Every Summer hundreds of students from all around the world take the opportunity to travel to a different country and explore as many cities as possible. While this experience is enriching and exhilarating, it is also EXPENSIVE! One way to cut some costs is to stay in a hostel instead of a hotel. Hostels are much more economical because many of them require you to share a room with strangers. To make the hostel experience more pleasant for everyone it is best to keep these simple guidelines in mind…
1. Knock quietly before entering the room
When you are sharing a room you never know what you may walk in on. Knocking before entering can eliminate so many awkward encounters.
2. Keep your stuff in your space
Hostels typically have very small rooms so space is limited. Leaving your stuff all over makes the room more cluttered and will annoy other guests. Keep your things together and within your area or they may accidentally get picked up by someone else.
3. Do not touch others’ things
Just because someone leaves their shampoo in the shower does not mean they want to share. Be courteous and don’t touch anything unless it is yours.
4. Leave your pajamas and other things you need to get ready for bed out before going out at night
Nothing is worse than when someone comes back to the room at 3 a.m. and starts banging around looking for something in their suitcase. Others staying at the hostel may be asleep when you get back so to minimize the amount of noise you make leave everything you need to get ready for bed out before hitting the town at night.
5. Do not turn the lights on while people are sleeping
This seems fairly obvious, but many people come back in late at night and flip the lights on. Just because you stayed out late does not mean everyone else did. Instead, use the flashlight on your phone and be as quiet as possible when climbing into bed.
6. Do not shower between the hours of 12 a.m. and 8 a.m. if the bathroom is in the room.
Showers are loud and people are trying to sleep. It may be kind of gross to go to bed without showering after a night of dancing but it won’t kill you. Be respectful and wait until the morning.
If you take this advice, your stay at a hostel will be much more enjoyable! Safe Travels!
