Sharing is the essence of the hostel culture. Staying at a hostel will completely change your experience of going to Ibiza. While more beds in one room is a synonym of a cheaper trip, but staying at a hostel also means more fun and more stories to take home. If you are one of those people who are afraid of not resting well at a shared bedroom in a hostel, then pay attention to these tips.
There are many non-written rules or a “conduct code” related to the expected behavior and mutual respect in a hostel dorm. Some of those rules are staying as quiet as possible when other people are sleeping, or not turning the light on and using your phone or a flashlight to look around or find your bed. Seems easy right?
Fortunately, most backpackers who stay at shared dorms at hostels are usually polite and show and excellent behavior. But that doesn’t mean that a night of undisturbed sleep is guaranteed; people snoring, beds “cracking” and guests who arrive at different hours of the night may disturb other people’s sleep. Resting well is something that will depend mostly on the will we have towards it, and also on applying the following measures:
Be tactical: during the check-in, it is worth to ask the receptionist if there is a top bunk available. That way, if your bunk partner comes back to the hostel later than you do, you won’t hear him climbing to his bunk and he won’t wake you up.
Come prepared: of course, none of the problems mentioned here will get in your way if you have earplugs and a sleeping mask. Both of them are the perfect kit to sleep at any hostel.
Listen to music: replace your earplugs with in-ear headphones and listen to music. Ideally, you should listen to relaxing and without lyrics, that way it is less likely to inspire an inner dialogue and ends up as just background music. Make sure the volume is not too loud so you won’t annoy any of your roommates.
Go to bed only when you feel sleepy: it may seem silly, but this is really important. In a hostel, there are many areas where you can rest or enjoy the company of other travelers. Make the most out of that experience and don’t go to bed until you are not sleepy. That will prevent you from tossing and turning in your bed.