6 backpackers you’re likely to meet in a Hostel

Author: Become a contributor

    • No matter where you have traveled, chances are you have stayed in your fair share of hostels along the way. Shared accommodation is one of the hallmarks of travel, and the longer you’re on the road, the more “hostel characters” you’ll meet and come to recognize.

    After living in various dorm rooms across Australia the last two months, I have become well-acquainted with a few “hostel characters”.

    The backpackers who never left

    I’d never met the “long-termer” until my current trip. With Australia’s wildly popular Work & Holiday Visa, 18-30 year olds from around the globe head Down Under to work and see the country. Most start out in a hostel and transition to a sharehouse once they are ready to base themselves in one location and find a job. A few never leave the hostel. In my favorite place in Sydney, there are several massive plastic storage boxes in the kitchen tagged with things like “HEATHER’S FOOD. LONG-TERM. DO NOT TOUCH. I WILL FIND YOU. :-)”

    Why stay at a hostel long-term?

    By living in a hostel, you don’t have to buy soap to wash your dishes or toilet paper. The one in Sydney is the only I know that offers free wifi. FREE. And a decent free breakfast. Their weekly cost is average for what you could expect to pay for share house/apartment in Sydney, so if you can welcome a revolving door of roommates in your more established routine, it’s really not that bad of a deal.

    The backpackers who won’t leave your side (or, the one who falls in love with you)

    There’s always a few people you meet in hostels who become life-long friends. More tend to become travel partners for a day or for several weeks. And once in a while, there are one or two who attach themselves to your side and follow your every move.

    In Adelaide one of my male roommates decided I was his new best friend when I smiled and said hi. When he learned I had booked a day tour, he called and booked the same trip. Not a problem! The next day, he asked if I’d like to join him on a trip to a beach suburb. Sure thing!

    Then he started sitting right beside me whenever I would pull out my computer.  So close he was actually reading my screen I tried to find a way to politely say “would you mind?” without upsetting him. I never quite figured it out.

    The night before he checked out, he offered to sponsor my visa if I ever visited his country. “But can’t I just get a tourist visa,” I asked, to which he replied, “No.” I know that’s not true. He then asked me to sponsor him on a visa to my country. He seemed deeply offended when I explained this was not possible. When he checked out, he left a note with hearts dotting the borders!

    The backpackers who wake everyone up…and keep them awake

    The mob of guys who woke up the entire hostel at 4:30am in Barcelona. The one guy who repeatedly threw himself at full force against the wall neighboring our room in Dublin. The two sets of girls I’ve shared a room with in Brisbane, who returned in the middle of the night, chatting loudly and laughing incessantly. They top my list of “Heather’s worst hostel nightmares.”

    I’m not naïve. I don’t expect everyone to be in bed with lights out by “quiet hours” (if the hostel has them). By self-selecting into shared accommodation, I know I’ll probably be one of the first in bed most nights and expect to wake up briefly when others return. If you’ve had a fun night, I’m happy for you! Just try to show a modicum of respect upon your return, otherwise the rest of your roommates may not be so kind in the morning when you’re nursing a wicked hangover!!

    The first set of girls in Brisbane burst through the doors at 4:40am and proceeded to chat as loudly as possible, punctuating every sentence with a fit of uncontrollable giggles. That’s cool for a few minutes. But 30 minutes non-stop? If you’re not ready to return to the room, please don’t. There’s a massive lounge at the end of the hallway for you to pull yourselves together.

    The one in the bunk beneath me called her mom and chatted about nothing in particular while the other two continued laughing and stumbling into the 4 sets of bunk beds the hostel has somehow managed to squeeze into a room meant for 3 sets. I handled the situation as passive-aggressively as possible, rolling over in my bed several times and sighing loudly. I was *this* close to saying something in a relatively calm and polite voice, but fear of retaliation (having clothes stolen, waking up with obscene things written all over me) got the better of me. Thankfully they checked out that morning. Unfortunately, they were replaced with another set of 3 girls who returned at 3:00am last night and decided the ensuite toilet was soundproof. I’m pretty sure one fell in her heels and wiped out on the floor. This of course was cause for a 5-minute round of ear-piercing laughter and shrieking, followed by another 25 minutes in the room itself. I want you to have a great holiday, truly. But what I want even more is for me and the rest of the people in the room to enjoy our holidays too!

    The backpackers you always see on the computer

    By far, the biggest hostel surprise of the last two months has been the percentage of guests who own their own computer – or rather, the sheer number of people who can be found on their computers at any given time. When I walked into the lounge of the first hostel, I blinked in surprise. The room was nearly filled with people cradling their netbooks, doing anything from listening to music, watching TV shows and movies, to checking Facebook.

    Instead of fostering an environment of meeting new people, swapping stories, and making plans for the evening, hostel common areas now team with people paying by the day to hop online. I admit, I have largely found myself gravitating toward joining them, but with each passing day I’m spending less time online and more time finding people outside of the hostel who want to connect.

    The backpackers who work for accommodation

    At first glance, it seems like a great plan. If you’re on the road and running low on cash, why wouldn’t you clean a few hours per day in exchange for accommodation? You would have plenty of time to see the sights after your shift and you could probably hold another part-time job.

    As it turns out, you become a recognized face and guests ask questions, request assistance, or file complaints when you’re off duty. It didn’t sound all that bad to me at first, but I’ve been told after a while it becomes quite a hassle.

    On top of that, many have seemed thoroughly bored of their surroundings — who wants to get to that stage?! Most lounge around the hostel all day if they’re not on shift, staying in their PJ’s and sprawling across the furniture. Or if you’re like a couple of girls in my current hostel, you’ve decided that you own the place. They storm out of their bedroom and through the lounge several times a day, stomp down the hall, complain on the phone to their moms about how terrible things are, and curse and hurl insults at someone who’s just upset them.

    The backpacker who is ready for something new

    Now that I’ve become better acquainted with a few types of hostel characters, I think it’s time for my next adventure – finding a job and a share house!

    Who are the favorite (or just plain memorable) people you’ve met on the road? The brief list above is only the tip of the iceberg. Share your experiences below by leaving a comment.

    23.2

    By heatherrudd

    Heather is a 30-something career breaker who quit her job as a career counselor to head Down Under on the Work & Holiday Visa. She spent half of her year traveling around beautiful Australia by plane, tour bus, and campervan and the second half living and working in Sydney. Now that she's back home in the USA, Heather plans to find new work opportunities that will allow more time for travel.

    What do you think? Post your comments

    • Ashley Wisniewski says:

      very humorous heather! good luck finding a job and share-house; no more 4:30 wake up calls i hope!

    • Katie Rudd says:

      I agree, very humorous! I have shared hostels with you Heather..everything you have mentioned is true!

    • James Cole says:

      Great guest post Heather. Very funny and enlightening read. Glad you got to vent some frustration out to the world :)

    • Eli says:

      I've definitely run into the 24/7 laptop people who never seem to leave the hostel.

    • Nicole Schwab says:

      Excellent post, Heather! This reminds me of some advice I received when I first started college – don't expect your roommate to be your best friend (hopefully you at least get along, but since the pairing is usually random you just can't predict how close you'll end up being). It's probably tempting to think that hostel roomies will become great friends as well, but as you mentioned this is not always the case and you often have to try to negotiate ground rules that should just be plain old common sense & decency! I haven't traveled as much as you, but the memory of the guy from Dublin who, as you so aptly put it, “repeatedly threw himself at full force against the wall neighboring our room” made me laugh out loud! ;)

    • Heather says:

      I remember that night like it was yesterday…him yelling down to someone on the street, dashing up and down the hall, and then throwing himself into that wall by you and Shel. Many. Many times.

    • Chris – The Aussie Nomad says:

      I am so the backpacker that never left at the moment. I really don't know why though as my hostel is falling down around me. Still it's been an amazing way to make friends that I hope to keep for my entire stay here in London town.

    • backpacker south africa says:

      Bunch of South Africans go over to Australia and are having it large their first night at a backpackers. One of the Saffa's asks what is that big gong for pointing to one on the wall. He gets told the gong can actually tell the time, Saffa doesn't believe it and goes ahead to hit the gong with a loud thump and an impressive gooonnnng sound. Across the road a womans voice can be heard, ' You bloody South Africans don't you know its 4:23 in the morning'

    • Melissa Stanford says:

      Great post Heather! Definitely something to think about when the time comes. :-) I wonder if the number of people at computers just signifies how isolated western culture has become,where we no longer know our neighbors names? On the other hand, that's better then getting woken up at 4:00 AM!

    • Joyceee says:

      super great read heather! when I read your short description about yourself, i felt like i can almost relate. I haven't been to many hostels though, just a few, but I've recognized most of them! :)

    • Heather says:

      Aww, thank so much! I love meeting new bloggers and connecting :-) Feel free to send an email through my site if you'd like!

    • Bill says:

      Super information Mate. Thanks for this post…very good information as I plan on making my first Hostel visit this year.

    • Guest says:

      Wow all negative sterotypes, Glass half empty person?

      • Heather says:

        The “negative” ones are often more entertaining to share ;-) And I actually didn’t see a couple of those “stereotypes” as negatives at all…just interesting types of people to have encountered! I couldn’t share an exhaustive list here, so I chose those I’d seen the most or who made the lasting impression.

    • Miss G says:

      Great article Heather – I think I have met them all and then some! I’m still so surprised at the amount of people who travel with laptops (unless you are a blogger and earning your living of course!!) I went RTW in 2007 and most people downgraded their phones for fear of loss/damage never mind considering taking a laptop. We had to rely on tatty guide books and word of mouth for recommendations and would never sit in a common room behind a computer screen – I know it was only 3 years ago but already I feel kind of nostalgic for that kind of travel. Guess I’m just really old fashioned!

      • Heather says:

        I love having my laptop but to be honest, when I haven’t been able to use it I haven’t missed it a bit!! I’m with you — kind of wish it was like it was a few years ago. Of course I can choose to unplug and travel that way, but the advantages of keeping in contact with family and friends and meeting fellow travelers outweighs the negatives for me.

    • woodworking project plans says:

      Great guest post Heather. Very funny and enlightening read. Glad you got to vent some frustration out to the world.

    • Kiabaz says:

      Lol it hasn’t changed in 35 years! In London in 1975 we 4 Kiwis were woken up in the early hours in our seedy hotel room by a group of very loud drunken Aussie girls who insisted we had taken their beds. They were probably right – we had complained to the managers that there were dirty sheets on the beds and clothes all around but they told us they had thrown out the girls because they hadn’t paid! Then there was the poor guy in a huge, unheated youth hostel in Scotland in mid-winter. He had arrived the day before from summer in South Africa. All he had to eat was a cold tin of spaghetti that he was trying to open with a pocketknife. He was sure glad to wee us – the only other people in a 250 bed hostel!

    • Michelle says:

      Very funny post! I’ve definitely encountered all of these backpackers! can’t figure out the ones who stay in from of their laptop all day either…takes the fun out of traveling!

    • Kristian says:

      I admit I like to go on my computer for a bit, but I will still chat to anyone and everyone in the common room. However that is probably the person I’m closest to out of all the people described there. And, indeed, I’ve met all those characters too.

    *

    CommentLuv badge