Hostelling: Is it for you?

I spent my lunch break today trying to find relatively cheap accommodation in Iceland for the first leg of the Grand Tour. Outside Reykjavik, hostels seem to be few and far between and also much more expensive than other places I've been.

It got me thinking, though, about hostelling in general and whether everyone's cut out for it. So here's my list of clues that hostelling might be a good choice for you.

1. Sharing a room isn't a bother

Sharing a dorm with half a dozen or more complete strangers is the norm in hostels. OK, so you could pay a few quid more and get a private room, but that's not really the point of hostels, is it? If you're fussy about personal space or freaked out by sharing with strangers then you might want to stick with hotels.

If you're not, well done! First hurdle overcome.

2. Patience is a virtue when needing a shower

Let's face it, queuing for a bathroom is no one's idea of fun, but it's a fact of life in hostels. If you absolutely must have a shower every day, try to get in there outside of "rush hour". If you're like me, you can cope with a shower every other day with a good wash in between. Cuts down on the queuing.

If you can't bear the thought of sharing a bathroom, bag a private room but you'll have to pay more. If you're with a group, best get a hotel.

3. Cooking is fun

Hostels are self catering. Obviously. And I'm guessing that if you're staying in a hostel, you're trying to keep costs down, which means few meals out. Which means cooking for yourself. So, you'd best like cooking or at least be able to cook something other than beans on toast.

As with bathrooms, try to hit the kitchen outside of peak hours, especially if it's small. I stayed in a hostel in New Zealand that had such a tiny kitchen for the size of the place that I didn't actually eat the one night I was there because I couldn't get anywhere near the cooker. Don't make the same mistake. Scope the place online if you can before you book.

4. Noise? What noise?

When hostelling, you just have to accept that sometimes you're going to have roommates who clatter in at 3am and wake everyone up. Sometimes it might even be you. If you can't cope with the occasional disturbance, you might want to reconsider. You could try investing in some earplugs if you still intend to stay in hostels but don't want to get woken up.

5. Respect

Perhaps the most important thing when staying in hostels (and life in general). You're never going to cope if you don't respect your fellow guests. So yes, one of your roommates rolled in drunk and woke everyone up. Shit happens. Kitchen too busy? Don't snark at the people using it - it's not necessarily their fault. Maybe nip out for a takeaway instead? Queue for the shower several miles long? Screw it. Grab some deodorant, have a quick wash at the sink and get out there - chances are, no one will notice if it's just one day.

Just because a hostel is cheaper, doesn't mean you can't have an amazing experience there. Take the lovely Malin Beg Hostel for instance.

This was the cheapest night of my trip to Ireland. It's stuck out on a headland in Donegal, miles from anywhere. And it's beautiful. So far out we had this beach nearly to ourselves.

So give it a go. Hostelling is an experience. If you don't enjoy it, so be it. But I think you'd be surprised what you get out of it. Maybe hostelling is for you after all.

 What tips would you give to someone considering hostelling for the first time? Please share in the comments below.

Unusual Museums: Medical History in London

On a recent trip to London my sister and I decided to find a few of London's more unusual museums. We covered the ones below in a day and they provide a really fascinating insight into the history of medicine and healthcare.

1. The Museum of the Order of St John

St John's Gate

This is the Order of St John possibly best known for providing the St John Ambulance. Tucked away north of Smithfield Market, the museum is housed in the gatehouse and attached buildings of the old Priory Church of St John. It charts the history of the Order from their origins in the Middle East during the Crusades through to their present day charity work across the world. It's not a big place but well worth a visit, not just for the history of the Order but for the history of medicine which goes along with it.

Entry: Free
Get there: St John's Lane, Clerkenwell. Nearest Tube is Barbican.

2. The Old Operating Theatre & Herb Garret

The Doctor will see you now...

Tucked away behind massive doors this is a real little gem. Access through the narrow spiral staircase of the old church bell tower means it's not suitable for disabled persons (unfortunately), but if you can make it up the stairs it's well worth the trip. The museum is in the attic space of an old church, formerly attached to St Thomas' Hospital. The attic used to house the herb garret of the hospital, a place where the apothecary could mix up medicines for the hospital patients. It's now full of cabinets of weird medical instruments, pickled organs and other somewhat gruesome things. Fascinating but perhaps not for the weak stomached? Attached to this is the Old Operating Theatre itself. Possibly the oldest purpose built operating theatre in Europe. Make sure to catch a talk there if you have time.

Entry: £6.50
Get there: 9a St Thomas' St, London. Nearest Tube is London Bridge (right round the corner).

3. The Hunterian Museum

If you're not over-fond of preserved things in jars, this is probably not the museum for you, but for anyone with an interest in the history of medicine and pathology, it's brilliant. Parts of the collection date back a few centuries, to the beginnings of medicine as we understand it today and despite the fact that much of the museum is taken up by the aforementioned things in jars, you can get quite a lot out of it. If you feel you need some fresh air afterwards, the lovely park of Lincoln's Inn Fields is quite literally just across the road.

Entry: Free
Get there: Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Nearest Tube is Holborn.

4. The Science Museum

They might not be as popular as the space and engineering galleries, the Science Museum's human biology galleries should be visited. If you've got small children they're especially good - there's lots of interactive games and such to keep little ones engaged. Plenty of information about genetics and medical technology, plus, if I recall correctly, a whole bunch of glass eyes which creep me out no end.

Entry: Free
Get there: Exhibition Road, South Kensington. Nearest Tube is South Kensington. 

So there you have it: 4 museums you can cover in a day in London, at least three of which I'd count as unusual. Would you suggest another for the list? Why not leave a comment and let me know about an unusual museum near you?