It recently struck me that I hadn't taken a vacation in almost a year. In fact, I couldn't immediately recollect the last time I had taken an off and travelled. It had been at least a year - one full year of all work and no play! Before monotony got the better of me, I quickly applied for leave from work and packed my bags to go to Jaipur. Now, I have already been to the Pink City a couple of times, so this time would be no different, I thought. But I was totally wrong. What made the difference, you wonder? Choosing to stay at a backpackers hostel instead of a hotel did it for me. Old habits die hard, so here is a listicle covering my experience at a backpackers hostel in Jaipur, and why you should visit one too:

5. You get first-hand local expertise to the place.

Meeting like-minded travellers, you also tend to get a lot of local expertise from people around. This means no being robbed or charged exuberant prices just because you are an outsider.

6. Even if you choose to stay indoors, a party is always going on in there.

The best thing about staying at a hostel is that you never get bored. There is always one gang or two staying inside and you actually end up having more fun than you would have if you had gone out.