It cost $7— but it 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 not sure if it was a hostel, a dog shelter, or a prison” she wrote in the caption, “but hey, €6 (USD $7) a night 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 just three days, and commenters expressed every emotion from shock to horror to slightly guilty amusement.
“May this never ever find me,” one commenter wrote. “Baby, that’s just prison,” said another sympathetic viewer.
“Typical New York 1 bedroom,” quipped one commenter.
“Ma’am, you’re crate training,” joked a user, while another 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 only details she didn’t share.
“I am so glad that my level of budget hotels is four stars and up. I’m not compromising safety, a good night’s rest, a private bathroom and shower, and room service just to save a few bucks,” argued a particularly detail-oriented traveler.
“I’d rather this than a tent in the woods or sleeping in my car,” replied one wallet-conscious Instagrammer. “It’s not bad for one or two nights to save money.”
Despite the jokes and pity from commenters who were horrified by the budget hostel’s appearance, Strack seems to be no stranger to the unexpected, particularly where travel fails are concerned.
The influencer has been traveling across Asia for the past year, and has documented her adventures in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, among other locales.
While she shares some undeniably beautiful sights from her travels — pink sand beaches, vibrant city streets and verdant forest hikes — Strack is also brutally honest with her followers about her lifestyle.
“Unfortunately, I’m not sponsored and I’m not traveling from daddy’s money,” she explained in another recent video. “I just work. I’m a low-budget backpacker, so I don’t need a lot. I always try to find a job or volunteer project in 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 a week on that job. It’s enough for Southeast Asia, she says, but not for everywhere, so staying in a budget hostel like the one in her viral reel is sometimes necessary.
While the travel influencer may have expressed a little bit of apprehension while she navigated the dingy hallways of the €6 accommodation, her latest posts see her spirits lifted after what the Internet supposes must have been a “traumatic” hostel stay — snorkeling in clear blue waters with turtles and catching bright orange sunsets in the Philippines aren’t bad pick-me-ups, after all.
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