Backpacking is one of the main pathways for students and adventure seekers to see the world, experience the hidden gems of the world, or even just contemplate their lives. When you're traveling on a budget, hotels are usually expensive and can take away from you experiencing the local cultures and customs.

Hostels are usually a great way to keep a roof over your head on a budget.  You can meet other like-minded people who are exploring the world and even make lifelong friendships.

When it comes to hostels, the unfortunate truth is that you're getting what you pay for and this gamble doesn't always pay off. Here are twenty hostels that made for the worst experiences for their guests, even by backpacker standards.

20 No Ventilation: Smart Camden Hostel

David from TwoBadTourists describes his unfortunate stay at this hostel. While spending a few days there during the 2012 Olympics, he and his companion were subjected to a cramped room with no ventilation. This contributed to a strong smell permeating the entire room. Not the best way to spend your trip!

19 Bad Beds: Hotel Backpackers (Rio Dulce, Guatemala)

David's woes continued when he spent time here while volunteering. On top of suffering from gastric distress, he had to put up with uncomfortable beds. The wooden frame was palpable under the thin foam pad that served as a mattress. Fortunately, he was able to change rooms. Others may not be as lucky.

18 No Shower Curtains (Armenia)

In a hostel, shared amenities are a given, including the showers. But you'd think that you'd get some privacy out of it. Unfortunately, we are mistaken. In Armenia, a traveler had to spend time in a hostel that didn't offer shower curtains for the showers! Talk about getting familiar with your neighbors!

17 Party in your room (sort of): Hostel Angelina Old Town (Dubrovnik, Croatia)

Rowdy neighbors make for an unpleasant hostel experience. Liza from TripsGet, while in Croatia, had to put up with her neighbors returning at 4 AM and being so loud that she felt like "they were talking a shower in OUR room." Wherever you are, a bad night's sleep is never pleasant.

16 Sketchy Neighborhoods: Jacques Brel Youth Hostel (Brussels)

Being in a new environment when you're traveling is scary enough. Being uncomfortable and even scared for your safety is just too much. While in Brussels, Liza had to endure catcalling and wolf-whistling whilst in the neighborhood. To add insult to injury, the hostel itself was pretty run down.

15 Nightmare Bathrooms: Flamenka Hostel (Seville, Spain)

High ratings don't always reflect the reality of a hostel. Liza's misfortunes continued when she traveled with a friend in Spain. Not only did the showers not have any hot water, but she also had to endure the lack of cleanliness and loose hair strewn everywhere.

14 City Rooms (Chelsea, NYC)

While Liza was in New York City during a layover, she stayed at City Rooms NYC overnight. The photos, unfortunately, were deceiving. Not only was her room dirty and unventilated, but she also had cockroaches as unwelcome house guests. Lucky for her, reception saved her and found her a new room.

13 Haunted Location: Alta Hostel Riga (Eastern Europe)

The Alta Hostel Riga was not the biggest problem for Liza when she stayed there. There was a nearby market place that she had to cross anytime she needed to reach the hostel. She describes it as "something out of the '90s." Spooky would be a tame word for it.

12 Overheating and Vapour Exposure: Hostel Smith Beach (France)

A Trip Advisor puts this hostel amongst the "top 10 worst hostels in the world." Not only was the group moved into a single room without notice, but there was also no ventilation. To add insult to injury, plenty of vapors and smoke came in from the hallways.

11 Meet the Locals: Big Paul Hostel (Cebu City, Philippines)

Spellbound Travels blog got very familiar with local wildlife whilst staying here. Not only was there construction happening, but there were also bugs crawling everywhere, as well as a MOUSE! To make matters worse, when they went to complain, the staff stated that they were familiar with this particular rodent.

10 Not Very Accessible: Big Paul Hostel (El Nido, Philippines)

No, this is not a typo. These are two different hostels with the same name! This particular Big Paul Hostel, though not as nightmarish, was not great either. It was more expensive and there were many steep steps to navigate. Not the best at night or for wheelchair users.

9 Free Show for the Neighbours: Bali

As we've seen, privacy in the shower is a basic human right. Emilia Solka was staying in Bali and had to take a shower out in the open outside the facility. She admits that she wasn't bothered by this.. except for the fact that there was a building overlooking the shower!

8 Power Issues: Istanbul, Turkey

Hostels should be prepared for the unexpected. This hostel in Turkey, clearly, wasn't. During Alanna Mcewan's stay, she experienced two major power outages. This resulted in cold showers and small tea candles being the only source of (dim) light. To top it off, these outages lasted about a whole day!

7 Bed Maintenance is an After Thought: Finland

This hotel was described by Nikoleta Michalova as looking like "old car machinery." The hostel itself had many macabre paintings, small windowless rooms and dirty sheets with a distinct odor. And what was the final nail in the coffin? The lock on the door was completely non-functional.

6 Who Wants to Shower in the Sink?: Kazakhstan

To not even have showers in a hostel is the ultimate insult to guests! Agnieszka Szwed, while staying in a "guesthouse," made the horrible discovery that there were no showers. When she asked where she could get washed up, she was directed to some small sinks outside the hostel bathroom.

5 Open Door to Thieves: Sibiu, Romania

When staying in a shared room, you need to be wary of your roommates. Karolina Wudniak, unfortunately, learned that while staying in a Romanian hostel. She was woken in the middle of the night by a guest rummaging around other people's belongings. Fortunately, she was able to secure her things.

4 Manager Has a Few Screws Loose: Bundaberg, Australia

You never know who you're going to come across in hostels. Ashlee Liftin was starting her tour of Australia when she witnessed an assault. She witnessed the manager and some friends getting physical against a guest in the men's bathroom. The police arrived and there was no shortage of trauma for Ashlee.

3 Not Promised Everything: Diva Guest House 2 (Asia)

Dominika Sidorowicz made the sad discovery that not all hostels come through on their promises. Not only was the room dirty, but the terrace that was advertised was also closed. To add insult to injury, she had to endure construction noises coming from the room next door.

2 Cramped Quarters: Apache Hostel (Ireland)

Many places around the world have been trying out smaller living quarters. Unfortunately, this doesn't always work with hostels. Previous guests of this hostel have compared their rooms to telephone boxes. And these rooms are meant for more than one person! We don't want to know what a single room looks like...

1 Who Needs Locked Doors?: Hans Brinker Hostel (Amsterdam)

Trip Advisor has crowned Hans Brinker as one of the worst hostels in the world. One of the issues is the security (or lack thereof). There were no locks on the doors and no lockers for your valuables. It also doesn't help that they allowed guests to pretty much do what they want.