Ignoring This Important Hostel Rule Is A Frustrating Breach Of Etiquette

Staying in hostels can occasionally be frustrating, but if you're willing to sacrifice your privacy then you can enjoy budget-friendly accommodations all over the world. Hostel culture makes it incredibly easy to meet people while traveling abroad, and if you stay at one for long enough you'll probably end up with a new circle of life long friends. The best hostels offer plenty of organized events and tours which help make solo-travel a more enjoyable experience. The hostel environment can even help you feel safer when traveling alone because it's easy to find a group to explore with.

Hostels began in the early 1900s as a way for young people to escape European cities and explore the great outdoors. By the middle of the century, youth hostels had sprouted up all over Europe. These days, hostels aren't just inexpensive places for youngsters to visit during their gap year. People of all ages and from all walks of life enjoy saving money by staying in the dorm-like accommodations.

If you don't mind sharing space, you'll probably love staying in hostels. That being said, not having a private room comes with some challenges. It's important that you're respectful of the other people staying in your dorm. You don't want to be the inconsiderate traveler who wakes everyone up during quiet hours.

Imagine that you just spent a long day exploring one of Europe's bucket list destinations. You walked for miles along winding cobblestone streets, dined on local delicacies, and visited a few museums along the way. After dinner you listened to live music and enjoyed a few glasses of wine. Finally around 10 at night, you return to your hostel. Quiet hours have begun and there are already a few people snoozing in the shared room. You quietly enter and collapse in your bunk, exhausted.

You quickly slip into a deep sleep — only to be awakened by a bright light and squeals of laughter as a group of travelers enter your shared room a few hours later. You glance at your cellphone and notice that you only have a few hours before you have to be up to catch your train, but now you're wide awake.

If imagining this scene makes you feel a bit annoyed, then you're certainly not alone. Quiet hours at hostels usually start around 10 or 11 at night and end at 7 or 8 in the morning. They should always be respected. Even if you're out partying with everyone from your room at the hostel, you should always be quiet when you return. A tired traveler might have checked in while you were away. If you're someone who likes to scroll on your phone before bed, make sure you're wearing headphones and your brightness is turned all the way down during quiet hours. Hostels are a communal environment, which means everyone will have to be a bit more accommodating and flexible.

It's impossible to wake up and start your day in absolute silence, but you should avoid being disruptive. During quiet hours you should be extra cautious not to make excessive noise so that other travelers can get the rest they need. Someone in your room might be sleeping in to recover from extreme jet leg or food poisoning, so be respectful even when quiet hours aren't in effect. 

If you have an early morning departure that requires you to wake up during quiet hours, you should try not to disturb anyone. If you want to set yourself up for success, consider packing your bags the night before. Lay out your clothes ahead of time so that all you have to do is get dressed, grab your bag, and hit the road. Avoid turning on the main light switch and use your phone or a headlamp instead.

When staying in a hostel, you'll probably hear a phone alarm go off at some point. It's okay to set an alarm if you need to, but this is not the time to set multiples and hit snooze every five minutes. Try to wake up promptly and silence your alarm immediately. If you're not a heavy sleeper, put your alarm on vibrate and place it under your pillow. On r/solotravel, a popular Reddit forum, travelers have some excellent advice. "If you have an Apple Watch or Fitbit or other smartwatch, you can also set vibrate alarms on those which tend to be more quiet and is literally attached to you so more likely to wake you up. A hostel alarm godsend honestly," wrote u/PhiloPhocion. Alternatively, you could purchase a headband or sleep mask with built-in headphones so only you can hear your alarm go off.