{"id":4275,"date":"2018-04-01T09:09:12","date_gmt":"2018-04-01T13:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=4275"},"modified":"2025-03-19T09:12:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T13:12:54","slug":"hostel-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/travel-blogs\/hostel-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Hostel Etiquette: What to Do and Not to Do in a Hostel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

One of the best things about staying in hostels<\/a> is that they attract a wide variety of people. You never know who you’re going to meet!<\/p>\n

But, sometimes<\/em>, that’s not always a good thing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve encountered all kinds of backpackers<\/a> who believed that a ten-bed dorm means they\u2019re the only one sleeping there.<\/p>\n

Or that their mom will clean up their mess in the hostel\u2019s kitchen.<\/p>\n

Or that they don’t need to be courteous or polite to others<\/p>\n

Sometimes I’m shocked by the behaviors I see in hostels. I’m like “who raised you?”<\/p>\n

Sometimes I think that before everyone stays in a hostel, there should be a class on how to properly behave in one. That way you are remembered for being the totally awesome person you are instead of the jerk that woke everybody up at 3am or being a slob. You won’t people to miss you when you’re gone not be thankful you left!<\/p>\n

After years twenty years on the road and thousands of hostel stays<\/a>, I am going to share some hostel etiquette tips to inspire love, not hatred, from your fellow travelers:<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

1. Be quiet<\/h3>\n

No one expects you to tip-toe around the room during the day, even if someone is taking a nap. There\u2019s an unwritten understanding that during the day, the dorm room is fair game.<\/p>\n

However, after 10pm or 11pm, keep the noise down. People are trying to sleep! You love to sleep, right? So does everyone else. Dorm rooms are where the sleeping happens, not the partying! It\u2019s not cool being woken up in the middle of the night by drunks or chatty people. If you are going to talk, leave the room and do so outside.<\/p>\n

In a large dorm, it\u2019s hard to have perfect silence \u2014 people get that. That\u2019s why we all carry earplugs. But if you are in a smaller dorm, your noise is going to be heard much more easily, and earplugs won\u2019t always work.<\/p>\n

And please, don\u2019t shit in the room<\/a> either! (Yes, that really happened to me!)
\n <\/p>\n

2. Keep the lights off<\/h3>\n

Expanding on this theme, if it\u2019s past 11pm or before sunrise, keep the lights off. Use a flashlight, a small headlamp, or the glow from your phone to find what you are looking for. There are people in the room who might not be able to sleep with the lights on. Please don\u2019t disturb.
\n <\/p>\n

3. Keep the kitchen clean<\/h3>\n

Your mother is not here and no one wants some crazy food-borne illness<\/a>. I bet you don\u2019t either. Wash your dishes when you are done with them, and by \u201cwash,\u201d I mean with soap, not just running your dishes under lukewarm water. If there is still a film on the pan when you are done, it\u2019s not clean.<\/p>\n

And, if you use the last pot, clean it, so the person behind you can start cooking their dinner without scrubbing your dishes. Don\u2019t just leave it.<\/p>\n

(And, personally, since I don’t trust people to follow this rule, I always clean my dishes BEFORE using them. You can never be too careful when it comes to germs.)
\n <\/p>\n

4. Keep the bathrooms clean<\/h3>\n

I bet you don\u2019t keep the bathroom filthy in your own house, so why do it in the hostel? How many times have you walked into a hostel bathroom and nearly vomited in disgust? Lots. I know I have.<\/p>\n

That is how everyone feels when they use the bathroom after you\u2019ve left it a cesspool and I need a biohazard suit to walk through it. Hell, I can\u2019t for the life of me figure out how people get places so damn dirty. Throw your trash, toilet paper, etc., in the bin, don\u2019t pee on the floor, and, if you have to throw up, do it in the toilet, not the sink or shower.
\n <\/p>\n

5. Pack up beforehand<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s hard to sleep in at hostels. Everyone is packing their bags and moving out. New people are coming in. The guy above you is snoring like a freight train. Anything that can help us sleep later is always appreciated.<\/p>\n

So, travelers love it when people pack their bags the night before to minimize the noise in the morning. If you have to wake up at 4am to catch your early flight, pack the night before and get your outfit ready so you don\u2019t unzip everything or crinkle every bag you have. Bags rustling and zipping can get annoying. I know you can\u2019t fully get rid of the noise, but doing something to try to keep it down is a kindness greatly appreciated by others.
\n <\/p>\n

6. Avoid plastic bags<\/h3>\n

Even worse than listening to people pack their bag is listening to people rustle with the plastic bags they carry around. They make a lot of noise. A LOT OF NOISE! This is my biggest pet peeve. If the noise goes on for a while, I\u2019ll even say something. So just like packing your bag, pack your plastic bags the night before. Because there\u2019s simply no way to muffle that sound.
\n <\/p>\n

7. Keep it private<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t have sex in the dorm rooms. I mean it, seriously. No one wants to hear you \u2014 or accidentally walk in on you. There\u2019s a right way to have sex in a hostel<\/a> and a wrong way \u2014 and in the dorm room is the wrong way.
\n <\/p>\n

8. Turn off the dance party<\/h3>\n

As awesome as rocking out to Taylor Swift is (and I honestly mean that), some people can\u2019t fall asleep to music. While it is great that you can, and it certainly helps block out other noises, keeping it too loud disturbs others. I don\u2019t want to fall asleep to the soundtrack to your life. Plus, why work on going deaf while you sleep? That\u2019s more of a daytime activity. Keep the volume down.
\n <\/p>\n

9. Use headphones<\/h3>\n

If you’re making a call, chatting on Skype, or watching a movie use headphones. The rest of the dorm doesn’t want to hear what you’re up to. If you need to make a call and don’t have headphones, go to the common room. You can make a call in the hallway during the day but don’t sit in the hallway chatting away at night.<\/p>\n

Why? Because we can all still hear you. Be respectful of everyone else. Use headphones.<\/p>\n

Also, turn your phone notifications off at night too. It\u2019s great that you\u2019re chatting to people before bed but we don\u2019t need to hear every ding, whizz, or funny tone you\u2019ve programmed for your apps. Some people forget and all of a sudden the whole room is blasted with your ringtone song at 3am.
\n <\/p>\n

10. Don’t hog the bathroom<\/h3>\n

Most hostels have limited bathroom and shower space. Don’t spend 40 minutes in the shower and use up all the hot water. Be quick so that everyone has time to shower and get ready. It’s a shared space, remember!
\n <\/p>\n

11. Share the outlets<\/h3>\n

While most hostels these days have plenty of electrical outlets, some don’t. Don’t take up more than 1 plug so that everyone can use the outlet. Everyone needs their phone or computer to plan and communicate \u2014 just like you. Plugging in all of your devices at once so no one else can charge theirs is a jerk move. Don’t be a jerk!
\n <\/p>\n

12. Be considerate when washing clothes<\/h3>\n

If you wash your clothes and there is no dryer available, make sure that when you hang your clothes to dry you hang them on your portion of the bunk \u2014 not all over the room. Sometimes, other people want to wash something and if your underwear is hanging everywhere that\u2019s not that considerate. We all have to wash stuff sometimes but it\u2019s a bit annoying when one person has their stuff hanging off every bunk all over the room.
\n <\/p>\n

13. Don\u2019t eat people\u2019s food or drink other people\u2019s beer<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s shocking how many people open a fridge and act like they\u2019re in their own house and just pinch a beer. Sure, we should watch our things and label them at hostels but the rule is simple: if you wouldn\u2019t want someone else eating your food or taking your drinks, don\u2019t do it to others. Many hostels have a shared cupboard with things people leave or for simple spices or condiments. It’s totally ok to borrow things from there. But, unless someone offers, don’t eat food or drink drinks that aren’t yours.
\n <\/p>\n

14. Don\u2019t bring food into the dorm<\/h3>\n

There are some foods that might be delicious but unfortunately, they seriously stink up the room. They can attract bugs too. Hostels have eating areas and common rooms for a reason. The last thing people want is dirty dishes and glasses and food all around.<\/p>\n

***<\/center>You don\u2019t have to stop being you, but remember what your kindergarten teacher told you all those years ago: play nice with others. Be respectful of people\u2019s space just as you want people to be respectful of yours. You aren\u2019t the only one in the hostel. You’re surrounded by people who have different needs and different life experiences. Be conscious of that.<\/p>\n

All I remember about the people who woke me up or left the place dirty was that they were rude and not people I wanted to hang out with. Let people walk away with good memories of you by being an awesome and respectful traveler<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Want my favorite hostel suggestions? Here’s a list of all of my favorite hostels in the world!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

How to Travel the World on $75 a Day<\/span><\/h3>
\"How<\/div>

My New York Times<\/em> best-selling book to travel will teach you how to master the art of travel so that you\u2019ll get off save money, always find deals, and have a deeper travel experience. It\u2019s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the \u201cbible for budget travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Click here to learn more and start reading it today!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

\n

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n

Book Your Flight<\/strong>
\nFind a cheap flight by using Skyscanner<\/a>. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned. <\/p>\n

Book Your Accommodation<\/strong>
\nYou can book your hostel with Hostelworld<\/a>. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com<\/a> as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. <\/p>\n

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong>
\nTravel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:<\/p>\n