There are in my opinion three essential items that you should always pack if you are going to be staying in dormitory accommodation. In fact it’s a good idea to pack these anyway as they will definitely come in handy on flights, long train rides and bus trips.
1. Ear plugs
If you’ve never slept with these babies before, get used to them! Ear plugs are your ticket to a good night’s sleep. Invest in the quality plugs, the best ones are squishy and expand out to mould to the shape of your ear and block out noise. I find they are also less likely to fall out during the night than the cheaper non pliable type. Let’s face it, when you’re in a dorm room, there will be noise. Even if you have lovely considerate roomies (few and far between these days), they might be going to bed later than you or getting up earlier and without ear plugs, no matter how much they tiptoe around you will probably still hear them. Aside from that, hostels are often in busy parts of a city and there might be a lot of noise coming from the outside as well that will disturb your slumber. Personally I don’t take chances any more. A good solid night’s rest is worth more to me than a slight bit of discomfort wearing plugs, so regardless of how quiet it seems in the room when I go to bed, I wear the plugs just in case to guarantee my forty winks.
2. An eye mask
Some Hostels might not have curtains, or you may be travelling right up north where the sun doesn’t set until midnight (or not at all!), or more usually you may just have a roomy who has forgotten to pack item number 3 on my list and turns the overhead lights on to rummage through their bag in the middle of the night. An eye mask is going to save you from all manner of light related disturbances; the hall light as people come in and out of the room, the ensuite light when someone goes to the bathroom in the night, the sun when you want to sleep in after coming home from partying till dawn…! I never travel without an eye mask, it takes up no space in my bag and I usually get them free on flights anyway!
3. A torch / flash light
Not all Hostels are blessed with bedside reading lamps, and while your phone might cut it to find your way back to bed in the dark if you come back to the room after everyone else is sleeping, there are times when you need something more. I have a mini reading lamp that clips on to my kindle and weighs next to nothing. Mostly I use it for exactly that, reading. However it has come in handy many times for finding things in my bag at night or creeping my way from bed the bathroom without waking anyone up. Basically a torch is a convenient little item to have but also a considerate one to respect your other room mates need for lights out as they sleep (they may not have packed an eye mask!).
It never hurts to pack a travel bear either…