The people you find in hostels

I wrote this during a bus ride and I have no pictures to go with this so this might be more boring then usual.

I wanted to talk about some of the kinds of people you meet in every hostel. By my count, we have stayed in 7 hostels and 1 apartment. We have a lot more to go but there already seems to be a trend amongst those who stay in hostels. 

So without further adu, here is my list of hostel dwellers:

1. The Sessioned Backpacker:

This traveler has been on the road for over 6 months to many years. They like to casually drop names of places they've been (of course, to recommend) and always have a piece of advice to give. Many are older (late 20s-early 30s). Tend to wear clothing that they bought along the way (lots of 'I Survived...' shirts). Dreads are also a popular hairstyle. 

Approach with caution; you may get caught listening to a story or 2 of that time on a camel in that desert with that amazing sunset. 

2. The Casual Backpacker:

I include myself in this. Backpacking for 6 months or less. Has a general idea of their itinerary. Tends to befriend other travelers like themselves for day trips and meals. Doesn't feel comfortable giving travel advice but knows enough that they could. Tend to be younger 20s, more likely to be traveling in pairs and looks cleaner than their sessioned counterparts. 

Proceed with caution: they might think they know what they're doing but they're just making it up as they go. 

3.  The Holiday Trippers

The drinkers of the hostel. You can find them by the bar at all times of day. Have a quick but nice itinerary that includes more partying than most. Tend to dress better and don't repeat outfits. Not as worried about money. Want to go out for dinner every night. 

4. The Naive 

Don't speak the language, don't have a plan, didn't do any research, and go out every night even though they're on a budget trip. I could go on and on. These travelers tend to switch to holiday trippers or casual backpackers as they go. Usually takes 2-3 weeks to work themselves out. 

5. The After-Army Israelis

They're everywhere. They're loud. They're Israelis. In Argentina you could hear more Hebrew at times than Spanish. Usually in their early 20s, really fun to hang out with, and wear Tevas (the shoe brand). Some carry the game jungle speed (best game ever). 

6. Brazilians

There are many reasons to find Brazilians in the hostel. Although there are a lot of young Brazilians that are traveling the country, many find hostels to be a great inexpensive housing alternative while they're in college or working. We even met someone who had been living in the hostel for a month looking for a job. Also, prostitutes (I guess that counts as working?). 

That's all I can think of right now. Of course, there are always those that don't fit neatly into these groups (but usually they do). Meeting people in hostels is always fun and interesting. You always learn about a new culture and sometimes learn a different language (a few words here and there). The accents also don't hurt. To give you an idea, here is a glimpse of nationalities of people that I've met:

Australian, British, German, Israeli, Indian, Chilean, Dutch, French, Canadian, etc. 

The end.