A Guide to Backpacker Hostel Etiquette.

By Posted in - Travel Resources on May 19th, 2013

From bunk romance to pool rules and shared bathrooms – what’s acceptable hostel behaviour?

One of the best things about backpacking is staying in hostels. You can end up sleeping in some pretty amazing places; I’ve stayed in beach houses, old mansions, converted prisons and even a tree house.

You can meet some brilliant people too. People that become friends, drinking buddies and travel mates. Hostels are like these random cultural mash-ups. Sometimes they’re more interesting than the actual place you’ve come to check out.

But if you’re new to backpacking, or just haven’t spent much time in hostels, there are some unwritten rules you need to be aware of. Here’s a brief guide to backpacker hostel etiquette.

Respect the hostel culture

Hostels with hammocks rock

First things first – you’ve got to respect the vibe of the hostel; each one is slightly different, and sometimes they have very different cultures.

If you’re staying at a chilled, relaxing hostel you probably shouldn’t be hosting loud, drunken late-night parties every night. Conversely, if you know you’re staying at a bit of a party hostel, don’t moan if things are jumping well into the early hours of the next morning.

You can usually get a feel for what kind of hostel you’re in within a few minutes; are the walls covered with photos of hostel parties or abstract, calming artwork? Is the bar at the heart of the hostel or a super chilled lounge area? What are the people who run the hostel like?

No romantic bunking

Sometimes as a backpacker you hook up. That’s awesome. But try not bring your romance back to the dorm. A ten-bunk room isn’t the place for sexy time.

Some people think they know how to get around this rule. You know what they do? They hang a towel up. A towel. People, this is not the answer. We can still hear you. And if we’re in the bunk above/below you, we can feel you.

Getting romantic in an empty dorm room is borderline acceptable. But make sure you lock the door. If someone walks in half-way through it’s pretty awkward. For everyone. Just get a room. Your own room.

Put yourself out there

Hostels are good places to practise Karate

Some people are lone wolves. That’s cool. Mingling isn’t compulsory. But most of us are social animals. If you’re travelling on your own and want to make friends, the done thing is to put yourself out there. Get to know people.

Don’t be super intense about it. Just spend time in the social areas of the hostel. Listen out for conversations where you can join in. Ask people about their travel plans. Buy them a beer – they’ll have to talk to you.

Don’t expect people to come to you. Travellers warm to you when you make an effort, especially if you’re clearly forcing yourself out of a comfort zone.

Use book exchanges fairly

A lot of backpackers are using e-readers these days, but books are awesome and still have their place. Hostel book exchanges can be a great way of finding useful resources (like travel guides) and discovering amazing novels that you would never have ordinarily read.

Judging book quality is always going to be subjective, but try not to trade decent novels with trash. Good book exchanges are only going to work if travelers make an effort to keep the standard up.

Don’t hog the bathroom

Sharing a bathroom with up to a dozen other backpackers – sometimes even more – can be a challenge. You know what makes it really difficult? People spending ages in the bathroom doing stuff that they could be doing in the dorm. Or the hallway. Or anywhere that isn’t the bathroom.

It’s not always girls, but they usually have more of a ‘routine’ that involves standing in front of mirrors. Basically, hostel etiquette dictates that you only use the bathroom to do things you couldn’t do outside the bathroom.

Be a considerate dorm mate

Dorm mates can be... interesting characters

Keeping a lid on your romantic liaisons is just one aspect of being a good dorm mate. Dorms can be intimate places. You’re forced into very close living quarters with strangers. So be sure to think about a few other things.

Hygiene is a big one. Yes, you’re a traveler and keeping it real. Maybe you’re not shaving, or you’re giving up make-up. Whatever. That’s fine. Just remember to wash. And don’t stink out the dorm room with the fugly aroma from your clothes. They need to be washed every so often too.

Your in-bunk behaviour is also important. If you’re climbing up to the top bunk at 4am, try not to use you bunk mate as a stepping stone. If you’re a snorer, try to do whatever you can to minimize it. And no matter how horny you get, be aware that in-bunk ‘self-love’ is frowned upon.

Share the web

If you’re using a smartphone or laptop in the hostel, try not to use up all the Wi-Fi bandwidth by uploading massive image or video files to your travel blog all the time.

If the hostel has an internet cafe setup with a few different computers, don’t hog any of them – especially at busy times. Try and be aware who’s hanging out waiting for their turn to search for trains or book a bed at their next hostel.

Be honest with the honesty bar

This should really go without saying, but obviously if a hostel can’t physically man their bar try and keep an accurate record of what you’re drinking. And how many you’re drinking.

With pool, you play to the house rules

One thing you find out when you stay in lots of hostels is that every country seems to have a different way of playing pool. It can get get particularly confusing working out what happens after a foul shot.

The thing to do is establish the house table rules before you starting playing. This is especially important in hostels that have ‘punishment’ rulings, like making you run round the table a dozen times naked if you lose a game without potting anything.

Remember you’re roughing it

tree house hostel

A tree house hostel!

Lastly, don’t forget that hostels are supposed to be budget accommodation. So don’t complain if the showers aren’t always hot, or your bed is uncomfortable, or the dorms are drafty, or the paint’s peeling off the walls. It’s all part of the experience. It’s character-building.

Obviously, if something is dangerous then you need to say something. And you also need to judge everything by how much you’re paying; if you’re stumping up some serious dollar for a boutique hostel you should judge it it differently for a no-frills YHA place.

Editor’s Note: This is a story by Andrew Tipp. Please see his full bio below.

About the author:

Andrew Tipp is a writer, blogger and editor. He used to work as a travel editor for advice and community site Gapyear.com, and has spent more than a year backpacking and volunteering around the world. His favorite countries are Bolivia and Sri Lanka, and he would love to visit the Malay Archipelago. He also provided all of the photos for this post.



*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!

(13) awesome folk have had something to say...

  • Kathryn @ Vegetarians Abroad -

    May 19, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    All good tips. I would also add cleaning up after yourself in the kitchen area. I try and do my dishes as I cook so as to free up kitchen utensils etc that others maybe waiting to use. In the last hostel I stayed at the kitchen only had 1 pot!

    • Bethany -

      May 21, 2013 at 6:33 am

      That is such a great tip Kathryn! Thank you for adding it, nothing worse then a messy hostel kitchen! 🙂

  • Amber -

    May 22, 2013 at 12:40 am

    All good advice! I’m a little too old and married for dorm rooms, and your advice for shared rooms is kind of why I “splurge” for a double room. Besides, no one wants to hear my hubby snoring. I do sometimes find it difficult to be social and be accepted by others at hostels, perhaps because of my age. I am pushing 40. I think many of the younger folks might look at us like old fogies, but remember how wise your elders are. So, my additional point of advice, when you see someone significantly older than you in the common area of the hostel, say hello, make them feel welcome, chat them up. You don’t have to expect them to hang out drinking until 4 am (although some still might like to be invited), but it would make them feel more accepted in the hostel life! And, they might be willing to share some of their sage advice.

    • Andrew Tipp -

      May 24, 2013 at 1:31 am

      @Amber, Hi Amber. I think it’s fine for ‘older’ backpackers to use dorms, but it’s all what you feel comfortable with. I’m married now, and my wife insists we stay in double rooms in hostels!

  • Sandra -

    May 22, 2013 at 12:57 am

    Excellent article on hostels and quite amusing. I ended up living in a hostel for 6 months in Melbourne and its been the best time of my life. I got to constantly meet new people, have a good support of friends who were live my own family and I got to work for free rent! I know all too well about some of the things you’ve written about and heard other people’s stories about them too! I would just say go with the flow with wherever you’re staying and if you don’t like it then you an always try somewhere else

  • TammyOnTheMove -

    May 22, 2013 at 9:42 pm

    Great tips! What is it with people who think that they can be intimate in a dorm room? I really don’t get it! 🙂

  • Alex -

    May 23, 2013 at 12:32 am

    I’ve had to deal with people getting it on in my dorm. Here’s how I deal with it: http://www.angryexplorer.com/how-to-stop-people-from-getting-it-on-in-your-dorm/

  • Charli l Wanderlusters -

    May 23, 2013 at 12:42 am

    All great advice, I’ve not spent a lot of time in hostels, we utilize house sitting and home stays as we travel but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet the weird and wonderful people who pass through the hostel scene. I’m not sure how i would cope if my bed started shaking in the night thanks to some amorous neighbors in the downstairs bunk!

  • Andrew Tipp -

    May 24, 2013 at 1:29 am

    Thanks for the good feedback, guys. I think you’ve come up with some other good suggestions. I guess most of this is just being respectful and using common sense, but having a cheat sheet can be helpful!

  • Chris -

    May 28, 2013 at 12:39 am

    Solid rules. I agree with each.

    Not everybody does though. I’ve bared witness to some truly ludicrous marathon loving sessions in Australia. Think bunk beds smashing against the wall in a room full of people.

    Yeah. Rough.

  • Dyon -

    May 29, 2013 at 10:16 pm

    Hi Bethany, I loved the way you discussed all the rules. Your narrative is very cool. I must admit that I have stayed for a couple of years in a hostel, and I was still not aware of all the rules you mentioned. It was a nice post, thanks for sharing.

  • Will Thoms -

    July 1, 2013 at 6:34 am

    Really enjoyed reading this! It especially tickled me when you wrote: ‘try not to use your bunk mate as a stepping stone’, haha!

  • Jules -

    September 13, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    Great article. It seems this is a pretty popular topic among travel bloggers. We just recently published something similar. Particularly like the one about the book exchange. Finding it harder to get decent books these days. Here’s a link to our article; http://dontforgettomove.com/hostel-etiquette/