Back in Geneva, but this time staying at a hostel instead of in a hotel.
As I am sure most of you are aware of, there are four basic types of hostel:
– the YM/YWCA type hostel
– the Salvation Army type hostel
– the IYHA type hostel
– the independent/backpackers hostel
The differences between the four are related to your income (How much you are able to pay) and your ability to tolerate regulations (How many rules the hostel demands the guests follow).
If you decide to sleep in dorm conditions with other guests, this type of accommodation can really be economical.
If you really need a private room, then the price of a hotel room is not that much more expensive.
I have spent time in all four types over the years and generally they share some advantages and disadvantages…
The advantages:
– They are usually less expensive than a B and B or hotel.
– They can be great sources of information to finding work or travel tips.
– They are an opportunity to meet others in similar circumstances.
The disadvantages?
Well, before I list them, let me say that a hostel is a great way to test your compatability for sleeping with another person.
The key word is “sleeping”, not hanky panky / whoopie / the horizontal momba.
If you share a bedroom with another person, especially the same bed with another, problems may arise to make you consider always sleeping alone:
– Loss of circulation:
No matter if your bedmate weighs less than you do, a body lying across one of your body parts will eventually cut off the circulation of the person’s body below.
– Battle for warmth:
One of you will always be colder than the other, which means either theft of blankets will result or one of you will wake up sweaty because the cold one has increased the heat in the room.
– Battle for space: In the same bed, one of you will sprawl and conquer most of the bed space.
In the same dorm, one of you will take over most of the floor space or storage space for his / her things.
– Noise levels:
One of you may be awake before/after the other.
Snorers risk death the louder their snoring is.
In a dorm there is always someone who has packed each and every thing they own in many individual plastic bags that are amazingly annoying and noisy.
– Sharp contact
In a shared bed one encounters elbows and knees as well as fingernails and toenails.
– Different standards of cleanliness
One of you will be messier / dirtier than the other.
In a shared bathroom, bedroom and kitchen situation this can be a cause of great conflict and discomfort.
So, before you consider “tying the knot” or before a loved one considers “the big M word”, find out whether sleeping together is possible.
Living together does not automatically require sleeping together.
Before making a decision, sleep on it.