I love staying in hostels. You get to know other travelers,
you talk with them, go out together, and have fun. The hostel environment is
open and friendly, and gives you the opportunity to meet other people.
Sometimes you form friendships that last a life time.
Most of the travelers staying in hostels know how to behave.
However, there is a lot of people that do not have any idea about hostel
etiquette.
Here is a list of some of the things that you need to have
into consideration when staying at a hostel dorm.
1.
Have consideration:
a.
Just because you are awake, doesn’t mean
everybody else need to be awake.
b.
If you came into the dorm late at night, when
everybody else is sleeping, don’t put on the lights. If you can’t see in the
dark use a flashlight or the light from your phone. Now a day there are many
apps for flash lights, so no excuses.
c.
Once again, if you came late, don’t speak
loudly. Talk outside or whisper if you have something so important to say that
it can’t wait till the next day.
d.
If you have an early flight and need to get up
in the middle of the night or early morning, don’t start packing then. Have
everything packed the night before. The toiletries and the last minute things
that need packing, can be done in the hallway or the reception area.
I always pack the night before, and leave the clothes I will wear the
next day out. Once I shower and get dress, I pack my toiletries in the hallway,
as not to wake up anybody. It is not work at all to do it this way.
e.
If you need the alarm to wake you early, do not
let it ring for 5 or 10 minutes, until you decide to get up, or do not press
the snooze 20 times.
f.
There are step ladders on each bunk. There is no
need to jump down, it makes a lot of noise and it shakes the floor,
subsequently, shaking the ceiling in the room below.
2.
If you are a light sleeper:
a.
Do not book a hostel that is over a pub or bar.
You know it will be noise till the wee hours of the night.
b.
Use earplugs.
c.
Don’t scream in the middle of the night about
the noise. The rest of us are sleeping!
3.
Keep the kitchen clean. Wash the pots and pans
as soon as you finish using them, so the next person can use them. And wash
your dishes when you finish eating. And by washing I mean, use soap and water. Just
rinsing is not washing.
4.
Take showers more often.
a.
Nobody likes to share a bunk bed with somebody
that smells. Most hostels have free soap and shampoo in the showers, so use
them. And if they don’t, soap doesn’t cost that much. So shower every day and
wash your clothes. Now, on the same token, don’t spend two hours in the shower
and don’t leave all your toiletries there either.
b.
Now, because you did your laundry, doesn’t mean
that you can hung your clothes all over the place. Do not hung them on other
people’s beds, or the shower or bathroom, or cover the radiator with them. If there is not a hanging place, hang them in
your bunk, and only in your bunk.
c.
Flush the toilet!!! Nobody wants to see what you
did and left behind. And don’t throw toilet paper on the floor.
5.
Be polite.
a.
When you enter a room say hello. And if somebody
says hello to you: answer them.
b.
Do not hung out with just your friends, talk to
other people too.
c.
If you like to listen to music before you go to
sleep, have in consideration that the whole dorm might not like your music, or
they might not be able to sleep with it. Besides, once you fall sleep, who will
turn your music off?
d.
Just because you have free internet, doesn’t
mean it is just for you. Keep it short, 20 minutes will suffice.
6.
My pet peeves.
a.
If you are packing things in plastic bags, do
them during the day or outside the room. There is nothing worse than the crinkle
of the bags, especially when you are sleep. Nobody wants to wake up to that
noise.
I pack all my shoes and many toiletries in plastic bags, but I always do
them during the day, and even then they make a lot of noise.
b.
Before when I said to say hello and be friendly,
I did not mean that if you hook up with somebody you have to do the deed in the
dorm, that is a little too friendly for many of us. Nobody wants to see or
listen to that. Get a private room, or if you can’t afford one, find a broom
closet or go to the bathroom, but don’t take too long in there, somebody might
want to use the toilet.
c.
I know many people like to talk on their cell
phone a lot, however, we don’t want to hear all your conversations. Talk privately,
go outside or talk softly.
d.
You came to Europe, Asia, or whatever country we
happen to be,so do not spend the whole day texting, or on Facebook. GO OUT! See the
country you are visiting! What is the point of coming here if you are going to
spend the whole time on your cell or the internet?
It is all common sense. Be considerate,
be polite, and adhere by the rules of the hostel.
Have a nice trip and let everybody
else have a nice trip too.
