Quick heads up for anyone using Hostelworld chats, especially in big cities right now. I’ve seen this pop up over and over. Someone pretends to be a fellow traveler and keeps pushing a “massive groupchat” where supposedly everyone is going to the same event.
They hype up some pub crawl or club night, drop a link, and conveniently have a promo code for you. Sounds fun until you see the price. I’m in Prague and they were quoting around €100 for a pub crawl. That’s insane, even for New Year’s Eve.
When I asked why it was so expensive, the answers were vague or deflected. Anytime someone tried to suggest making their own plans in the chat, the same person would jump in and repost the promo message again. Seen the exact same pattern in multiple Hostelworld chats.
I can’t prove it, but it really feels like commission driven promotion aimed at backpackers who assume it’s legit because it’s in the hostel chat. There are way cheaper and probably better options if you just look around yourself.
Do your own research and don’t assume “everyone is going” just because someone keeps pasting the same message. Stay safe and have a great New Year.
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