Universal Hostel Soundtrack

One thing you notice very quickly when travelling is that there seems to be a single mix tape that gets passed around all the hostels. I thought I was imagining things at first but apparently; there really is one! Three of the hostels I've stayed in in Argentina (my current country of residence) have been associated with Hostel Inn. It was whilst I was staying at the second one that I began to notice that breakfast was always accompanied by the same backing music. Showers were the same. Don't get me started on the “party mix” that played after 10pm. Once I reached the third one, I was curious enough to ask the staff. And that's when I was let in on the big conspiracy.

They really are playing the same mixes! They have an easy listening mix, a local mix, a pop mix, and their mix mix for every day use. I knew it!

So here are some tracks to get used to if you're planning on travelling anytime soon. I heard each of these a minimum of nine or ten times in each hostel and I'm still not sick of them! I'm not sure if that says something about the music or me.

Santeria - Sublime

San Francisco - Scott McKenzie (hated it to start with, but it's become a bit of an anthem)

Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz

Your Woman - White Town

In This World - Moby

Home - Edward Sharpe (this one's getting iffy- might not be able to handle another dozen plays)

And as an extra special bonus, here are some of the songs I am sick of:

E.T - Katy Perry

Born this Way - Lady Gaga

Party Anthem - LMFAO

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Cudi (and I really used to like this song)

Stranger Danger

It almost goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway:
You meet the strangest individuals inside backpacker hostels that you'll ever encounter in your life. Seriously. 


Some of the freakiest and scariest events of my life have occurred in hostels, as have some of the funniest and most incredible. It's a balance. All these events create fantastic stories to travel home with, but the highlight of these tales are always the wacky characters everyone believes you must be exaggerating. These people may drive you crazy at the time, but they usually hold the starring role in what will likely be your favourite memories of the trip.

I once encountered a family who were so worried about me travelling alone that they tried to send their eldest son along after me to accompany wherever I was going each day. Annoying? Yes. It was cringeworthy to try and convince them (politely) that I was safe. But going out to dinner with this family and watching them try to hold entire conversations with the waiter in a language they didn't speak was hysterical.

In a hostel, people like this are just part of the deal. I've encountered a guy who came sprinting into the hostel after midnight with angry local thieves giving chase. I met a girl who spent well over an hour trying to convince me it was daylight outside at 1am. One crazy old couple carried their mountain bikes everywhere (including inside) and just yesterday I played Drinking Monopoly (after we gave up on Drinking Risk) with a guy who threw the most impressive loser's tantrum I've ever seen and then managed to fall out of bed whilst attempting to convince us he was sober enough to go clubbing. That's a story I'll be telling for a while. (sorry mate)

These people and their counterparts in hostels all over the globe are a large part of what makes travel fun. They're also what makes travel scary and awkward, but like I said: it's a balance.