Survival guide for how to be a top-notch roomie…
If you’re already familiar with our blog post ‘What it’s like to work at Patch Adventures’, you may recall the cold sweat trepidation Booking Managers experience lying awake at night on Day One of an adventure wondering if we got the rooming arrangements right…
And, of course there are a few things you can do to help make sure that your twin-sharing experience is a joyous one for everyone. So regardless of whether it’s your first time tiptoeing into twin-sharing or you’re a laid-back seasoned pro – here’s your Survival Guide for how to be a top notch roomie…
Before you book…
Have a heart-to-heart with yourself right at the start. How do you think you’d go sharing with a complete stranger for an extended time? Are you happy to toddle off to bed after a busy day socialising with a group and still have reserves of conversation with an audience of one, or are you ready to peace-out in your own company? Twin-sharing can be the fire that forges new friendships for life, but it also means compromising – not just on space but silence too! If you’re someone that places a high value on these personal commodities then perhaps, you’ll find happiness in a private room.
Be honest with your Booking Manager. Tell them about your personal habits and preferences on the phone when you’re booking your spot so they’re well informed and can make the most appropriate match for you. For example – do you snore? If so, is it a window-pane rattling roar or just a gentle snuffle? Do you travel with a CPAP machine? Does nature call many times in the middle of the night? Is talking in your sleep hazardous for you in that you’re likely to reveal the passwords to your bank accounts as you slumber? Do you smoke or vape? Are you a night owl or an early bird? We all have our little idiosyncrasies so sharing them with your BM helps us to figure out who you’re likely to get along with best!
On your adventure…
Nothing beats the butterflies of nervous excitement as Day One of your adventure begins! Most likely you’ve already said ‘Hi’ to your roomie online in your Whatsapp chat and tonight you’ll be sharing a hotel room with them for the very first time. Take a moment as you’re both unpacking to get the lay of the land for how you and your roomie will co-habit your space. Unzip all of those things you chatted about with your BM when you booked so each of you can find harmony in your early morning and night time routines.
The 9 Cardinal Rules of Twin-Sharing
1. Keeping your belongings tidy – your adventure will most likely have a bunch of one-night stays and early starts so keep your shizzle contained to your luggage/side of the room to prevent your abode from fast becoming a jumble sale and raising the ire of your roomie.
2. Taking it in turns to choose. Not all hotel rooms are created equal and hotel room standards can vary greatly across destinations (especially when you’re venturing off the well-beaten tourist trail!). In a perfect world, each bed in a twin-share room would have a beautiful view from the pillow AND be located closest to the bathroom. But it simply isn’t so. If you’re not fussed by either…perfect!
3. Pack some twin-sharing tools. Whilst you might have specified when you booked your adventure that you’d prefer not to share with a snorer, an early riser or a night owl, sometimes group dynamics means your BM simply had no other option but to
room you together. Being equipped with some earplugs and an eye mask goes a long way to helping you achieve a restful night sleep so you will hear no evil and see no evil! Oh, and if you are a night owl, an early riser or need multiple bathroom breaks in the middle of the night – hands off the light switch please! A head torch or a portable reading light translates to not burning your roomies eyeballs out with the overhead lighting so pop these on your packing list too please.
4. Learn to read the room – you’ll soon get to know each other well enough to recognise when your roomie might appreciate a little time on their own. Group adventure travel can take its toll on personal space, so if you think your roomie could benefit from some quiet solitude for a spell, then offer to head out for a bit so they can do just that.
5. If you borrow it, give it back. It can be awkward having to ask for your stuff back so when you’ve finished using that hairdryer or phone charger, hand it over so your roomie doesn’t have to hunt for it. And that goes for money too! If for whatever reason you have to borrow from the ‘Bank of Room Mate’ to get you out of a pickle, pay it back at the first available opportunity.
6. Leave the bathroom as you’d like to find it! Sharing a twin room doesn’t mean having to put up with someone else’s crap (literally and metaphorically speaking!) so consider wiping those watermarks off the sink and giving that toilet bowl a swish with the brush. Hygiene, people, hygiene!
7. Don’t sneak your roomies shower products or toiletries. Hands off! I once knew someone who took great objection to their roomie smuggling their expensive shampoo and conditioner. They exacted their revenge by decanting the good stuff and replaced it with a concoction of shower gel and moisturiser, confessing to me that the smugness they felt whilst listening to their roomie complain about their lacklustre locks over the ensuing weeks of travel together far outweighed the guilt of their next-level act of passive-aggressive pettiness.
8. Leave the rummaging to the wildlife. Is there anything that cuts the pre-dawn silence like the rustling of a plastic bag? Nobody wants to be drawn from their dream-like state whilst their roommate rifles through their belongings in the wee hours.
9. Loose lips sink ships!’ You and your roomie will get to know each other very well as your adventure unfolds – you’ll share everything from city strolls to toilet rolls! Whatever private details your roomie reveals to you about their life from across the carpeted gap between your twin beds in the inky dark of night, please keep them that way. Private. And trust that they will for you too.
We’re no stranger to having roomies that we’ve matched up on one epic adventure hit the tarmac on their return home and immediately start planning their next epic trip together with us, so follow this survival guide for how to be a top-notch roomie and rest assured your Booking Manager can rest, assured in the night they got their rooming arrangements right!