BHostel

MGP
  • 5.0 (18)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Biweekly

BHostel is the storytelling podcast that captures unforgettable hostel moments from real travelers around the world. Hosted by journalist and former hostel employee, Bryant Perkins, each episode features raw, immersive stories of connection, chaos, and personal growth—told by the people who lived them. From chance encounters and culture shock to heartbreak, friendship, and self-discovery, these are the true stories that make travel unforgettable. Whether you're a backpacker, digital nomad, or simply hostel-curious, BHostel brings you into the shared rooms where everything changes. BHOSTEL, where strangers become storytellers! Explore more at bhostelpod.com or contact hello@bhostelpod.com. Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@bhostelpod

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Animated Archive: Season 1 | Episode 2: Make the Comfortable Uncomfortable | Andrea & Abby at Firehouse Hostel, Austin

    Two college students. One firehouse turned hostel—a conversation about identity, immigrant families, and rewriting the story you were handed. Some interviews you steer. This one you just hold on to. We pulled up, back in 2021, to Firehouse Hostel in downtown Austin, just off the 36, and found two travelers who feed off each other's energy like a current. Andrea Rivera is 20, from Dallas by way of Honduras. Abby Botta is 19, from a self-described tiny cow town in Woodstock, Connecticut. They are broke, they are brilliant, and they came to a hostel for the same reason most great stories start. It was cheaper, and the kitchen is where strangers become a three-hour conversation. What begins as a budget travel chat opens into something much bigger. Andrea grew up the daughter of first-generation immigrants, where the rule at the door was simple. Come home alive, and come home with a good story. Abby grew up watching two doctors push the limits of their fields, with a grandmother who measured love in acceptance letters. Both of them are queer. Both of them are figuring out how much of the script they were raised on they actually want to keep. This is the episode where two teenagers casually drop a philosophy most adults spend decades chasing. Andrea calls it "making the comfortable uncomfortable"-the idea that real growth lives on the far side of complacency, and that quietly pushing your own boundaries pushes everyone around you to grow, too. Abby reframes the whole game as an economy of happiness, where filling that account first lets the rest follow. They talk about old institutions and crusty paper on the wall, about hiring the kid with blue hair and neck tattoos, and about the fear of waking up at 30 and reverting to everything they swore they would leave behind. And then, near the end, they turn directly to the listener. To the 14-year-old still closeted in a town that has no room for them, Andrea offers the truest cliché there is. It gets better, and the moment you can take control, you are holding the pen to your own book. Abby adds the part nobody warns you about. Find your community, but vet your people, because shared identity is a starting line and not a finish. It is funny, wide open, and one of the most honest hostel kitchen conversations we have ever captured. Storytellers, this one is for anyone who ever felt like the story they were given did not fit. Press play. In this episode: Why two college students chose a hostel over a hotel, and what the kitchen taught themReading the room in communal living, and the roommate rule that keeps you safeGrowing up as a first-generation immigrant versus old-blood New England"Make the comfortable uncomfortable," and why growth needs frictionThe economy of happiness versus the economy of wealthOld institutions, blue hair, and hiring for potential over pedigreeParting advice for anyone still closeted in a community with no room for them Guests Andrea Rivera is a 20-year-old traveler from Dallas, Texas, with roots in Honduras. Abby Botta is a 19-year-old traveler from Woodstock, Connecticut. Both are students at a small, historically women's college. Recorded at Firehouse Hostel, downtown Austin, Texas. Trust the process, and you be the storyteller. Watch on YouTube Instagram

    27 min

  2. May 25

    Season 4: Episode 2 | House Rules: How a Hostel Became Portland's Living Room

    Chelsea runs bookings, marketing, and community at NW Portland Hostel, a 200-guest space in Portland, Oregon. We get into the unwritten code of hostel life, the public café and free event space, cultural exchange, sustainability, and how the place adapted to survive the pandemic. Watch on YouTube Instagram

    28 min

  3. May 11

    Season 4 Premiere | A Story of Passion and Place (Northwest Portland Hostel)

    Season 4 of the BHostel podcast opens inside Northwest Portland Hostel, where backpackers, neighbors, and strangers become something closer to family. Through late-night conversations, quiet moments of vulnerability, and a deep love for hospitality, this episode captures what happens when the people who run a hostel care as much as the people who stay in one. This is the audio track from "Stay," the documentary series by BHostel, exclusively produced by Cloudbeds, that goes inside the hostels shaping how we travel, connect, and belong — told through the people who build them, the communities that surround them, and the guests who carry their stories home. Press play, settle in, and listen to the hostel come alive. 🎧 Watch the full documentary on YouTube 🌐 More from BHostel ☁️ Produced by Cloudbeds Watch on YouTube Instagram

    13 min

  4. Mar 31

    FROM THE VAULT: Quit Your Job and Ride—Two Best Friends Travel the US on Motorcycles | Firehouse Hostel, Austin, Texas

    FROM THE VAULT: We are reaching back into the BHostel archive to bring you one of the conversations that shaped the direction of this entire show.  Two best friends quit their careers, sold everything they owned, and rode Honda Africa Twin motorcycles from Southern California to a hostel bar in Austin, Texas. This episode was originally recorded live at Firehouse Hostel on Sixth Street, and it is one of the most honest conversations in the BHostel catalog.  Evan Leal worked at Northrop Grumman. John Emberson was a heavy-duty mechanic. They had stable careers, real paychecks, and a path everyone around them said was the smart one. Then one night on a two-hour drive home, they stopped putting their lives off and started living.  They quit. Sold their stuff. Bought motorcycles. And started riding east with no real end date. DoorDash deliveries funded the trip. Hostels kept them connected to other travelers. And a dream about owning a bar somewhere in Australia kept them moving forward.  We are republishing this episode because the question at its center never gets old: What happens when you stop saying "one day" and start saying "now"?  In this episode, you will hear:  — How Evan and John went from talking about leaving to actually quitting their jobs within weeks — What it is like to fund cross-country motorcycle travel with DoorDash deliveries — The motorcycle accident that happened the day before this interview (and how Evan walked away without a scratch) — Why they chose Honda Africa Twins for long-distance adventure riding — Their plan to ship motorcycles overseas, ride through Europe, and end up in Australia — The moment John decided, he refused to become the person who regretted never traveling — Real advice for anyone sitting on a dream they keep putting off   If you are a new listener, this is a perfect place to start. If you have been rocking with BHostel from the beginning, press play and remember why you stayed.  I am Bryant Perkins. This is BHostel. Trust the process, and you be the storyteller.  —  BHostel is a travel storytelling podcast exploring hostel culture, global identity, and the people who choose to see the world on their own terms. New episodes and vault classics available on all platforms. Watch on YouTube Instagram

    22 min

  5. 10/31/2025 ·  Bonus

    Hostel Horror & Heart: BHostel Halloween Special, Ember Hostel Denver

    A shadow on the wall. Cold air in a closed room. Or just a bunkmate? In our first Halloween special, we share spooky hostel moments, producer stories (Patrick Star, Hammerhead, Perry the Platypus!), and the heart behind BHostel: community. Hear Bryant and the team trade real hostel tales, from Firehouse Hostel's late-night "orbs" to solo travel romance in Ecuador, and why we keep telling stories between seasons. If you love hostel life, travel community, and a little scare with your bedtime story, this episode's for you. Follow the show and leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts—your words help travelers find BHostel. Share your hostel story: hello@bhostelpod.com Watch on YouTube Instagram

    36 min

  6. 10/13/2025

    Season Finale: Food, Identity & Belonging –Hostel Table Talk at Denver’s 11th Ave

    At Denver's 11th Ave Hostel, Bailey and friends share first-gen roots, the family dinners that shaped them, and how hostel community becomes chosen family. They also get honest about microaggressions and why acceptance starts with respect. If you've felt in-between cultures—or found "home" on the road—this conversation belongs to you.  👉 If this resonates, follow & leave a quick review to help travelers find BHostel. Watch on YouTube Instagram

    25 min

  7. 09/25/2025

    How Denver Hostel Life Helped Bailey Find Confidence

    Bailey once struggled with severe anxiety. Now, after traveling from Omaha to Denver, he's found confidence, community, and a calling to help others. In this episode of the BHostel Podcast, host Bryant Perkins sits down with Bailey to discuss hostel life at 11th Avenue Hostel, Denver nightlife, and how travel friendships can be as powerful as family ties. Subscribe + leave a quick review to help other travelers find the show. Watch on YouTube Instagram

    23 min

  8. 09/11/2025

    First Hostel. First Solo Trip. Berlin’s Story Starts Here.

    Berlin’s first hostel stay in Denver at 11th Avenue Hostel leads to solo travel, Red Rocks, Reiki, and radical self-love –a BHostel story about choosing community, courage, and new beginnings. Got a hostel story of your own? Visit BHostelPod.com and send it in—we may feature your journey next. Watch on YouTube Instagram

    14 min

  9. 08/28/2025

    He Left Nightclubs for Ice Cream and Found a New Frequency

    Before he was scooping butter pecan on Colfax, he was moving the room with bass. Tullie Bailey once ran five of the biggest nightclubs in Denver—packed dance floors, late nights, neon lights, and all the chaos that came with it. But somewhere between headlining DJs and backdoor exits, something shifted. He got sober. He chose stillness. And he started building something softer—something that healed instead of hyped. Today, Tullie co-owns Colfax and Cream, a culturally rooted ice cream café in the lobby of 11th Avenue Hostel. It's hip-hop meets hospitality. Punk meets parenting. Eritrean recipes meet energy drinks. And underneath the scoops and smiles is a former promoter who now moves people with empathy instead of beats. In this episode, host Bryant Perkins sits down with Tullie to unpack his journey—from growing up hard, to touring globally as a hip-hop artist, to managing nightclubs, and now building a family, a business, and a message that speaks to a new kind of movement. This isn't a story about quitting nightlife. It's about changing the frequency—and staying long enough to build something real. WAIT! We'd like to give you something as a gift for listening. Those who download the episode will receive a 15% discount on their 11th Avenue Hostel (Denver, CO) stay for a limited time (restrictions apply) – https://bit.ly/3JCRGpp 🎧 Season 3, Episode 1 – BHostel You B the storyteller  📍 Recorded on-site at 11th Avenue Hostel, Denver, CO  🍦 Colfax & Cream is now open to travelers, locals, and everyone in between. Watch on YouTube Instagram

    30 min

  10. 08/25/2025 ·  Bonus

    She Ran to Be Free. Not Found.

    Some kids run away to rebel. Sarah ran to survive. By 16, she had lived in homeless shelters, watched her mother spiral through addiction, been adopted into a deeply abusive household, and slept in a garage while her brothers got bedrooms. When she asked to be placed back into foster care, she was denied. So she packed up her life, lied about her age, and disappeared. In this episode of BHostel, host Bryant Perkins sits down with Sarah Burris—who at the time of this interview in 2021 was 20 years old and working at a hostel in Austin, Texas—to unpack a harrowing but astonishing story of trauma, flight, survival, and redefinition. From escaping the man who tried to groom her in a corporate job, to reuniting with her mother in a moment that feels too cinematic to be real, Sarah's story isn't about being found. It's about finding her way out. This conversation pulls back the curtain on what it means to wake up in a world where every adult failed you—and still choose to keep going. Sarah is funny. Fierce. Grateful. And above all, real. This episode contains themes of abuse, neglect, and survival. Listener discretion is advised. — 🎙️ Recorded inside 11th Ave Hostel, Denver, CO 📍 Part of our efforts to get you reacquainted with our platform and to launch Season 3 of the podcast with a deeper dive into the lives that don't post themselves online  💼 For survivors, seekers, and soul travelers You B the Storyteller! Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you tune in. Follow Watch on YouTube Instagram

    25 min

  11. 08/16/2025 ·  Bonus

    From Loss to Life on the Road: Christy Balduf's Journey Through Grief, Healing, and Hostel Living

    When Christy Balduf's world shattered with the loss of her 8-year-old daughter, she faced an unthinkable question: How do you keep living when the center of your life is gone? In this deeply human, unfiltered conversation recorded inside Austin's iconic Drifter Jack's Hostel, Christy shares her path from single motherhood and unimaginable grief to rediscovering herself through travel, community, and the unexpected sanctuary of hostel life. We unpack her journey from Tyler, Texas, to the drum circles, hiking trails, and creative spaces that helped her stay alive—and the promise she made to her daughter that keeps her moving forward. If you've ever faced loss, wrestled with depression, or wondered how travel can be more than just movement—it can be survival—this episode will stay with you long after it ends.  Listen now for real hostel stories, raw traveler truths, and uncut lessons from the road and as always, trust the process and YOU B THE STORYTELLER! To learn more about the BHostel podcast and the hostels we call home, head to bhostelpod.com  Watch on YouTube Instagram

    32 min
  • 11 Episodes

5
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

BHostel is the storytelling podcast that captures unforgettable hostel moments from real travelers around the world. Hosted by journalist and former hostel employee, Bryant Perkins, each episode features raw, immersive stories of connection, chaos, and personal growth—told by the people who lived them. From chance encounters and culture shock to heartbreak, friendship, and self-discovery, these are the true stories that make travel unforgettable. Whether you're a backpacker, digital nomad, or simply hostel-curious, BHostel brings you into the shared rooms where everything changes. BHOSTEL, where strangers become storytellers! Explore more at bhostelpod.com or contact hello@bhostelpod.com. Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/@bhostelpod

Information

  • Creator
    MGP
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 BHostel
  • Show Website
    BHostel