Can you understand if you are addicted to hostels?
Some people crave sweets, some people have a compulsion to collect weird magnets form around the world, somebody is physically unable to pack a bag under 25 kilos, and then there are the Hostel-addicted… those who cannot live without staying in hostels!
Seems like a weird addiction? It might look like, but once you start staying in hostels, leaving such a lively and cosy environment can be tricky, just like stopping traveling… let’s see the 6 symptoms of the hostel addiction, and see if you are addicted to hostels, too!
1. YOU CANNOT EAT ALONE
Eating alone makes you sad, you always cook for (at least) two persons, and the sadness of not having anyone to share food with… makes you eat everything anyways!
Shared kitchens are now a part of you: finding all pots and pans clean and in their place feels weird to you, and so does having all the kitchen to yourself… and no, your pet turtle cannot eat your second serving of spaghetti: put them in the fridge!
2. SINGLE ROOMS STRESS YOU
You almost spend your nights hugging your pillow, just to feel as if there was somebody in the room with you; you use your torch to simulate the flashlights you used to see in the bunk beds around you, when your roommates were reading.
You almost start hearing noises, and hope that it is somebody stumbling on your suitcase, which by the way is still open beside your bed.
3. SPEAKING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES MAKES YOU FEEL AT HOME
If you don’t use at least 3 languages in a single sentence, you feel unhappy and empty. You mix your English with some Spanish, add a dash of Polish you learned in a hostel in Madrid, and you might remember German swearwords and use them every once in a while; remember: nobody will understand you at home!
4. YOU ARE HUNGRY FOR DIFFERENT LIFE STORIES
Your life is in constant evolution, you are always on the lookout for inspiration and ideas to enrich yourself, you are not afraid of diversity - actually you embrace it and make the best of it in any occasion.
Other people’s experiences are your nourishment, they make you what you are: a serial traveller and, let’s not forget it, a hostel addicted.
5. YOU TALK TO YOUR BACKPACK AS YOU WOULD DO WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND
Some people swear they heard you whisper to your backpack in the night… others are sure they saw you ask your backpack for help in the kitchen… keep it down, your backpack is a perfect travel companion, but it is most likely inanimate!
6. NOT WAITING IN LINE FOR THE BATHROOM FEELS WEIRD
Finding a free bathroom is a matter of luck - it might happen a couple of times, but when you are used to sharing your bathroom with your roommates (or with the whole hostel), it does not happen often. It’s time to realize that when you live alone, there is no need to stand outside the bathroom door, toothbrush and towel in your hands, waiting 10 minutes to get in.