Before I started travelling more, I assumed most people had the basoc understanding of how to be polite in a shared room. It has quickly come to my attention that actually hardly anyone does. So this is going to be the most important blog I write and you read...how to not be a d*ickhead in a shared doorm room. Let's go.
Noise
It should go without saying, that you keep noise to a minimum when entering a shared room in the evening. From experience though, some people definitely need to learn this!
Try to not slam the door closed, some doors are on springs and naturally slam, but if you can lessen the impact then do so. Same goes for bathroom doors and locker doors.
If you want to chat late into the night with your friends or on the phone, do it in a communal area NOT in the dorm room.
Keep your voice low or whisper, it's not hard to respect the fact people are sleeping.
Headphones are your friend, my friend, everyone's friend. Don't be watching YouTube videos out loud at 3am after getting back from the club. Just put your headphones in!
People are travelling from all different time zones, so it's important to minimise noise when entering the dorm at any time of the day. People might be getting some much needed sleep after long travels.
Packing/unpacking. Do this the day before. Sort out your outfit and leave it by your bed. Pack as much as you possibly can the day before you leave. You don't want to be dragging your bag out, rustling bags, swearing, re-packing and causing general chaos in the early hours of the morning. People will not like you.
If someone asks you to quieten down, just do it. It doesn't matter if you're drunk, not tired, catching up with mates at home. People need sleep, some need more sleep than others, some people might have a job to go to in the morning. If it was you that needed to be up at 6am, you'd want peace and quiet too.
Light
If you're coming back steaming from the club at god knows what time, don't storm into the dorm room and slam the light on. No no.
Most hostels will have a small light for each bunk bed, if you need a light use this one. It's personal to just your bed and won't be as disturbing as the main light.
We've all got modern phones with torches on now, and this is a great way to navigate to your bunk without waking everyone. Be mindful not to shine the torch directly into anyone's face, that's not a nice way to be woken, trust me.
Respect the fact the light is off when you enter the room. Even if it's early evening. If someone has turned the light off and headed to bed, it should stay that way. Off. If there's people in their beds but awake on their phones, just ask if anyone minds you turning the light on. Simple.
If you really do desperately need a light source, turn if off as soon as possible. Don't turn the light on, start getting ready for bed, get into bed and then sit there on your phone. Light off as soon as you're finished with it.
If someone else gets up to turn the light off multiple times because you keep turning it back on, take the goddamn hint and leave the light off! Don't be so rude.
Space
Now I've stayed in some dorms that have excellent storage and space for bags/suitcases etc. I've also stayed in some that have ZERO space.
Ensure you are using the correct storage bin/locker for your bed (sometimes the lockers and beds are numbered so if you are allocated bed 6 you also get locker 6).
If there are lockers available, use them. Fit as much in them as you can so the floor isn't littered with luggage.
If you can't fit your luggage into a locker try going under the bed. Avoid going down the side on the bunk beds as people need to access the sides to climb the ladders to the top bunk.
Don't fill the floor by your bottom bunk with all your stuff, as this makes getting down from the top bunk quite difficult. I had to move someone's belongings repeatedly so I could get down from my bed. She kept moving them back so I just walked all over her stuff. You don't want that, so don't be a d*ck.
If you're in a rush to get ready, remember to try and stay organised. Not only will this help you when it comes to packing but it also stops the doorm looking like a bombs hit it. Don't leave other people to climb over your mess, it's not fair.
Kitchens
Having a kitchen whilst travelling long term is very helpful. It's great for saving money on meals and they can be really social places.
WASH UP YOUR POTS AND PANS. I don't know how some people have made it this far in life. The amount of dirty cutlery, plates and pans left around hostel kitchens shocks me. If you don't know how to wash up, ask a member of staff and they will show you I'm sure.
Don't take up more room than necessary. If you've got two hobs infront of you, use them both. Don't use one hob there and one hob on the other side of the kitchen just because it's a bigger hob. Lots of people are trying to cook at the same time, be sensible with your timings.
Put your washed up items away! Again, it's really not hard. Once you've used something, clean it. Once you've cleaned it, put it back where you got it from. The staff are not there to tidy up after you, they are not your Mom.
Don't leave dirty plates in the dorm room either. They will start to smell and that's not fair on anyone.
Clean down the station after you've used it. Wipe up any spillages, oil splatters and dropped food. No one wants to cook in your leftover mess.
Label everything you put in the fridge, don't over buy as you'll waste food and share what you can! Hostel kitchens can be a great environment to socialise and meet people.
If you show respect to everyone, they will show it back. Hostels can be a great way to experience the world and mingle with people you'd never normally mingle with! Don't ruin your experience by upsetting everyone in your room, because I guarantee you the one morning you try for a lie in they will treat you the way you treated them. Be polite, be respectful, treat others how you want to be treated, don't force them to live in your mess. It's simple really.
For any light sleepers I do recommend ear plugs and an eye mask. Even with respectful people, there will still be people coming and going all the time, doors banging, toilets flushing etc. Just the general low hum of people existing which is absolutely fine and easy to sleep through with ear plugs.
What are your best hostel tips? Have you had any nightmares? Drop a comment down below! Follow for more here on wix blogs, TikTok @TravelBeeBlog and Instagram @bilbo.h
Don't forget Travel Bee is also offering you all an exclusive 20% discount for Pineapple Island. Use code BILLIE at checkout.
Comments