12 unbearable things in youth hostels

When you travel around the world for a year, youth hostels are a must if you don’t want to blow your housing budget. It is in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay that we mostly slept in youth hostels. In these three countries, two beds in dormitories cost us more than a comfortable hotel room in most countries in Asia

If some youth hostels are perfectly equipped and very pleasant (special mention to those that put a curtain on the beds allowing a little privacy), in others, we feel that it is the race for profitability and that the comfort of the customers comes second

Staying in a youth hostel is also an opportunity to live in a community, for better or for worse

Doors that squeak

Sleeping in a 12-person dormitory is the assurance of having lots of visitors. At any time of the day or night, you will have comings and goings. Even more so if you are in a city with an airport (with arrivals and departures) or the WE (with night trips in prospect)

Nothing much to be embarrassed about if your “colloquia” are civilized and as discreet as possible

But if the door squeaks, discretion will prove impossible, a nightmare in prospect!

The oiling of room doors should be the BA-BA of a youth hostel, it is far from always being the case. Provide earplugs and avoid the bed closest to the door if possible

Bulbs that don’t work

Is your dormitory strangely dark once the sun goes down? Normal, out of the 4 bulbs in the room, 3 are burnt out. Changing a bulb can be done in 30 seconds, but why make such an expense? Low-budget tourists will come anyway

The stench

10 people in a dormitory, an outside temperature between 30 and 40° C, poor air conditioning, a youth hostel located in a trekking area. You have there the best cocktail to have a room that smells like a wild beast. If you add a roommate who stinks of feet, it can become rock & roll

Dirt

When we choose to sleep in a youth hostel, we implicitly accept to lower our requirements in terms of comfort and cleanliness

If when you arrive, you are entrusted with bed linen, you will be a bit grumpy at the prospect of having to make your bed yourself. However, it is the guarantee to have a clean bed. Otherwise, your bed will be like a box of chocolate, you don’t know what you are going to fall on

Provide a silk sleeping bag for the most extreme cases where the simple contact of your skin with the bed can contaminate you

1 electrical outlet for 10 people

Ten years ago, this would certainly not have been a problem. In 2017, everyone spends their day taking selfies with their smartphone and then sharing their best pictures on Facebook, Snapshat and Instagram. These exciting activities consume battery power!

At nightfall, you have to recharge your phone to be able to start again the next day, right? What if your dormitory has only one outlet for 10 people? Unbearable!

When you travel, you rarely carry a multi-plug in your bag. Choose a universal adapter with at least two USB sockets, so everyone is happy

The showers ” hoses of arosage “

Most of the time you will have a cold shower or a shower without pressure in the hostel. If you have a hot shower with enough pressure, this is your lucky day

On top of that, in some hostels, shower heads seem to be optional. You then have the impression to shower with a hose, not very pleasant

People without embarrassment

If you get used to Spartan comfort easily enough, the lack of education of your room mates can turn your stay into a nightmare. Like this time when a charming lady entered the dormitory at 2am, turning on the light and talking loudly with her neighbor before being offended that we were so overzealous as to ask her to be quiet!

People who snore

A must for nights in an inn! For those who have seen the movie The Big Mop, know that the trick of whistling to interrupt the snoring works. The problem is that they will resume as soon as you stop whistling

From experience, and contrary to popular belief, men rarely snore the loudest. To the discomfort of the situation can therefore be added the amazement of realizing that this noisy snoring is due to the charming young girl with whom you have previously discussed

The balls will be your allies but not always sufficient

The under equipped kitchen

In addition to optimizing your housing budget, the youth hostel is an opportunity to reduce your food expenses by cooking yourself

Provided that the kitchen isn’t there only from a symbolic viewpoint. If you only find two dented pans fighting in a duel, if there is no oil, salt or pepper on the horizon, … cooking may cost you more than eating at the snack bar next door

Flights in the fridge

Disregarding the under-equipment of the kitchen, you decided to invest! You have bought oil, vinegar, salt and pepper that you will generously leave available to everyone after your departure

After a day’s visit, you will be delighted by the delicious mixed salad you will make for yourself: rocket – corn – tomato with homemade seasoning

You open the fridge and discover that your can of corn is missing, probably stolen by a broke traveler who was hungry. Unbearable!

No locker

Passports, telephones, bank cards, computer, cash, … so many important objects that we do not want to carry with us when we go to the beach and that we prefer to secure when we sleep

Unfortunately, while lockers may seem to be a standard for a youth hostel, this isn’t always the case

This isn’t a problem for some people who do not hesitate to leave their pimp unattended, it isn’t my case

Pack a lockable suitcase or backpack to minimize risk

One bathroom for 10

A bathroom for 10 people? You can be sure that it’s going to be a bit of a rush at the door. If on top of that, the only toilet is in the same room as the shower, it’s going to get complicated

As with the metro, the ideal is to get up before everyone else to avoid busy periods.