Disclaimer: Written after one too many occasions of wanting to wring the neck of a disrespectful roommate.
Late arrivals and
early departures
In hostels, it is
inevitable that you will not sleep through the night. People will
come in late, people will leave early. Not everyone can be spry and
light footed and do this in silence, but there is a general principle
to being as respectful as you can. I think the ultimately most useful
thing you can do is to be organised. Should you know that you’re
going out to see a show or out for a few drinks and will likely be
arriving back after other people in your dormitory are asleep – get
your things organised. Have pyjamas, toothbrush, whatever you might
need when you come back in, out and ready to go. This prevents
unnecessary rustling and fumbling in the dark, or needing to be
annoying and turn the light on. Similarly, if you’re leaving early
in the morning – whether checking out or have other early morning
plans, get your things for the morning organised the night before.
Silence isn’t
expected, but people who have to go through their entire pack at 4am
are beyond irritating.
Talking
When travelling in a
group or if you’re hanging out with newly made friends, sometimes
this requires late night/early morning conversation. To accompany the
general rules of late at night and early in the morning – be
respectful with your discussion. If you’re going to chat, do it in
the common room. If it is necessary conversation like ‘what time
are we leaving?’ or ‘do you have the room key?’ then fair
enough, but have the conversation quietly and efficiently. It’s
extremely annoying being woken up by loud voices discussing the hot
chicks they met at the bar, or gossipping about the guy who was hitting on them who spoke no English. Even quiet
voices, in a dead quiet dorm, can be irritating, so even a whispered
conversation about something trivial can be frustrating.
Alarm clocks
There is nothing more annoying than the person who has an alarm clock going off every ten minutes for an hour. In my ordinary life, I am a serial snoozer, but at 7am in a dorm room, it really isn’t acceptable to press snooze repetitively, especially not if you have a loud alarm.
Bunk beds and
shared space
If you have the
bottom bunk, it is easy to find yourself taking over the immediate
floor space around the bed. Take a look around – make sure you’re
being fair to the person above. Leave the space under the ladder
empty. Don’t use the ladder to hang your towel or other items.
If there hasn't been anyone in the top bunk, don't assume the entire area - someone may check in whilst you are out and find themselves without any room to place their own belongings.
Bathrooms
Different hostels
have different bathroom standards. Some hostels have separate showers
and toilets, some have ensuites plus communal facilities in the hall,
some have larger rooms with multiple shower/toilet stalls contained
within. Regardless of the particular set up, keeping the room as
clean as possible is absolutely key. Don’t leave your empty
toiletry bottles lying around. If toilet paper runs out, let
reception know. If you drip water everywhere, clean it up. Be aware
of how long you’re taking in the bathroom, and even consider
altering your bathing pattern to try to avoid the morning rush.
...
In the words of
Aretha Franklin, living in a hostel is all about one thing:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
You’re choosing to
stay in a shared space, and coming with that is that you are staying
with people from all walks of life. Even in hostels with a party
driven atmosphere, you will have people who perhaps have run out of
money so want to sleep, people who are sick, people who want to have
a night off. In a hostel that doesn’t have such a vibe, you may
have elderly people, children. Anyone who expects perfect silence and
perfect cleanliness is being unrealistic, but everyone who is staying
in a hostel can do their part to create a more harmonious vibe.
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