Some things are bigger than any single person.

But it isn't always gratifying to be a part of them.

Imagine working for a large company. You might be working on something bigger than yourself, but is it rewarding if you feel easily replaced?

Occasionally, I've been fortunate to represent ideals bigger than myself in meaningful ways.

At Georgia Tech, I founded SEED and Seek Discomfort Club and spread a message of redefining limits for years.

I'm now working at Onefam Ramblas, a hostel that has become my second home, and I'm doing my best to provide the experience we're known for.

Late Night Talks

I recently had a 5:00 AM conversation with my friend Dani, who worked at Onefam in Barcelona and London.

During the conversation, there was a mutual agreement that this hostel is special. But we couldn't identify what about this experience makes it impossible for other hostels to replicate.

The best we could come up with was this unspoken culture that everyone in the Fam–managers, staff, and guests–strives to reach.

It's just impossible to reach individually because it requires all the pieces of the puzzle to come together to elevate the collective to the culture our guests expect from us.

A culture centered around being social of course, but it's more than that:

• Hospitality
• Connection
• Ensuring that everyone leaves feeling like they were part of our family.

Then, we wake up and do it all over the next day.

What's the Experience?

Onefam is a chain of hostels geared toward solo travelers who like to be social and party it up. Every night we provide guests free family dinner, then take them to a bar and a club in Barcelona.

My branch, Ramblas, has a 9.8 rating on HostelWorld. If you know anything about reviews on HostelWorld, you'll know that's mind-bogglingly high.

Simply put, it's not the best hostel because I'm working there. I'm working there because it's the best hostel.

The certain environment that exists at Onefam relies on everyone bringing forth their authentic selves.

But by pooling all the excitement on any given night, we elevate the mood to an experience fit to be the most memorable night of someone's life.

Many nights, guests tell me it is.

I might be biased, but it's the purest energy from a social hostel I've ever witnessed. Maybe that's because I get to be unapologetically me. But I see our guests break out of their shells every night as well.

Doing my Part

We party this way every night, but none of it is possible without the party leader setting the tone.

All our staff do this in their own ways, but what's most important for people to know is who we are at Onefam.

We're a little goofy, a little crazy, but a lot of fun.

I do this by being intentionally stupid when the spotlight is on me.

Maybe I'll badly dance on the table or give a consensual lap dance to a guest or staff during drinking games.

It lets people know that we're not perfect and we're definitely not stuck-up cool guys.

Once guests realize that it's okay to be themselves, the night is theirs for the taking.

At other social hostels, people shrug and say they had a fun night. Here, people have the time of their lives and wake up the next day ready to do it all over again.

Oddly Fulfilling

Taking groups of people out wouldn't have made the shortlist of experiences I thought would be fulfilling to me.

Yet, here we are.

It's because I see it as more than that, and our guests do as well.

Almost every day, it's someone's first time in a hostel, first time solo traveling, or first time out of their home country.

Or all 3.

I remember all my first times and know these moments really matter. The more the novelty of their situation makes people feel vulnerable, the higher the impact they'll derive from the experience we provide.

I've come to cherish the solo traveler community so giving back to it in this way leaves my heart full every day.