Why Solo Travelers Should Avoid Staying at the Jo&Joe Hostel in Vienna, Austria

I came across this one-of-a-kind hostel inside an IKEA in Vienna, Austria, that checked off my must-haves and then some!  

•  Rooftop? (check)

• A bar? (check)

• Super close to transportation? (check)

• Beds that looked like they should be in a hotel? (check!)

Jo&Joe hostel was huge, taking up floors 5-7 of the building. IKEA doesn’t own it; Instead, it is owned by a hotel chain that has 22 different locations across Europe.

I was so impressed with this hostel that I sent a pic to my friend, who doesn’t believe in staying in a hostel past age 30.

I told her this isn’t your regular hostel; this is a cool hostel.

I was trying to prove my point that not all hostels are horrible! She laughed but didn’t change her mind.

Once I arrived at the Jo&Joe hostel after taking the train from Prague, I still couldn’t believe that it was inside the same building as IKEA. From the check-in/bar area, you could look downstairs and see people wandering the store's aisles. It really cracked me up.

But my amusement was short-lived.

My first night was fine. I retired early after having a pint and dinner. I had a cool sunset view from my bed.

To be fully transparent, Prague did me in, meaning that I enjoyed a lot of cheap beer, heavy foods, long nights, and walking. But I was also tired from London and the Lake District on the first leg of my trip. I figured an earlier night would allow me to rest and really enjoy this hostel.

The next morning, I had breakfast and did a walking tour of Vienna, then came back to enjoy that evening’s activities. They had a salsa event that night, and people from outside the hostel came in to enjoy the night.

I thought to myself, “Perfect! I can make friends.” It was very easy to make friends in Prague, even if it was only one night of drinking on a rooftop.

But that night? I had no luck in making friends. I was a little bummed, but again, I was recovering from 13 days of traveling.

So the next day, I tried to make friends again, to no avail.

Well, that’s a lie. I finally talked to these two guys. I knew they were young, but I didn’t realize how young they were until they told me they were 16 and 17.  I just turned 35 on this trip.

Awesome………

I couldn’t help but wonder, “Was there something off with me? Why couldn’t I make friends at this hostel?” I also started wondering if staying at this hostel was a bad choice.

There was a beer wall, a bar, a restaurant, an upstairs with oversize chairs, a Pez wall . . . hell, even logs to sit on! But still, I couldn’t hold a conversation for more than three minutes! The only person that I had “regular” length conversations with was my top-buck mate, who was in town for business.

On my last night at Jo&Joe hostel, I decided to do my wash. That was a clusterfuck because this massive hostel only had two washers and dryers. Naturally, there was a long queue. And worse, the dryer didn’t dry the clothes.

While waiting to use the washer, I was in the abovementioned main lounge space. I noticed this hostel had a lot of groups traveling together, and a lot of them were Americans.

I overheard this one American saying she would never want to travel alone. I thought this was my in to befriend the group and hang out for the night. Sadly, I was mistaken. We talked briefly, and I could tell she didn’t want to continue.

At this point, I thought, “What the hell is wrong with me? Why is it so hard to find people to hang out?” I’ve never had such a terrible time making friends at any other hostels I have been to.

I ran into my bunkmate while waiting my turn in the long queue to wash my clothes; we chatted, and he also expressed difficulties with making friends. He even said this hostel wasn’t the best for solo travelers.

In that moment, my feelings finally felt validated. I know you shouldn’t need validation, but, at that moment, it felt good.

Later that night, I went back downstairs to get a pint and see what people were up to since I was over being on the top floor. I ran into an Aussie, and we started to chat about our travels, how he didn’t like to travel solo, and how it was hard for him to meet people.

That’s when a British girl came over and started to chat with us. She was traveling solo, and we hit it off—probably a little too well because he made an excuse about dinner and left us. But before he left, we all agreed that this Jo&Joe hostel wasn’t the best for solos.

The Brit and I hung out the rest of the night and decided to crash these two guys’ game of Uno. It started with me asking how they play Uno. How I play it is very controversial but so much fun (if someone puts a draw 2 or 4 down and I have that same card, I can put it down). We played that for a while, and then taught them how to play Cards Against Humanity.

As an American, I never felt more nervous to teach this game to non-Americans just because it can go bad quickly. But honestly, it was a fun experience. Finally, a night I was hoping to have in Vienna!

The moral of this story:

Sometimes, having all the bells and whistles with a million and one activities while traveling doesn’t make it easier to meet new friends.

My hostel in Prague was so basic and a complete contrast.

·      No fancy DJ playing music

·      A small rooftop overlooking Prague

·      Cheap beer

But it was much easier for me to meet and talk to people there.

And that’s what I want from a hostel: memories of meeting people. And maybe, if I am lucky, we can stay friends once I return to reality.

Listen to your gut, especially when solo traveling. Your gut knows more than you think. I shouldn’t have doubted my feelings about Jo&Joe hostel. It was a bad choice for this solo traveler.

However, if you travel in groups or with a couple of friends, this hostel is for you!

What do you look for in a hostel? Have you ever gone to one that let you down? Tell meabout it in the comments!