For most budget travellers, hostels are a huge part of the travel lifestyle. Even those who prefer luxury travel experiences will likely experience hostel life at least once on their travels.
Hostels are the best accommodation option if you want to travel without breaking the bank. But there are a few things you should be prepared for if you’re heading to a hostel for the first time. If you’re completely new to hostels, you might find some of these a tad shocking – but that’s not to say you won’t thoroughly enjoy staying in a hostel nonetheless!
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You might have to make your own bed
If you’re used to plush hotels, this might come as a bit of a shock. Usually, when you check into a hostel, you’ll be told what dorm you’re in, and then you’ll be handed a bundle of linen – with which you make your own bed!
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You might get bed bugs
Most people are really shocked to hear that hostel beds are often riddled with bed bugs, but if it’s of any consolation, you’re just as likely to find them in hotel rooms too.
Whether or not you get bed bugs depends largely on where you’re traveling to. In some places, they’re part of the hostel experience, but in other places they might be unheard of. Even if you do end up sleeping in a bed with these critters though, they’re not actually that bad. You’ll wake up with a few bites, and you might spend the day itching and scratching, but other than that, they’re not actually too bad!
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People will have sex in your dorm room
This is one thing that you really do need to prepared for, especially if you’re someone who’s uncomfortable even saying the word… Half the people you’re sharing a dorm with will be too drunk to care about going anywhere private, and the other half will be ‘free spirits’ who are so at one with their bodies and natural urges that they won’t hesitate to get down to business in front of anyone and everyone. They might try and be discreet, but you’re still going to hear everything.
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People will have sex in the bathroom
It’s not just dorm rooms that people have sex in either. Those that are a little more bothered about disturbing those in their dorm room might take it somewhere a little more private…like the public bathroom. So think twice before going for a wee in the middle of the night.
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There’s no alone time, or privacy, in a hostel
If you’re a fairly private person, or you value your alone time, you’ll need to prepare for 24/7 socialising. From the moment you wake up, to the moment you go to sleep, you’ll be surrounded by chatty and excited travellers.
Even the most introverted of travellers often enjoys the social atmosphere at least a little though. Hostels are the perfect place to make new friends from all over the world.
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You’ll only get one, very flat pillow
If you’re looking for luxury, generally, you’re not going to find it in a hostel. When you make your own bed, you won’t have much to work with. On one hand, this makes it super easy to make the bed, but on the other hand, you’re going to have to put up with the flattest pillow you’ve ever seen. If you like a bit more volume to your pillows, try stuffing some of your clothes under the hostel pillow – it works a treat.
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Lots of hostels won’t have air con
Most hostel goers are familiar with the nightmare of hostels without air con. If you end up in one of these hostels, it’s fair to say you’re in for a fairly hellish night (or nights if you’re there for a while!).
You’ll be laying in your bed bug riddled bed, sweating buckets, and struggling to breathe in the thick and humid air. Meanwhile, your room mates will probably be making the matter worse by having rampant sex, adding more heat and sweaty smells to the room. Moral of the story? Book hostels with air con if you can! And if you can’t, getting insanely drunk might be the way to get through it.
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Hostels showers can be pretty grim
There’s a reason people take flip flops to wear in the shower. Hostel showers can often be as luxurious as standing in a puddle of toilet water. Hundreds of people use hostel showers each week, so you’re looking at germs from hundreds of travellers, and quite frankly, you don’t know where they’ve been. It’s also not unheard of for those that stumble back drunk to vomit in the shower, so prepare yourself for that.
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You’re going to meet some creepy people
Ask any hostel goer, and they’ll have some story about a creepy guy or girl that they spent days trying to avoid. Every hostel has its fair share of creepy visitors – maybe they’ll stare intently at you over breakfast, or tell slightly psychopathic stories. Either way, it’s probably going to freak you out.
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You’re going to meet some lovely people
As well as creepy people though, you’re going to meet some lovely people – people that you’ll be convinced are now your best friends, or the love of your life. But just prepare yourself for the fact that most people in hostels move on after a few days, and you might never see them again.
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Don’t expect decent Wi-Fi
If Wi-Fi is a vital part of your daily existence, you might need to wean yourself off of it for a while whilst staying in hostels. It’s rare to find a hostel with decent Wi-Fi, especially if you’re in a remote corner of some distant country.
And when you do find a hostel with Wi-Fi, you’ll probably find that it only works in public areas – like reception. And you can bet money on the fact that people will be huddled around the Wi-Fi hot spot like penguins.
So to sum up…
So now you know some of the shocking normalities of hostel life. On the surface, I’ll admit, it sounds pretty grim. But you’d be surprised at how enjoyable life in hostels can be, despite all this. You sort of learn to accept a lesser quality of life, and sometimes that means you enjoy yourself ten times more. Bed bugs become laughable, flat pillows become the norm, and really dire situations become a good story to tell later down the line.
I live in the UK, in the country’s most uneventful city, where the most interesting story in the local paper is about banning dressing gowns in supermarkets.
I travel and I write, because surely there are more interesting stories than that to write about and share.
