Dorm room etiquette, what annoys you most?

[nzboy]

I've been travelling through South East Asia now for about 2 month, I'm in Vietnam at the moment. One thing that you don't really get here is dorm rooms because single rooms are so cheap. So I was talking to some other travellers who just came through Europe or Aussie and they were having this convosation about dorms and I hadn't even thought about it.
I'm travelling to Europe very soon and I'd like to know from those well travelled folk, what annoyed/annoys you most when it comes to dorming? What is it people do that piss people off, just so I have a heads up. Cheers.

[aliz]

when someone moves your stuff to another bed and steals your bed. i actually had my pillow case on the pillow and they took it off and moved it, my sleepsheet, my clothes and my backpack to another bed. grrrr

[Brookers13]

thats definitely happened to me before too aliz...so annoying..

[lauren313]

I don't like when people come in pretty late and switch the main light on. I know that's really fussy, and it's bound to happen, but I was always really careful coming in late, I'd do as much as I could in the dark, or left the door open a crack so the light from the hallway would shine into the room to help me see.

Um, can't really think of anything else. I never really got that pissed off by anything.

Oh, actually, there was one more thing! I was staying in a dorm, and one guy forgot his room key. It was late at night, so reception was closed, so he came along to the room and started knocking on the door. It woke me up, and I couldn't figure out what it was cos I was a bit dazed. The knocking carried on, then I realised it was the door. So I got out my bunk, really annoyed at having been woken up, opened the door for this guy, and he didn't even apologise or say thank you! The cheek!

[DC_Jessica]

When we were in Jerusalem, the whole hostel was overtaken by Russian pilgrims. Our dorm room included. We left to go sight-seeing, and when we got back, the ENTIRE balcony (a cool perk of the hostel we picked) was covered in underwear and petticoats. Not super annoying, but a fun little experience. I dry my clothes on my own bunk. or I cover my pack with the ziplock bags that I've packed everything in, and lay out my clothes on them (so the pack stays dry and the clothes aren't on the floor).

[MeTurk]

The knocking carried on, then I realised it was the door. So I got out my bunk, really annoyed at having been woken up, opened the door for this guy,

That happened to me once (having no key) I did say sorry though.

I'm not really that bothered by other people I'm a heavy sleeper and I'm usually the one that comes in drunk at 3 in the morning and can't be quite no matter how hard I try. So I don't hold it against anyone else.

[lauren313]

Originally Posted by MeTurk

That happened to me once (having no key) I did say sorry though.

Yeah, I totally wouldn't have minded if he'd said sorry. I know these things happen!

[ajb3000]

Ive only ever been annoyed twice while staying in dorms, once was when a group of drunk guys burst into the room, turned on the light and screamed at about 2am in the morning, then ran away. The other was when a particular girl went out every night and always came home at 3am and turned on the light, waking everyone up, acting as if it were the middle of the day and swearing at every little thing until she got into bed.

If you're going to come back after other people are asleep, either use a torch or feel your way into bed. A bit of noise is expected and accidently waking up the person next to you isn't that big a deal, but turning on the light and waking the entire room is out of order.

I didn't get annoyed by this at all but it's a funny story, in one hostel there were three of us in a dorm. Another British guy and I had been there for 1 night already when a Danish guy joined us, he said his dad and sister were in another room but wouldn't let him sleep in the same room as them as he had a habit of talking in his sleep. Well in the middle of the night when we were all sleep, we were woken by this guy shouting at the top of his voice, he'd sat up in bed and was screaming something in Danish. The following morning he had no recollection of it and said it was normal for him! He said it usually happens when he dreams about football.

[aliz]

another thing which REALLY gets to me is anything involving people throwing up. i know by that stage most people are pretty drunk and dont have a lot of control over what they are doing, but for god's sake - try to make it to the bathroom, make an effort to clean up after yourself, and if it is all over your clothes, find a place to hang them up outside of the room where people are trying to sleep! people vomitting is just one of those things i just cannot deal with and if i hear it or smell it i immediately feel sick... so i know its often not something people do on purpose but... that's one of the things about hostels that will ruin my night.

[buzzingtalk]

this is one thing i get really scared about - if someone puked when i was in a dorm. i have a major thing about puke, it makes me feel really uneasy and weird. ive only puked twice in my living memory, once before i had my kidney out and once a few months ago when i had a nasty bug. i freaked out proper!!

if someone puked and didnt clean it up i would lose my rag and have to say something, so what if your drunk, your bad, your the one that drank! if you cant handle your alchohol dont use shared rooms! its disguisting. the smell, and especially as i travel in hot hot hot countriesit would be ten times worse

[buzzingtalk]

oh and the only thing that happened to me that was annoying was i got a lower bunk put all my stuff on it, went out for the day and came back, some skinny bint had moved all my stuff to the top bunk and was sleeping on my one. being quite a big girl i cant actually sleep in top bunks cos i dont feel safe in them and it makes too much noise!! so i half climbed up the ladder and shook rthe bed around loads and made noises near her head, she woke up and i just started at her. in silence, she picked all her stuff up, moved mine back down and climbed up.

bitch.

[BadAssBen]

Essential for dorm life survival:
Eye Mask + Ear Plugs!!!

What can I say though? I am typically the one coming in super late and causing trouble - sorry!

--Ben

[omisan]

The people who pack up early in the morning to catch their flight/train. Why can't they do it the night before when everyone else isn't sleeping.. *zip* *zip* *crumple* *zip* ARGH!

[Brookers13]

ooo thats a good one omi...i hate that soooooo much

[BelfastFlyer]

Originally Posted by omisan

The people who pack up early in the morning to catch their flight/train. Why can't they do it the night before when everyone else isn't sleeping.. *zip* *zip* *crumple* *zip* ARGH!

I hear ya. What gets me is people who are loud talkers, just bugs the tits off me!

[Canadian Bacon]

Yeah loud talkers piss me off... ESPECIALLY when they're talking about Manchestetr United and soccer stuff... I mean there is a time and place for those kind of conversations!

[lauren313]

Ah yeah, Omi, I'm with you on that one! And you just know that there's gonna be a problem when they pack up early morning. Like their zip will get stuck, or they won't be able to find something, so they'll rummage all the way into the bottom of their bag. Grrr.

[Travel_girl81]

The one experience I had that pissed me off is more hostel etiquette than dorm. At 4 am the smoke alarm went off in my hostel in York. Of course it takes everyone a few minutes to wake up and figure out what it is, throw on some clothes and grab your money and passport.
After we all get outside and stand around wondering what’s going on. We are told it’s a false alarm and to go back inside. The false alarm was that some idiot who couldn’t be bothered to go outside for a smoke decided to sneak one on the stairwell right under the smoke detector.
And I agree with Ben. An eye mask and ear plugs are a must for me when staying in a dorm.

[Diorama]

Yup it has to be when the light goes on at 3 am!! If I come back late at night I ALWAYS make sure that I have my pj's and toiliteries out of my bag and lying on my pillow. I also have my flashlight out.

i also don;t understand how some people can be soooooooo much in the dorm room. I'll never forget my last dorm on my year away trip. I walked into the room and froze. I couldn't even see the floor! These two girls in the room and literally dumped everything out of their pack. It was such a pigsty. I don't know how people could live like that.

[LostFarmboy]

I've only ever been pissed off once while staying in a dorm. It was when i was in Germany and i was put in a room with a chronic snorer. Now, i can handle your average snoring, even your above average snoring, you've gotta expect it when staying in dorms, but it was like this dude had a megaphone up to his nose, it was some seriously loud snoring. He had everyone in the entire dorm awake. People were throwing stuff at him and shaking his bed, but he never missed a beat. Even with my head phones in and my music cranked i could still hear him. I think everyone checked out of that room the next day. I think if you know you are a chronic snorer you should consider other people and get a private room.

Apart from that I have no complaints. Pissed people don't bother me, they eventually quiet down and go to sleep, as do the early morning bag packers.

Oh wait, people shagging loudly in the bed next to you without even offering you the courtesy of a reach around is just plain rude...