Hostel Etiquette

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Hostel travelers share communal dorms, bathrooms, kitchens, and common areas with strangers from different backgrounds, cultures, and schedules. Many of we FIT traveler’s purposely stay in hostels to enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow travelers

—. a fun, memorable experience. Hostels are budget friendly, and highly social, with a friendly vibe affecting everyone.

Inconsiderate, rude behavior directly disturbs & undermines that wonderful hostel vibe of camaraderie & consideration for fellow guests often affecting many people at once. Most of us are raised to be courteous, but sometimes we ‘forget.’

Anecdote: Me talking, even whispering, in my dorm while others sleep.

Please mentally add the word “please’

to the beginning of each of the etiquettes below

Generally:

• Be friendly and respectful. It will be reciprocated.

Dorm Etiquette: Link

• NO SNORING: rude & inconsiderate of your dorm mates; get a private room!!!!!
• Link below to my ‘Anti-snorer strategies’
• ​
• No loud talking or noise if anyone is sleeping at any timeA traveler may have just arrived after an exhausting 15 hours flight & travel.

Travelers often go to sleep early for early morning departures, or day tours.

• No ceiling room lights when others asleep. Small reading light or flashlight.
• Confirm no one needs the ceiling light before turning off, unless all are sleeping.

• No prolonged whispering, if anyone sleeping. Please use common area. Some of us are ‘light sleepers’ and awaken at the least sound, but quickly go back to sleep when it stops. Whispering force those awake to work harder to understand what is being said. Curiosity.

Anecdote: Whispering: More than once I have caught myself greeting with “Hello” that turns into a longer discussion, until eventually, I “Duh!” & move out of the room.

• Take phone calls outside the dorm even if whispering.
• Use headphones for movies, Youtube etc.
• Do not block other’s ingress/egress to lockers, their bed or pathways with luggage.
• Do not spread your stuff all over the dorm, keep on, near or under bed your bed Anecdote: Florence, Italy: guy in my room spread his stuff all over his bed,

adjacent beds and on pathways nearby. He was banished. Rude dude!!

• Pack bags night before departure. If you must pack in early morning, quietly take everything into the hall, close the door and pack.
• Avoid rustling plastic bags. (Just like whispering).
• NO non-hostel guests in dorms night or day. Dorms are roommates private space.
• NO sex in shared spaces; rooms; Not ‘cool’, nor are those people.
• Keep belongings in locker, or on/near or under your bed.
• Respect a "closed bed curtain” which means “Do not disturb."
• DO NOT slam doors, very disturbing particularly when asleep.
• sex is for private rooms; not dorm-mates entertainment or …? Only twice!!

Anecdote: Normandy, France: Guy got lucky, both drunk, brought her back to our dorm room and kept me (us?) awake until ….they fell asleep.

Anecdote: Ushuaia, Argentina: Without the drama, still uncomfortable. Next morning I switched hostels in less than an an hour. No big deal. Rare, actually.

NOTE: Couples that have individual bunks; please use them when sleeping, etc.

I don’t need to be reminded I am single at night. LOL

Scott’s Anti-snorer strategies

In my experience, snorers in hostel dorms are relatively infrequent. Maybe 1 out of 6-8 nights. Grok claims social media reports a recurring theme among solo and budget travelers. Sometimes they are light snorers & other times outrageously loud.

IMO, according to a rigorous scientific survey I just made up, most snorers know they are and that it is disruptive & disturbing to others subjected to it. Unless they were raised in a cave with a herd of wild ,braying burros, they have been told.

Anecdote: In Porto Hostel,Portugal, young woman tried to tell me she didn’t snore ( she snored mildly so pillow probably worked) when Icalled her on it. I believe ALL snorer know they are cuz someone has told them.

Anecdote: Snoring Friend’s wife: My best friend snores horribly and yet his wife has endured for decades

Therefore, IMO, they have made the conscious decision that their paid dorm bed entitles them to disturb the rest of the dorm. Reprehensible.ethics. Fortunately, 1) many may move on after 1 night and 2) below are my personally tested strategies.

I waffled over presenting this negative issue bluntly & scaring someone into avoiding hostels or to hide its negativity. It would be foolish to avoid hostels because of occasional snorers. So the following is my blunt , experienced honest truth!

• My usual preemptive solution:
• Earplugs: 1) Earplugs: I can discourse on the correct way to install the cheap foam earplugs which I still use on occasion. Also carried in my pockets, in my passport/money pouch, & daypack.

Anecdote: foam era plugs & hope to use: Link mini-article

• My usual pro-active immediate solutions:
• Head under pillow: If a light or sporadic snorer, often my head under my pillow allows me to sleep effectively
• sometimes just a loud yell , “Hey” was enough to briefly wake the snorer interrupt his snoring long enough for you to get back to sleep.
• kicking the bottom of the bunk above until the snorer was airborne and I could get back to sleep. (only wish I could've seen his dreams after that. LOL) Remember this snorer has no respect for your right to sleep.4)
• Move from room:

Anecdote: some hostel?: Once when no solution worked, I grabbed my blanket and went down to the commons room and slept on the couch. You may think that was a terrible solution. Why? I quickly went to sleep got up the next morning and continued on. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Everything is small.

Anecdote: ONLY Worst case:

• Next Night Solution: Get the name of the snorer, report him/her to the desk clerk & and ask if he will be there again. If not, stay. If yes, ask clerk to move you to a new dorm. Odds are better.

Tipping culture: No tradition or need to tip hostel staff, although I usually

• left a good tip under the pillow, if there was daily maid service for several days making my bed for me? …
• or a small tip under pillow when I left the hostel, … like I would do in a hotel.
• As a courtesy, when vacating my dorm bed I stripped my bed

• throwing sheets & pillow case in a pile on bed, &
• folding the blanket & duvet to ease maid’s burden.

Kitchen & dinning Room Etiquette:

• Clean stove, counters, sink, pots & utensils immediately use, preferably before you eat, so others can immediately have a clean area & utensils without cleaning up your mess. Note: Just because the ‘next person’ volunteers to clean up after you BEFORE they can prepare dinner, doesn’t mean it is cool. It is NOT.
• Do not remove utensils from kitchen that your fellow traveler’s might need.

Refrigerator:

• label your food with name, room # & date. It will be tossed when expired because guests move on & forget leaving biology experiments.
• Space is limited, so don’t use big bowl for small leftovers. If room scare, store it

as tightly as possible.

• Condiment, etc, Freebies:,
• often dry food stuffs (pasta) or fresh veggies are for anyone. Enjoy!
• Feel free to leave surplus condiments: saves luggage space, reduces other travelers food costs.
• If meals provided, bus your own stuff as their tradition indicates
• Clean up dining area when done eating as courtesy to next guest.

Common Room’s Etiquette:

• Restore neat comfort of common room for others
• Don’t leave mess for help or next guest
• Put all kitchen utensils back in kitchen to clean.

Bathroom sinks & showers:

• Don’t leave paper towels on floor
• Remove hair from shower and drain mesh
• Rinse sink of shaving cream & hair
• Replace toilet paper, if hostel makes new TP available nearby
• Brush clean toilets, if brush available
• Quick showers: because, or if:—
• others politely waiting,
• individual shower’s on-demand electric water heaters AND hostel’s electric water heaters consume very expensive electricity. Please conserve environmentally & keep hostel prices down.

Anecdote: Cusco, Peru:

A/C & heat: Before adjusting heat or A/C confirm with dorm mates.

Anecdote: CdeS dorm’s closed windows.

Anecdote: Alice Springs: A/C in turning it down.

Internet Etiquette: ear pods

• Phone calls are distracting to everyone, particularly in a dorm room. Please take outside or anywhere that won’t disturb.
• Movies & Youtube media are distracting to others, Please use earl phones.
• Typing probably OK, as a courtesy might just ask to be sure.

Laundry Etiquette:

• Clean lint traps.
• Don’t hog clothes lines & clothes drying racks.
• Remove your clothes SAP when done, or accept that other’s MUST. Hint: fold a few items to show that you were being considerate, even if they were not.

Anecdote: My laundry practice: In my often traveled hot climates of South America and Asia and occasionally Africa, I always wore a quick drying synthetic T-shirt & cargo shorts or pants. At the end of each sweaty day, I would wash them in the sink, then hang them at end of my bunk, over a chair or my rolling luggage handle to dry overnight. I always carried 3 sets of T-shirts and cargo shorts.

Safety & Security Etiquette: Securely close exterior & dorm doors, particularly at night to reduce risk of intruders.