The Vitae Story
Vitae Hostel got its start in the early 2000's when two men from the UK decided to invest in several properties in Budapest. Back then, Hungary was even cheaper than it is today. The cost of food was about 30% of what it is in parts of Western Europe and the US. They bought properties and converted them into hostels. Ian was the primary day to day manager when I stayed at Vitae, but I met his Scottish business partner during my trip as well. He actually slept in the staff dorm with some of the volunteers for a few nights. Nice bloke.
As COVID ravaged the tourism industry, Ian was forced to sell off several of their Budapest properties, however Vitae remains a great & cheap party hostel option to this day.
How I found Vitae...
In 2022, I hit a glass ceiling, and quit my job at a museum in Santa Barbara. In June, I flew to Europe with my savings to do the classic young American tour abroad. I saw Amsterdam, Brussels, Lille, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Zagreb, and finally, Budapest.
The shelter and hostel were in the same apartment building on different floors. Exhausted, I accidentally walked into the shelter instead of the hostel, where a French woman named Luna offered me a volunteer opportunity. I volunteered at Vitae from July 5th - August 27th, 2022.
In April 2023, the shelter was forced to close due to lack of funding as donations dried up. However, the hostel remains in operation. You can book a stay here.
Becoming a Shelter
Ian, the owner of Vitae, gets ready for Sziget Festival
Soon after the war broke out, Vitae was converted to a shelter for Ukrainians fleeing their home country. Having mastered the art of digital advertising and outreach as a hostel, Vitae was well-positioned to take on the flood of refugees from Ukraine. They simply recycled their dynamic model as a hostel, except they didn't charge money to the refugees. They began a Gofundme, which raised over 20,000 USD, and helped the shelter continue to operate. The Red Cross opened up many shelters across the country, yet they didn't have the same level of expertise in running a shelter as Vitae. Eventually, the Hungarian Red Cross proceeded to fund Vitae themselves. They sent representatives to visit Vitae and learn how they had started and maintained such a a successful shelter. Sadly, funding began to run dry, and finding a permanent manager for the shelter was difficult. In April 2023, the shelter had to close its doors, though Vitae Hostel remains in operations upstairs.
