Hostel curfews are no longer as frequent as when more hostels are popping up everywhere, but there are still hostel curfews. And it can be like the front doors to the hostel will be closed at a certain time in the evening (oftentimes, you won’t even be able to unlock them).

There are some hostels that do not provide 24/7 receptionists. If staff need to get home every night, they’ll lock the hostel’s front door, and if you don’t have a key, you’ll be left out for the night on the street unless a fellow guest hears your banging and lets you in. Often, after the curfew, your key won’t even give you access to the hostel, and if you don’t make it back in time, you’d have to make alternative plans.

If you have a curfew in your hostel, it will typically be around 11 p.m. Or at a later date. This might work in your favor if you like a good night’s sleep, instead of a group of guests coming in drunk late at night.

Keep in mind that a hostel curfew is not what is referred to as a “lockout,” which is when the hostel closes for a few hours in the middle of the day, so that the workers can clean the rooms.

It is usually for the purposes of protection. Nobody can come in if the hostel is closed at night, so guests are kept safe in their rooms. It’s less likely that someone will sneak in as if they’re a paying guest and sneak into a room, or worse, to rob travelers.

If the hostel has only a few staff members, they may have a curfew so that if there are not enough people to work the night shift at the reception, everyone can go home to sleep. Not every hostel has an all-night bar, and the staff needs to sleep, so they can get home at a reasonable hour with a curfew.

Some hostels are located in a residential area and do not want their neighbors to complain.

They are usually very uncommon, so you don’t have to think about them too much, because you won’t come up against them every night or anything.

If hostel curfews sound like your hell idea, the easy way to get around it is simply to avoid staying at that hostel. You can most likely find this information in the booking site of the hostel, it will usually be listed, and if not, it will certainly be mentioned in the reviews. It’s one of the travelers ‘ most common complaints, so if it happens, expect to read people who moan about it.

One major benefit is that it keeps you safer than other hostels, where anyone can come off the street and into your place. Safety can be a real concern if you’re a solo female traveler. Keeping that peace of mind can really help you sleep better at night if you’re nervous about protection. And if you’re living in a dorm room, you’re always going to need that in your life.

A curfew’s other advantage is that it prevents you from staying out all night. And the advantage is being fresh and ready to start for the day to wake up in the morning.

If you’re not a partyer, that’s going to be a huge advantage. You’ll get a decent night’s sleep because at 4 a.m. you won’t get people to walk into your house. After a heavy drinking night. A hostel with a curfew is likely to be the perfect fit if you enjoy peace and quiet while you travel and value your sleep.

To be honest, curfews at the hostel are irritating. They disrupt your plans and can often force you to cut short a fun night as you have to be back inside before your hostel’s front door is locked. Even if you happen to have a curfew that you can circumvent by getting a key, thinking you’re not going to be able to get back to your hostel if you lose it can make you worry all night long.