It cost $7— but it surely was hardly seventh heaven.
German backpacker Fiona Strack has shocked social media after sharing footage of an ultra-cheap hostel that she stayed in during her travels to Manila in The Philippines.
“Still undecided if it was a hostel, a dog shelter, or a jail” she wrote within the caption, “but hey, €6 (USD $7) an evening and I had WiFi, electricity, a fan, and a clean towel.”
The viral reel posted to her account, @fiona.strack— detailing the hostel’s tiny sleeping space, shabby bathroom, and padlocked metal door — has racked up over 32.5 million views in only three days, and commenters expressed every emotion from shock to horror to barely guilty amusement.
“May this never ever find me,” one commenter wrote. “Baby, that’s just prison,” said one other sympathetic viewer.
“Typical Latest York 1 bedroom,” quipped one commenter.
“Ma’am, you’re crate training,” joked a user, while one other said, “Not the human kennel…”
Many commenters were also concerned that the influencer had mistaken the bidet for the shower head, but unfortunately for curious viewers, that was among the many only details she didn’t share.
“I’m so glad that my level of budget hotels is 4 stars and up. I’m not compromising safety, a very good night’s rest, a personal bathroom and shower, and room service just to avoid wasting a couple of dollars,” argued a very detail-oriented traveler.
“I’d quite this than a tent within the woods or sleeping in my automotive,” replied one wallet-conscious Instagrammer. “It’s not bad for one or two nights to lower your expenses.”
Despite the jokes and pity from commenters who were horrified by the budget hostel’s appearance, Strack appears to be no stranger to the unexpected, particularly where travel fails are concerned.
The influencer has been traveling across Asia for the past yr, and has documented her adventures in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, amongst other locales.
While she shares some undeniably beautiful sights from her travels — pink sand beaches, vibrant city streets and verdant forest hikes — Strack can be brutally honest together with her followers about her lifestyle.
“Unfortunately, I’m not sponsored and I’m not traveling from daddy’s money,” she explained in one other recent video. “I just work. I’m a low-budget backpacker, so I don’t need lots. I at all times try to seek out a job or volunteer project within the place I’m at, and sometimes I work in exchange for food or accommodations,” she shared.
Strack also added that she works in social media management for a German company, and works about 15 hours per week on that job. It’s enough for Southeast Asia, she says, but not for all over the place, so staying in a budget hostel just like the one in her viral reel is usually vital.
While the travel influencer could have expressed somewhat little bit of apprehension while she navigated the dingy hallways of the €6 accommodation, her latest posts see her spirits lifted after what the Web supposes should have been a “traumatic” hostel stay — snorkeling in clear blue waters with turtles and catching vivid orange sunsets within the Philippines aren’t bad pick-me-ups, in spite of everything.
