By Aisling O'Toole

Travelling the world is no longer the preserve of the rich and idle, each year more and more students decide to put of getting a "real" job and growing up to take off to lands unknown.

They set off with the intention of coming back mature, cultured, responsible, knowing what they want from life and full of jaw dropping anecdotes. Most of the time they come back waxing lyrical about how travel broadens the mind and that it was the best thing they ever did. Their stories now feature copious amounts of alcohol instead of remote Zulu tribes, and the mountains of debt they incurred means any soul searching they did will have to be postponed until they can get out of the red. However despite these drawbacks many novice travelers refuse to take advice, thinking that they know best how to plan their trip and that what worked for someone else won't work for them.

However, while the routes, budgets, horror stories and time spans may vary some of the basic principles stay the same no matter where in the world you're going. One such principle is accommodation, where you stay while travelling could make or break your whole trip and even cloud your judgement of the country itself. After flights, accommodation is the biggest outlay you'll have so it pays to do your homework.

Internet bookings can make life easier but its worth remembering that camera angles and tiny pictures can make even the most horrendous hostel look like The Plaza. Likewise descriptions are often exaggerated, a 10 minute walk can often turn into a 15 / 20 minute bus journey, while "a homely atmosphere in a rustic building" can describe a run down dirty mansion - so take all descriptions with a pinch of salt. Arriving in a new city, exhausted after travelling and realising that your "luxury ensuite suite", that has already been paid for is actually a box room with a bedpan is enough to ruin your trip. The frustration of having to find somewhere to stay in a strange city, while dragging your backpack around coupled with the sick feeling of wasted money, is going to take a few days to wear off which may be your entire stay in that city.

The best bet is probably to speak to someone who has stayed in the same hostel or in the same area. Talk to them about their experiences in and opinions on the area so you'll at least know what to realistically expect when you arrive. Alternatively book through a website that has visitor feedback. The feedback on these sites is generally impartial and will enable you to at least get an honest opinion on the property from someone who has stayed there. Most travel agencies do have online booking facilities but a lot of the time the hostels are not selected by the travel agents. In practice what this means is that the hostels are not being recommended by the travel agent and will be in no way reflective of their level of service or standard of quality.

Another option is to try and find a hostel chain that you like and stay in their properties as often as you can during your trip. Standards will generally stay the same and at least there will be no unexpected surprises upon arrival, as you will have a basic idea of what you'll get. It's also worth noting that in a America especially, twin ensuite rooms in hostels actually cost the same or more than motel rooms so if your after some comfort and don't necessarily want to meet new people it can be worth checking out.

Bear in mind also the culture and standard of living in the country which you are visiting, if it's an under developed country then hostel standards won't be the same as Ireland and you may have to pay more just to find somewhere of reasonable standard.

Occasionally there are bargains to be had and unknown gems to be discovered, but, as a rule of thumb when it comes to accommodation, shop around, you will get what you pay for and if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.