During my travels I have frequently rested my head in hostels. From really cool hostels in Bangkok, London and Bali to really shitty ones in Miami, Pnom Penh and Alaska.
What makes the hostel experience is not only the quality of the mattress, friendly staff or if there is breakfast included but also who you are sharing your room with. It can be great when you share your space with people who have the same ideas of traveling like you do.
But it could also be a torn in the eye during your stay.
Here are some examples of backpackers I’ve encountered during my travels.
The Ghost
The Ghost is someone who you will barely or never see during your stay at the hostel. This person mostly wakes up at the break of dawn and goes out exploring the whole day and comes back late in the day to shower and go to sleep. The backpack is there but even looks totally unpacked.
The Permanent Resident
This person is the opposite from the ghost. (s)He will be constantly lingering around the hostel and be on his/her computer all day watching movies or just napping. It makes you wonder if they are here to see something. Definitely some food leftovers, dirty socks and an stained t-shirt are lingering around his/her bed.
The Early Bird
This person wakes up before anyone else and starts making noises trying to collect all the necessary things to prepare for the start of breakfast. (s)He makes his/her bed before she leaves the room and is most of the time a very tidy person. (s)He might be found in the lobby reading some travel guides and goes out of the door well prepared and with a plan.
The Night Owl
This person comes back into the room in the middle of the night, drunk. (s)He trips over bins, bags and his/her own feet before stumbling into bed. Turn on the light anyway and sometimes bring a ‘friend’ along to chill, no netflix needed.
The Grand Slammer
This person is someone who will constantly walk in and out of the dorm room. Planning is supposedly not his/her forte.
The New Best Friend
This is the one with the golden ticket. As soon as you enter the room you start talking to him/her. With a simple introduction and the standard question (Where are you from?) you might have set the tone for a new friendship. You notice right away you’ve been traveling to the same places and have a bunch of common interests. Soon enough you are exploring the neighbourhood together.
Beside these stereotypes there are of course dozen of other types of backpackers.
What kind of backpacker are you ? Or which one would you be ?
The World on a Wim 
Oh god yes, The Permanent Resident! I wonder the same thing….what are they doing watching Netflix on their laptop while in New York?
I’ve come across everyone you’ve explained haha.
I like to think I’m more The Best Friend. I always try and start a conversation with someone who looks like they’re traveling by themselves. Love the Hostel Life!
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The Hostel Life is definitely the way to go ! Glad you agree with my stereotypes 😉 I hope I’m more of the best friend myself !
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I wrote a very similar post to this one and agree with you completely with those types of people – Just wanted to add I have also been ‘the permanent residence’ and to answer your question why we’re there – Well, sometimes us long term travelers (traveling for 5 years nonstop) get tired of traveling and just want to do nothing but at the same time don’t want to go home. So we find a place we feel comfortable in and just stay and do nothing, it’s bliss sometimes.
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I do understand somehow that traveling wears you out after a certain time of traveling. Been on the road through Asia myself for more than five months and felt like sometimes you wanna take a break. Of course five years is a total different story. But seeing it from a person who visited this place for the very first time it might seem like a waste of time. Of course if you are very familiar with the place you are at, having some time to yourself might be the best thing out there for you. Thanks for sharing this !
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Yeah, I completly understand how it looks sometimes from the outside in, I mean I was the same when I first started to travel and met the ‘long termers’ ….I couldn’t understand how they could be traveling yet not traveling until I became one of those haha. Don’t get me wrong in most cases I’m just another guy passing through but in the few places I do dwell longer than I should I get asked that question alot so it’s not a problem sharing. I wish you well on your travels and with the blog, I’m a novice to the blogging world 😊😊😊
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I’m the early bird, even if I’ve been out the night Before I’ll be up seizing the day! Although I am always very very quiet as to not disturb those sleepers!!
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I wish more people would travel like you !
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