Hostels are like snowflakes, every one is unique. This can be both a good and bad thing. Unlike hotels, hostels are a little more flexible when it comes to keeping up with certain industry standards. This means while one hostel provides towels and bedding the next one will supply you with nothing. At Urban Holiday Lofts, we pride ourselves on being at the top of our game and making sure our guests have everything they need.  However, there are just certain items you should bring when staying at a hostel (or any shared living arrangement for that matter).

Flip Flops

bare feet in public spaces is a recipe for disaster, but who wants to wear sneakers to and from the shower or while walking around your room getting ready? Flip flops are essential for communal bathrooms. You can never really tell how clean a shower or bathroom is, unless you cleaned it yourself. Avoid any foot funguses and punctures by having sandals for the shower. Not only are flip flops great for shower time, but nice for casually walking around the hostel… and beach parties which can start up at any time. They are also small and don’t take up much space.

Lock

Most hostels will have lockers available for their guests. We recommend using lockers for your personal belongings while staying in a dorm style accommodation. They are cheap, small, and keep your stuff safe from the thieves. It’s an easy thing to forget, but really important to remember
Towel

The most important thing to have according to Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is a towel. This also holds true in the hostel world. Even though Urban Holiday Loft’s provides it’s guest with towels, you never know when you might need your own when traveling. Have you ever been to a hotel or hostel that has awful towels, or even worse none at all? It can be a traumatic experience, so make sure to bring your towel!
Light

If you are staying in the dorm with other strangers and you find yourself getting back to the hostel fairly late after a few cocktails, you will probably need some lighting to find your way to bed. however, turning on the lights can wake up your fellow bunk mates and that’s not cool. Make sure you have some sort of personal lighting to find your way around. It’s super easy now a days to have a flash light with flashlight apps for smart phones. This can also be used if you want to do a little late night reading.

 
Ear Plugs

No matter where you are staying there is going to be noise at day and night, especially  in major metropolitan areas like Chicago. We notice a lot of negative reviews in the hostel industry come from not being able to sleep because of noise. Hostels can’t always control the environment outside of the building. A good way to make sure your beauty sleep won’t be interrupted, is to bring ear plugs. This can block out any unwanted sounds when you are trying to get some sleep. it’s also great for falling asleep on planes.
Bottle Openers

One of the most frustrating feelings in the world is having a bottle of beer, wine or soda if you’re on the wagon and having no means to open them. Sure you can go Macgyver on the bottle and use a shoe string or something, but it would be a lot easier with an opener. There are tons of cool little openers that can fit in your bag and/or  pocket. You’d be surprised how you can be the hero of the hour if you have a bottle opener on hand. Extra points for a wine opener.