Did you know this first backpacker hostel of India was started in 1945!

With the rise in demand for budget travel amongst youth in the past decade, the demand for budget stays came complimentarily. My hypothesis says you have spent a night in a bunk bed of a hostel in the hills at least once in the past few years.

Imagine this - 12 years ago, you are travelling with your parents; hopping hotels to seek your ideal stay. Who’d have thought, we would be renting single beds 12 years down the line, sharing the room with strangers from around the world in a completely new location.

Yet, here we stand, budget travellers, seeking new friendships and stories from fellow stay-ees in these hostels.

How and where it all started

The inception of these hostels in India goes way back than Zostel or GoStops. The first hostel came into existence even before India’s independence in 1945 at Tara Devi near Shimla. It was initiated by H E Sir Bertrand Glancy, Chief Scout and then Governor of Punjab. Steadily, Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI) was established and its first hostel was opened in Delhi during the end of 1977. Till date, YHAI’s headquarter is the same hostel in Chanakyapuri. From YHAI’s hostel in 1977 to the modern-day traveller’s hostel - Zostel in 2013, these traveller’s dens have travelled a long way.

Modern-day hostels

Though the first Zostel was kicked off in Jodhpur, it was only a matter of months before they started operations in the Himalayas. Following the concept of backpacking, a bunch of youth/traveller’s hostels poured in; especially in the state of Himachal Pradesh. With a further boost in tourism in offbeat locations of the Himalayas, the opportunity was grabbed on by, now leading hostel chains such as The Hosteller, GoStops, and The Moustache Hostel among others. These stays have properties in one of the highest places in the world with the likes of Zostel Kaza and GoStops Leh.

Zostel

The company was started to promote travelling as a way of life. In 2013, Zostel introduced the concept of modern-day backpacker hostels to the Indian mainland. Today, Zostel has top-rated hostels at 38 locations across India & Nepal - surrounded by a completely new and fast-evolving ecosystem of more than 200 backpacker hostels. A few of the Himalayan locations include Bir, Spiti, Chitkul, Gangtok, Mcleodganj and Leh.

The Mudhouse Experiential Hostel, Jibhi

Yes, this hostel justifies its name. A mud structure in Jibhi to give you the feel of a local property blended with some of the coolest people around. It sits beside a tributary of Beas river in Jibhi, near Tirthan. It offers a 360 experience of living in a mudhouse and hosts creative/artistic events every now and then.

The Hosteller

Commenced in 2014, The Hosteller today has over 10 properties in India. It is also a favourite spot for a lot of artists and bloggers in Bir. Few locations in the Himayals include Bir, Kasol, Manali, Jibhi and Mcleodganj.

GoStops

Another hostel that boasts its vibrant, vivid and social environment is GoStops. Each GoStops hostel has a bunch of cute little nooks where you can hang out with fellow travellers, or just lay low by yourself. Having over 12 hostels across the nation, some GoStops Himalayan locations include Naggar, Dalhousie, Leh, Palampur and Bir.

Backpacker hostels in the Himalayas have surely been budget traveller’s saviour as well as their treasure. With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, the future of these shared hostel rooms lies in balance for a few months or coming years. The humankind has always tackled unique issues with creative solutions, will we be seeing personal sanitized capsule beds in these hostels? Coronavirus has made us (read: travellers) ask a lot of questions and redefine travel.

Picture credits: Zostel, UrbanPod Mumbai, GoStops, YHAI, The Hosteller, Mudhouse experential living.