If you’ve stayed in a handful of hostels, you’ve probably encountered a handful of less than respectable guests. That’s where learning your hostel etiquette comes in.

Even if you think you’re the perfect hostel roommate, there are things even seasoned travelers could do better in backpackers.

There’s plenty of points to be made about hostel etiquette and why it is important.

So, what exactly is good etiquette in hostel backpackers?

 

Basics of hostel etiquette

So you’re probably wondering, what is the basics of etiquette in hostels.

To be honest, common sense will go a long way to ensuring you don’t annoy anyone in a hostel. It’s rare someone will blast music at 2am or steal something from your bag, if you treat others how you would like to be treated, you’re well on your way to being the perfect dormitory roomie.

When it comes down to it, you’re in a room with a number of strangers. There could be anywhere from 1 to 100 people in a hostel dorm (I slept in a tent that held 100 beds).

We make choices every day and sleeping in a hostel is no different. When to pack a bag, when to shower and eat, talking to other travelers, the list goes on. Being aware of the best times (and the worst times) to do these activities is a huge step in the process.

Being in such close quarters, it’s pretty easy for tensions to get a little awkward and some of us do this without realizing that we annoyed, frustrated or downright pissed another traveler off.

So, why is having a great hostel etiquette so important?

 

Why hostel backpacker etiquette is important

If you want to make friends easier, get along with your hostel dorm mates and just have a better experience overall, having a high level of etiquette in a hostel is important.

If you’re a decent human being, you don’t want to annoy most people. But some points below aren’t on everyone’s etiquette radar for hostels.

If you’re about to unpack a bag at night, or shower for an hour in the morning, a good question to ask yourself is “would I care if someone did the same thing?”.

Would you get annoyed if someone turned a light on right in front of your face at 2am? Probably.

Being thoughtful dorm mates is helpful in a number of ways.

Not only does it make a better experience for all involved, but it’s also much easier to make friends and travel buddies if you’re not annoyed at one another.

It’s those small tensions, created by a little lack of consideration for another guest that can lead to a less than pleasant hostel experience.

 

10 specific ways to be a better hostel roommate

There are plenty of ways to become a better dorm mate in hostels. While the list below covers a lot of points, there are plenty more ways out there.

If you have a point you would like share, leave me a comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the best ways to be respectful in hostels.

If you’re new to hostels – make sure to check out the ultimate guide to staying in hostels and the major differences between hotels vs hostels.

Here are 10 ways on how to improve your hostel etiquette.

 

1. Keep your things tidy

No one wants to step over your 3 phone chargers, someone else’s underpants and a full wardrobe to get to their bed.

Keeping your things neat and tidy out of everyone’s way is important. I know it can be difficult, especially if you’re repacking a bag or looking for something. I love to spread my things out a little, it helps me pack more effectively, but you shouldn’t leave your things spread out for longer than necessary.

On top of this, keeping your things tidy in a hostel has other benefits. It’s much easier for you to forget an item that’s tucked away behind a corner.

It’s much easier for an opportunistic thief to steal an item if the contents of your bag are spread out across the floor like a buffet breakfast.

Keeping your things tidy in hostels is a great start to being a great hostel room mate.

 

2. Clean up after yourself

You may have seen the signs, mainly in common room kitchens:

“Clean up after yourself, your mum doesn’t live here”

Those are there because someone left a bowl out one too many times and the staff thought they needed reminding.

Leaving a dish in a sink might force the next guest to clean your plate or cup if they want something clean to eat/drink from. Not the best way to make friends.

But this common courtesy extends to other common areas around hostels, like the shower and bathroom.

Make sure you leave things as you found them, hopefully, nice and tidy.

 

3. Limit your alarms

I can’t count how many times an alarm has gone off, the person goes to have a shower or breakfast, and a second alarm begins to ring at early hours in the morning.

It’s totally fine to have an alarm to wake up to, but if you’re leaving the room, make sure there isn’t a backup set to wake everyone up again in 10 minutes.

This also goes for snoozing. One alarm is fine and I can deal with a snooze or two, but silencing an alarm just to have it go off again a few minutes later is a real quick way to annoy your dorm buddies.

I’ve encountered travelers who leave their phone in their bag, or in a locked safe, and as the alarm continues to ring with no end in sight, you probably don’t want a half asleep, half grumpy guest to rummage through your bag just so they can get back to sleep.

Definitely use alarms to wake up at certain times. A hostel is a shared living arrangement, if you aren’t okay with an alarm, hostels might not be for you. But try to limit your snoozes and take your phone with you when you leave, if you can.

 

4. Be quiet at night time

Being quiet in hostels at night can be a difficult one. Sometimes you have to get up early for a flight or a tour. You set an alarm, pick up your bag and open the doors – all these actions make noise and most people are understanding to a point.

It’s crazy how much more noise a zipper makes at 2:43am than it does any other time of the day.

However, there are those who will watch YouTube at 1am without headphones. I’ve been in rooms early in the morning when a Skype call has started.

If you need to make noise, go outside the room if at all possible.

You won’t make too many friends listening to beats as the rest of the room sleeps.

 

5. When to pack your bag

This one kind of ties into the point above, but it’s a pretty common one, so it gets it’s own number.

Let’s say you have to leave for the airport at 5am – when’s the best time to pack your bag? Probably not at 2am.  A backpack zipper will be very loud to a dead silent dorm room.

If possible, pack the night before, or move your belongings out into a common room where you can make a lot more noise and not disturb anyone’s sleep.

I specifically remember one girl who crunched plastic for about half an hour. That’s not a great travel memory of that person.

If you have an early start the next day, try to have your bags pack (or your day pack) the night before. It’s also a great way to not forget something tucked away in a dark corner.

 

6. Coming home drunk

Stumbling home after a great night out after a few too many beverages is pretty common in hostels, especially those focused on partying.

To be fair, if you’re staying in a party hostel, you should probably expect this a little more than your relaxed and quiet hostel.

While its difficult to realize you’re making a little too much noise or even which bed is yours, but try to keep in mind others chose a good nights rest over drinking and may have an early flight or be feeling ill.

If you’re in places around the world where other drugs (mainly weed) is legal, this has the same message. If you’re a little influenced by something, you might be being a little louder than you think.

It’s hard, I know. I’ve been guilty of this more than once. Taking that extra little bit of care might save an ugly interaction if someone wakes up and isn’t too happy with you.

 

7. Control your sexual urges

Yeah, that’s right. It isn’t too common, but I’ve been in hostel dorms where guests have had sex. I don’t care how quiet you think you’re being, everyone knows.

There are a few reasons why you should try to control your urges in a hostel dorm room.

There’s little privacy. You might think you and your partner are being subtle, but in a dead still hostel room, every little noise is pretty damn obvious what’s going on.

If you’re sleeping on bunk beds, know the person above or below you can feel every moment of that flimsy metal frame.

It’s a pretty rare thing to happen, but it does happen. Maybe getting a private for a night or two is the best thing to do in this situation.

 

8. Where to hang wet clothes

Whether you’re in a hostel by the beach or your bathroom towel is soaked, hanging your damp or wet clothes up can be an issue.

I always travel with a microfiber quick dry towel and a portable clothesline to make drying easier, but where exactly should you not hang your wet clothes in a hostel?

The worst place I’d say would be the ladder to the top bunk. The run of a ladder looks like a great place for a towel to hang, but it can easily slip out if some steps on it – plus it will leave the rail wet.

Another bad place is where it will either drip onto the floor or bunk bed below. Imagine if someone’s wet swimmers made your pillow wet – it has happened to me and it’s not fun at all.

This can be a little difficult if it’s a cramped room and you need your things to dry before you pack your bag, but a little consideration will go a long way.

 

9. Turning lights on early in the morning

Along with making noise early in the mornings, turning lights on is another easy way to wake dorm mates up.

I can’t count the times I’ve been on the top buck, right under a light, just to have someone turn it on in the early hours.

Going from a peaceful, pitch black to bright and intense light so suddenly is a good way to get on the bad side of others.

Whether you’re coming back from a night out, or your flight got in in the early hours of the morning, it’s much better to use your phone’s light or a flashlight to find your way around.

A way I usually find better, depending where you are in the room, is to prop the room door open while you collect your things. This lets in enough light to see what you’re doing, but not flashbang those on the top bunks.

 

10. Don’t bring smelly foods into the room

If you’ve ever smelt a food that has a strong smell that you just can’t get rid of, it can cause some negative effects in a small room.

Instantly, I think of durian when someone brings up smelly foods. If you’ve ever smelt the Asian fruit, it’s no wonder it’s banned from some airplanes. It’s considered the world’s smelliest fruit, and trust me, there’s no hiding that stench!

But there are plenty of foods that would stink out a room just by bringing it through the door. As you can imagine, those who don’t like the fruit (you either love it or hate it) won’t appreciate it too much.

A lot of hostels won’t allow you to bring food into the rooms for this reason.

 

10 ways to improve your hostel etiquette

This post isn’t meant to try and shame anyone who has gone against the advice given in these points. I’m guilty of breaking many of them myself.

And I get it, shit happens. You have one too many beers and come home a bit late, pack a bag and sleep through 13 alarms. We are all human, after all, we make mistakes.

But if you’ve ever thought “I wonder how to act properly in a hostel dorm”, following these 10 simple points is a great start to becoming the best hostel roomie.

 

I’m sure there are some really great points I haven’t added here, so let me know in the comments what you think makes a good hostel roommate. Ask your friends as well by sharing this post to social media.

 

If you enjoyed this post, you can get plenty more tips for travel and make your next travel planning easy with an 8-page PDF travel checklist – for free!

 

Thanks for reading!

Happy and safe travels,

Ben – Horizon Unknown

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