9 Tips For Being A Dream Roomie: A Survival Guide
Want to know the one thing about our adventures that keeps me up at night?
It’s figuring out which guests I should pair together to room share.
Seriously! It’s not as easy as you’d think.
It’s not like I just draw names out of a hat. A lot of thought goes into making those decisions based on our guests’ personal preferences because at the end of the day, group dynamic is everything.
Of course, there are a few things you can do to help too, to make sure that your room-sharing experience is a dream come true. So regardless of whether it’s your first time tiptoeing to a twin bed or you’re a laid-back seasoned pro – here’s my 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 socializing 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?
Room 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 me, your Booking Manager…
Before you book onto one of our trips, I’ll ask you about your personal habits and preferences during a call. It’s super important that you’re open with me so don’t be shy, because sharing these details will help me 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 purr?
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 and sharing them with me openly and honestly will help me 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’ll co-habit your shared space. Unzip all of those things you chatted about with me when you booked and the pair of you will find harmony in your early morning and night time routines.
The 9 Cardinal Rules of Room-Sharing
Be gracious. They say ‘Manners maketh the man’…? Well, that goes for all hu-mans! Be mindful of the space you share by:
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 beds
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 shared 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 ready-to-room-share 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 I’ve simply had no other option.
Arriving 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’re 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 lamp, portable reading light or your phone light equates to not burning your roomies’ eyeballs out with the overhead lighting, so be sure to 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 recognize 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 and they’ll likely return the favor.
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 Roomie’ 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 moisturizer, confessing to me that the smugness they felt whilst listening to their roomie complain about their lackluster locks over the ensuing weeks of travel together far outweighed the guilt of their next-level act of passive-aggressive retribution.
8. Leave the rummaging to the wildlife
Is there anything that cuts the pre-dawn silence quite 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’ve been matching roomies for years with our other adventure travel brands and we’re no stranger to having guests 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 these tips to become a top-notch roomie yourself and rest assured that I too will rest, assured in the night that I got your rooming arrangements right!
Do you have an awesome tip for sharing a room when you’re traveling?
Give me a call on 971-258-0516 or click the Contact Us button above and send me an email.
I can’t wait to hear it!
Janie