Featured image by Ofer Deshe via Flickr
If you’ve never stayed in a hostel before it can be quite hard to know what to expect, hopefully in this post we can give you some tips on hostel etiquette and how not to annoy you room mates. So have a read through our tips to make sure you don’t annoy others staying at your hostel and let us know what you think in the comments.
Wash Your Own Dishes
One of the great things about hostels is that most will have a communal kitchen, which is a fantastic way to save money while on the road and is also a great way to meet other people you are staying with. Some people however seem to forget that all of cutlery, pots and pans don’t miraculously clean themselves and end up back in the cupboard. If you use something make sure you clean it up, that also goes for any mess you make on the work surfaces or appliances.
Early Morning Rustling
Almost everyone staying in a hostel will have all of their things into a backpack, which can make looking for things somewhat challenging. I’ve encountered many people that will leave it until the early hours of the morning to start packing up their things in time to catch their early morning bus/train/plane. When possible try and pack as much as possible or get out the things you need the next day the night before, so you aren’t the one reprieving everyone else of their beauty sleep.
Leaving Your Things Everywhere
Sometimes hostels can really start to feel like home, but be careful not to forget that you are actually sharing the hostel with a lot of other people. Try and keep your things together not lying about all over the dorm room, don’t leave your bags on someones bed, or heaven forbid use someone else power outlet.
Foreign Bodies Left in the Bathroom
Image by Dyniss Rainer via Flickr
This might not be the nicest subject to touch on but what I have seen left in some hostel bathrooms in unbelievable, from body hair in the sink, urine on toilet seats,’marks’ left in the toilet to a used condom in the shower. The hostels are not normally to blame for this as they can’t be consistently cleaning 24 hours a day, some people just seem to lack the the decency or respect for others to clean up after themselves. Just make sure you’re not one of them!
(These were some of the worst incidents from many many hostel stays, so don’t let that put you off)
20 Minutes Showers
Often staying in hostels bathroom facilities can be slightly stretched especially during the mornings, sometimes 10 or more people can be sharing one bathroom. So don’t be that persons that spends forever in the bathroom, whether its singing in the shower, contemplating life on the toilet or admiring yourself in the mirror. Consider you fellow hostel goers and hurry up!
Getting Black Out Drunk
We can all have a little too much to drink and I am just as guilty of this as anyone. But try not to be that guy/girl that gets ridiculously drunk and ends up relying on someone they have known for a matter of hours to look after them. Coming back to the hostel making ridiculous amounts of noise, being sick everywhere and being a general terrible drunk or also a definite one to avoid.
Taking From the Fridge
Image by Marjan Lazarevski via Flickr
Often once people leave a hostel there will be certain food/drink items left in the kitchen that might be free to use. Be careful not to just presume this though, and definitely don’t just open the fridge and starting helping yourself as this is basically just stealing.
A lot of hostels ask you to mark you food in the fridge with your name and the date you plan to leave, so be sure to look out for this and I would suggest doing if you plan to leave food in the fridge.
Snoring
Now snoring is not something you have control over, but if you do then try and look up prior to staying in a hostel what you can do to minimize this. It might not be possible to do anything about it but there are several options such as nasal strips, sleeping on your side, decongestants and even medication that you could consider. Now if you are a light sleeper and likely to be annoyed by snorers, I would suggest ear plugs!
Finally, Don’t Call People Out On The Things I’ve Mentioned
As annoying as a lot of these things I’ve mentioned might be, the only thing worse is someone that is constantly moaning and pointing the finger at others for things they may (or may not) have done.
Now That You Know How Not to Annoy Others Staying at Your Hostel…
Hopefully this has given you an idea of some of the ultimate hostel taboos, they might not make everyone’s list but these are out top tips to ensure you don’t annoy others staying at your hostel. Have a tip of your own then leave it in the comments!
First time traveling? Why not check out our top tips for First Time Solo Travelers.
[…] It may also be worth taking a look at our post, 10 Tips To Make Sure You Don’t Annoy Others Staying At Your Hostel. […]