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Hostel life. Choosing the Top or Bottom Bunk?!

You sort out your dorm, wander into the room and there’s one bunk left that is completely free. Moment of truth – do you choose the top or bottom bunk, reviewing beds is a tough call! This is a common dilemma for us backpackers and one that seems to divide the camp. I’m going to run through the pros and cons to see if we can come up with the answer to which is better once and for all

Choosing the top bunk…

PROS:

1) The view. From the top bunk, you can see what’s going on in the whole room without having to move from the comfort of your bed.

2)  Isolation. When you sleep you feel less like you’re in a room with 11 other people and you can fool yourself into a good nights sleep. Either way, in a dorm you often don’t get to sleep so much!

3) King of the castle. Everybody knows (well, guys do at least) the coolest kids always get the top bunk. So you’re in your mid-twenties now – it stills counts!

CONS:

1) Distance. Everything is further away. You left your phone in your bag? It’s an effort to jump off the bed. Want to get your book? Another clamber up and down from the bunk. That gets old fast.

2) Electricity. Every experienced traveler knows where the plug sockets are normally found in the dorm, and usually it’s by the bottom bunk. Top bunk = no plugs.

3) Gravity. Through both the sheer physical pain and the all encompassing embarrassment, falling from a top-bunk (as an adult no less) offers no escape. You’ll forever be remembered as the idiot who couldn’t stay in their bed. And rightly so.

Choosing the bottom bunk…

PROS:

1) In and out. Calm down and clean your mind, it’s not what you think. I mean it’s easy to jump in and out of bed without causing too much of a scene, so late night toilet trips and early morning returns from partying are much less of a hassle.

2) Discretion. With a couple of well placed towels and a corner position, you can almost feel as if you’re totally alone. Don’t get carried away with your new friend though, towels might hide the view but they don’t hide the sound.

3) Luggage proximity. Your close to your valuables so the likelihood of some pikey nicking your gear is much less

CONS:

1) Should someone choose to get busy above you, you’ll know every individual move they pull out of the bag. Try looking them straight in the face over breakfast with that knowledge locked in your brain.

2) Favours. Your mate is on the top bunk, you’re on the bottom – “Sorry mate, you couldn’t grab my laptop could ya?”. Get ready for endless requests like this if you choose the bottom.

3) Anti-social. You can often find yourself cut off from the social side of the dorm, especially if the bed’s location is bad. Peace and quiet is all and good but no-one likes to be Billy no-mates now do they.

Weigh it up guys – top or bottom, the choice is yours. Dorms are cheap, social and all part of the traveling vibe so either choice is still a good choice. Happy travels =)