You won’t be travelling for long before you need to unpack your teddy-bear, put your curlers in and catch some zeds. This is when the issue of accommodation arises.

---

Hostel tips for female travellers Some hostels have single sex dorms, but lots of hostels, boats and trains have mixed accommodation. If you’re uncomfortable with this (it is a fact universally acknowledged that boys are a bit smelly) you may be able to make other arrangements. Many hostels have the option of small rooms which you can hire with mates or a partner or on your own instead of staying in dorms. However, if you fancy your chances in tonight’s scheduled bogey-flicking contest and decide to stay in a mixed dorm, you’ll probably feel more comfortable if you’ve packed a T-shirt and some light trousers or shorts that can double as jim-jams. If it’s hot, a sleeping-bag liner (just a cotton sheet sewn into a sleeping-bag-shaped tube) keeps you cool and may feel more secure than just a sheet. As for washroom facilities, you’ll generally find there are separate ones for lads and lasses. This means you won’t have to stand round waiting for interminable hair-gelling rituals to come to an end before you can nip in and brush your teeth (the idea that girls take longer in the bathroom being an evil myth perpetuated by patriarchy). Did you know we recommend a number of tried-and-tested hostels around the World? Click here >> to see them. Look out for the female symbol [see right] which indicates that they have female-only dorms. If you fancy a couple of nights off from men altogether, why not try a women-only hostel? The YWCA runs lots of these, all over the world. Contact the YWCA in your chosen country: Click here >> for a list of addresses Click here >> for our recommended hostels (look out for the female symbol) Click here >> for advice if it's your first time staying in a hostel Click here >> to buy sleeping bags and liners in our online shop

Adverts