Ios, Greece

Why I Loved It: Amazing vibes from everyone I encountered here. Some of my closest travel friends were made here, and the environment of the hostel is *chef’s kiss*. The hostel has a patio that overlooks the ocean where the sun sets, as well as a pool. Every night at 11 on the patio the hostel offers a “welcome shot” so everyone staying at the hostel takes a welcome shot together and people meet their new friends to go out with (Ios is a party island for those unaware). When I spontaneously came back to this island when everything was booked hoping to just throw my bag in my friends room and pull another all-nighter, they called around and found a hostel for me to stay in because they remembered me from before. Amazing people, vibes, and views.

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre, Italy

Why I Loved It: Um, do you see the view here? You are literally right in the center of the last town of Cinque Terre. There is a little balcony (where I am sitting in this picture) with amazing views. Quite reasonable prices for Italy (we only paid like 25 euros a night which was probably the cheapest we paid in Italy). Amazing views, quite reasonable price, and great location.

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Athens, Greece

Why I Loved It: Another amazing place with amazing people and solid vibes. Very social hostel. This hostel has a rooftop bar with views of the Acropolis, beer pong, and Mamma Mia songs on repeat. It is a large hostel (100-200 guests) and majority go up to the rooftop every night, so it is a great place to meet people and have a good time. I do want to pre warn that the hostel is located in a pretty sketchy area. I recommend putting on a scary face for the 3 minute walk to the safer area of Plaka, but I never had any serious issues other than a general discomfort leaving the hostel. Overall had an amazing time at this rooftop, met a lot of cool people, and enjoyed the super friendly social vibe that this hostel had.

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