The People You’ll Meet in a Hostel

Can you tell that I’m currently staying in hostels from all this hostel-themed content? Today I’m bringing you a non-definitive list of people you may meet in your hostel! Hostels are a real melting pot of people from all walks of life: budget business men, older travellers seeking interesting accommodation, long term residents on working visas looking for flats and jobs, and regular young backpackers. Please take this post with a pinch of salt, it’s meant to be humour, not me being a bitch!!

• The Gourmet Chef

They never seemed to get the memo about hostel kitchens being a shared space, and they defo never got the ‘backpacker budget’ memo. They whip out exotic ingredients by the dozen and spend hours creating a feast, using every pot, pan and surface available. To the guy hacking up an octopus(!!) earlier whilst I made dinner, you may have inspired this one.

• The New Best Friend

You have literally never met someone as friendly as them. They want to know everything about your trip, think all your clothes are great and just generally can’t stop chatting. Honestly I love having one of these in my dorm as it makes it a bit happier and more sociable! That being said, you never stay in touch after check out time.

• The One You Never See

You’re pretty certain the bed is occupied, but by who? Or what? Occasionally you here them mumbling on the phone or hear them shuffling around but you’ve been there a week and haven’t yet seen an actual person…

• The Long Term (1)

They know the hostel inside out, and the people in it as well. The hostel is their home and the people are their family. Make friends with one of these guys and you’re pretty set up for your stay; you will never be in need of anything!

• The Long Term (2)

The hostel is their home… and everyone else is intruding on their private space. Normally identifiable by the amount of material used to shield their bed from everyone else, or by the loud sighs they emit whenever a ‘tourist’ speaks to them, enters the room, breathes, etc.

• The First Timer

They look terrified by the communal bathrooms, busy kitchens, the dude wandering around in his pants… Everything is a whole new experience and it’s pretty overwhelming. Be nice to them!

• The One Who Doesn’t Give a F***

Not the best person to have in your dorm, they wander the corridors in their underwear, hold loud phone conversations at antisocial hours, don’t clean up after themselves… They genuinely don’t care that they are sharing the space with other people. Honestly there’s a lot of power in that mentality… be afraid.

• The ‘Been There, Done That’

Is there anywhere on Earth they haven’t visited? Any food they haven’t tried? Any experience they haven’t had? Every conversation is a game of who can be ‘Supreme Traveller’. My favourite experience is when two of this type get together for a chat.

• The Enlightened Traveller

Normally just back from somewhere super exotic (you probably haven’t heard of it) and had a ‘totally life changing experience’ that has changed them forever more. They’ll probably be pretty evasive when you try to find out more, you kinda had to be there. They walk around with some sort of ethereal presence, often trailing a flowy skirt or baggy trousers and some string jewellery behind them.

I hope you enjoyed this post about some of these people you might find in a hostel! Have you ever met any of them? Can you identify with any of them? Are there any others I should have included?

-Millie xox