Hostel People – The people at your hostel

Hostel Demographics: The Types of People at your Hostel Right Now

1. The socialite – You have to start it off with the person that instigates all the conversations.  This is the person who tends to be the most outgoing and meets everyone in the hostel and knows them by name.  They usually know the scene well and know the schedules. 
2. The soul searcher – The lost soul-searching for destiny.  This person is looking for purpose and meaning in life and will travel to some of the most remote and desolate places to find it.  
3. The photographer – There is one in every hostel.  The person that knows everything about cameras and photographer.  They are the person that can be caught taking pictures of the things you never thought about photographing.  You typically get emails from them months later with some great pictures for memories.  
4. The vagabond – The person struck with an eternal wanderlust.  This hosteler usually has little ties to home or any resemblance of organized life.  They were made to live on the road and explore all corners of the Earth.  
5. The whiner – This person finds something wrong with EVERYTHING. Rather than just enjoying things for what they are, they have to complain and argue that nothing is up to their standards.  
6. The quiet one – This is the person who never really talks.  They are usually behind the scenes and very contemplative.  If you engage them, you will be surprised to find that their life story may be of interest to you.  They aren’t necessarily anti-social, but more introverted than anything.
   
7. The story-teller – The story-teller role is generally left up to a person that everyone respects.  They have lived colorful lives and have the bruises and scars to tell the tales.  They can be inspiring, insightful, philosophical, and additionally educative.  
8. The musician – Everyone knows the musician.  The musician is that person who was sitting next to you on the bus with an over-sized guitar case who happened to be staying at the same place as you.  They have carried their instrument across the world, and can be found frequenting the street corners and playing gigs for meals.  
9. The writer – The writer has a few forms.  This can be the blogger or play more of a journalist role.  They can often be seen observing, but rarely take a major place in conversation.  In the afternoons and early mornings you can find them relaxing with a cup of tea in some remote corner with their notepad and pen in hand.  
10. The partyer – This person lives for the party life.  They want to know the best clubs and bars worth hitting, and always seem to have a drink in their hand.  Converse with them when you are ready to hit the streets.  They are sure to know where the happening places are.  
11. The student – The student is spending some time between semesters experiencing life on the other side.  They are well educated and like to drop fancy jargon terms that they learned in their anthropology class last semester.  You can bet that they will not be staying around too long as they are on a tight schedule.  
12. The vegetarian – This person spends the majority of their time in the kitchen convincing people that they need to stop eating certain foods.  They stand for a new and sustainable system of consumption.
13. The anti-socialite – The anti-socialite is exactly who you are thinking of right now.  No matter who in the hostel tries to engage them in conversation, they just don’t seem interested. They have their own agenda and don’t really want anyone getting in the way of their plans.  When you ask them a question don’t be surprised when it feels like you are pulling teeth.
    
14. The historian – You cannot go too far without having a history buff on hand.  This is the in-house tour guide who seems to know everything about everything.  When you visit the city walking tour together you can bet that they will be answering all the questions that the guide asks.  
15. The idealist – The dreamer has to exist within the group dynamic.  This person travels the world, and wishes that everyone would just see things the way that they do.  Then, the world would be a better place.  
16. The skyper – The skyper makes you wonder, what some people are doing traveling in the first place.  They sit in the lobby and spend hours daily on Skype talking to friends and family from home.  They don’t ever seem to get out.
17. The moocher – Hey, can I borrow that?  This person is the one who seems like they are not prepared and don’t have anything. They don’t necessarily operate with malicious intentions, but seem to have a need for everything.  From electronics to food, they roam the hostel’s halls looking to collect from others willing to help out their cause.  Don’t forget to get your adapter back from them.
    
18. The family guy – The family guy or gal is that person who talks constantly about their family and how great it is.  They love everything about their homeland and may even be a little homesick.
    
19. The most interesting person that you’ve ever met.  This person just seems to have you baffled at every conversation.  They intrigue you and inspire you and create a mold for the person that you want to be when you grow up.  You wonder how anyone could live such an interesting life without breaking a sweat.  

Hostels really bring together a strange and peculiar mixture of people.  At any given moment a hostel can have people from all four corners of the world.  Eating dinner can be like solving the international development issues at the G-20 Summit.  I think any person that has traveled long-term will admit that these personalities can show up in a hostel.  In many cases, we have ourselves probably fallen into at least 1-2 of these types over time.

 

Tell me what you think!

Are you guilty of any of these? Do any of these people types seem true to you?  Did I forget one that describes you better?

 

If you enjoy reading my articles, then be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on Social Media for future updates!

Get future updates delivered right to your inbox!

Until next time!