop even more.

Hostel Friends in Nice www.taylorstracks.com

Friends from a group tour who I got closer with after sharing a hostel dorm room.

3. Sharing Space

Get ready to jump out of your comfort zone, because hostels force you to. And being pushed out of your comfort zone is exactly what creates confidence. When you’re sharing space, especially a sleeping place, you might feel awkward at first. Your stuff doesn’t always get a nice cubby to place it in, but eventually you’ll become comfortable enough sharing a space that your stuff will be scattered on your bed, in your pack, and on the bunk ladders.

Getting to that level of comfort while sharing a space with multiple people shows that your confident enough to not care if others judge you for being messy, or just doing whatever you want in your minimal bunk space.

4. Solo Travelers

Hostels are loaded with solo travelers from every corner of the world, giving you the chance to pick the brains of these unique individuals. There are so many solo travelers now that there is no way you won’t run into many during your trip. These solo travelers are the ones who will give you inspiration, give you courage, give you an excuse to travel more and on your own. They’ll make you believe that anyone can travel solo and that anywhere is accessible.

Travelers who aren’t solo can also teach you these things, but it is usually the solo travelers who will approach you, chat with you, and begin showing you more of the world through their stories. They’ll help you by making you feel more confident in your travel choices, and encourage you to go and do every trip you can think of.

Oktoberfest Hostel Friends www.taylorstracks.com

A fellow Canadian I met in Munich in our hostel common room.

5. People Don’t Judge

Hostels are some of the most nonjudgmental places you will ever go. The fact that people from all over the world, speaking different languages and who are familiar with different customs that are all visiting a country that doesn’t have the same language, food, or religion makes for a very accepting group of people. Traveler’s in general, not just those in hostels, are very open people.

This nonjudgmental attitude will give you breathing space to accept yourself. These people are accepting you even with all your differences from them, so why shouldn’t you accept yourself? The number one way to become more confident is through self-acceptance.

6. Travelers Are Just Confident People in General

Is this true for every traveler? Absolutely not. But a pretty good majority of traveler’s are and that confidence is bound to rub off on you. Try to talk to someone who’s confident and has gone to the same countries as you, or countries that you will be going to. You will most certainly feel more confident realizing that you should be as confident as this person who has done the same things as you.

Or you will feel that confident when you accomplish the same things (like ticking countries off of your bucket list). Confidence, in a way, is contagious. You may not realize that you have reason to be confident, but others who are no more special than you can carry that confidence you’re looking for and show you that you have no reason to not be confident.

Hostel Friends in Myanmar www.taylorstracks.com

Waiting for sunset in Bagan, Myanmar with some hostel friends.

7. There Is Always Someone Around

You know that little voice in your head that tells you when you don’t look good or lists all the negative things about you? That voice tends to die down or disappear when you’re with other people. You’ll be chatting or listening to a conversation and be too busy to overthink things or think too much about how you look or what someone thinks of you.

The truth is that the people you meet will be interested in what you have to say and you’ll be interested to hear what they have to say. That’s part of the joy of meeting people in hostels. They all come from such different backgrounds that each story is unique and everyone has something to share, including you. Remember that, that you are interesting to other people and let that fact help boost your confidence.

The people that stay in hostels will become your teachers on your journey to confidence. Hostels simply act as the one thing that brings you together. Being pushed out of your comfort zone, being around inspiring people, and learning that you’re not so different from those who are confident are all baby steps that will in the end make you a more confident person.

Start packing your bags and get ready for your next trip because that could be all that stands between you and the new confident you who struts off the plane when you come back home.

In what way has travel made you more confident?

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