If you are staying in hostels and you want an easy way to start conversations and meet new people, become a game master!
Learn a few fun games that you can introduce to people and get a good group vibe flowing. It is infinitely more fun to meet and get to know people over the fun and banter of competitive games than by starting the same old boring conversation- where are you from, how long are you travelling, where have you been, where are you going next. .. have you fallen asleep yet?!
Check my games tags for some of the ones I’ve found are best to get people interested. The best travel games involve compact, lightweight equipment that can easily fit in your bag. I always travel with a set of 6 playing dice to play one of my favorite games called Crunch. Playing cards are also great but try and get plastic cards if you can- not cardboard or plastic coated. If you get a decent set of plastic cards they should stay in nice condition and not bend when someone who doesn’t know how to shuffle gets hold of them, and they won’t get soggy when drinks are spilled over them (especially handy if you plan on playing any drinking games).
A small note pad and pen for keeping score is also good to have on hand but you can usually get a scrap of paper and pen from somewhere, or use a phone to keep score.
Happy gaming!