Serious question, that 'hostel hack' from the guy in Bangkok

This guy at the hostel in Bangkok told me to always book hostels with a 24 hour reception so you can check in at 3am and skip paying for the first night. I tried it in Berlin and got turned away because they said my booking started the day before. He was wrong and I paid 35 euros extra for a last minute hotel. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from travelers on the road?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley581mo ago

Living vicariously through strangers' bad advice, classic.

fiona_murray1mo ago

Right? "Living vicariously through strangers' bad advice" is such a perfect way to put it. I always feel for the people who take that kind of advice to heart, especially when it's so obviously off. You can just tell when someone is lonely and just wants someone to talk to, even if it means giving terrible suggestions. It's kind of sad when you think about it, but I get why people do it. Solidarity with everyone trying to figure this stuff out on their own.

josephf107d ago

Has anyone else noticed how guys like that just make stuff up to sound interesting? @fiona_murray is right that loneliness makes people give terrible advice just to feel useful. I got told to buy a fake student ID for museums in Paris and got laughed out of the Louvre.