Hostel Types

A few of the people who seem to turn up in every hostel, everywhere.

1) The arguing couple. They are always arguing in a language other than your own... but somehow you understand them anyway. The guy has lost something, and the girl is tired, OR, the girl is taking too long with the packing and the guy is tired. Either way they bring an alarming degree of animosity into the room, and interestingly enough seem completely unaware that anyone else is present to hear them fight.

2) The loud mouthed, dreadlock-sporting, killer-backpack-wielding, "social-drinker". These usually travel in 2-4s, and no hostel is complete without them. You can hear them from downstairs, or upstairs, or outside (depending on where the bar is), as well as in your room at 3 AM when they stumble over items and each other as they try to find their way into their bunks in the dark. Somehow this does not dampen their popularity.

3) The first-timer. A person who comes into the hostel on their own, usually not speaking a major language --for the country or the hostel-- and looks completely bewildered by the hosteling landscape. Has trouble with the washrooms, with the bunkbeds, with the combination locks, with the internet... and never seems in interact with anyone they are living with. These never stay long.

4) The group of high school age girls on a weekend jaunt (this one is especially relevant in European hostels). They sit permanently huddled together, wearing very little clothing and giggling at their own jokes. Hold court in the social areas having elaborate multi-lingual conversations with boys/men of all ages; these conversations can go on for hours, because everything that is said by each party must then be discussed in every language. These girls never seem to leave the hostel.

5) The sketchy old guy. Who is he? What is he doing here/there? Generally not a native English speaker, who somehow manages to speak better English than you, as well as French, Dutch, German and a touch of Russian. He has a book and sits in a very obvious place, quite often starting off conversations with the girls once they've had enough to drink.

Another thing to remember about hostels-- READ THE USER REVIEWS! When they say "This hostel has cold showers!" they really do mean "This hostel has cold showers!" I mean, really cold! For future referance...

N.