by Jamie McCormick

Created on: February 14, 2010

Ending up without something you really need in a hostel abroad is a quick and sure way to ruin an otherwise fantastic trip. So before you set off with your backpack and your sense of adventure, make sure your bag is fully stocked for the ride. Here are a few tips for what to bring and what information to get about your hostel before you leave.

1) Always pack a towel (think Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – it won't lead you astray). Unlike hotels, few hostels include towels in their services, so you will want to bring one with you. You don't need a gigantic beach towel that will take up room in your bag, but a washcloth won't cut it either. Take one medium sized towel of good quality, then leave it on your bedpost to dry overnight. You can also use it as a sheet of sorts (until you can find a different hostel) if you find your hostel has linens of dubious quality or cleanliness.

2) Take some sort of music player or earphones/ear plugs. Most hostels have dormitory-type sleep rooms, with several bunk beds in one room, so you will have many roommates. Not only can snoring be an issue, sometimes your roommates will want to stay up talking when you want to get up at 5am to see sunrise. You may also encounter “other nighttime activities (wink wink). Earphones let you sleep without restricting other travelers' activities or schedules, and without making you look like the bad guy by asking them to keep it down.

3) Take a book with you to trade. Many hostels have shelves specifically devoted to a book exchange, so backpackers need not carry around an entire library in order to have enough reading materials. Just pick one that you don't mind leaving behind for another weary traveler to enjoy, and trade at each stop. Keep yourself entertained without being weighed down.

4) Wear or bring along flip flops or shower shoes. You will not want to stand barefooted on the floor of the showers in any hostel. DON'T forget these.

5) Toiletries are often best purchased in the town where you are staying, but you may want to keep a toothbrush, hair brush, contact solution if you need it, fingernail clippers, a loofah or washcloth, a razor, and similar items with you. You don't want to lug around big bottles of shampoo and soap, so get travel-sized items each place you go, and use them until you run out. But the listed items can be harder to find, so you best pack them before you leave.

6) Pack a flashlight, clock, pocket calendar, and a list of important and emergency

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