I understand and agree with you w.r.t. hostels vs. hotels, and also feeling too old for that scene. I regularly get the impression that people become less outgoing over time (unless they're already tipsy when you meet them). I feel like when I meet people around my age (late 30s/early 40s) they're already all friended up and will donate no more than polite small talk or mindless automatic chit-chat. The halcyon days of being moulded by new experiences and sharing in a stranger's adventures belong to my son now :)