We’re all about travel realness here at Rumours, so in this post we go deep (no pun intended) into casual hook ups while travelling.
We’ve all been there… cute guy/girl on the beach, golden-hour glow, salty wavey hair… they look at you, you lock eyes, theres a smile, an embarrassed glance away and then eye contact again… Uh wow… they’ve wandered over, wait is that ‘Des Pacito’ playing in the distance or is it in your head… Has everything just gone into slow-mo… Oh wait are you naked?! No, no, phew you still have a swimsuit on…
Right ok where were we? Oh yes – bronzed gorgeous human in front of you, they introduce themselves, make an awkward joke, oh yes win – they’re funny as well as cute. You’re chatting about where you’ve both travelled – share the story of awful hostel in wherever, that night of too much tequila whenever, the best surf spots near somewhere… they offer you a coconut cocktail… you laugh and drink and chat… and laugh and drink and chat some more…
Six hours later you’ve had an incredible, ad-hoc, unique first date, unlike any Tinder nightmare back in the homelands. Whether it’s on the night you meet, three dates later, or four months in, if you feel comfortable and wanna get that big dose of vitamin D, we feel you girl.
With bargain beds, sociable common areas and loads of other benefits, hostelling is a great way to travel on the cheap, you can’t beat it. That is, except, when it comes to hooking up. Then you absolutely, 100%, definitely, can beat it. Suddenly that £5 bunk in a 14 bed mixed dorm doesn’t seem quite so appealing… What is a girl to do. But there are some options for securing a spot for you + your vacay bae to get a “lil bump n grind”…
Ask about a last minute private room
A lot of hostels do in fact have private rooms for one or two people, and more often than not these are left available, being a higher price than the bunks. Always worth an ask, even last minute, though this can be like buying condoms for the first time all over again – it shouldn’t be embarrassing but it still kinda is. Having to ask your hostel manager if they have a private room available and being met with initial confusion, until you spell it out. *Them – “But you already booked in for a bunk for tonight, is something wrong with it?” Cue awkward admittance that no, nothing is wrong with the bunk, you just wanna get some sweet loving from this surfer dude, Dale was it, no sorry Danny, who you met earlier that day. “Ahhh I see!” A smug, knowing look from the manager, which you know you’ll see again in the morning over breakfast, be prepared for the oh so original – “Big night was it?” Urghhh. But hey, worth it. …Hopefully.
Rent a new spot for one night only
If your hostel is a no-go, there will more than likely be bungalows, hotels or even Airbnb’s (depending on your budget!) available near by. You can check these out super quick using apps like booking.com or Agoda.com; a few taps, swipes, clicks and you’re done – with the booking part I mean…! This is also a super fun excuse to treat yourself to some ‘luxury’ for one night! Especially if you’re on a longer trip, it can be amazing to have a break from communal hostel life and take the odd night in a fancy hotel or swish villa, this is the perfect way to do it, with the bonus of splitting the cost!
Do it at the beach (please no.)
Under no circumstances, should you ever have sex on a beach. This is our official stance. And not for moral reasons, this is purely based on health and safety and avoidance of all infections. Waaaay too many areas for sand to get into, where it does not belong. This is possibly the most awkward, uncomfortable, underwhelming way to get laid ever, coming second only to shower-sex (I know, it should be amazing, but logistically it just never, ever, ever is.) So please don’t use the whole beach as a Kayne style giant bed, the UTI is just not worth it. However if you simply must bone beach-style, we beg of you, please do a few things to at least slightly alleviate the gross-ness. 1. Check for trash, animal poop, passed out drunk people, other lovers doing the open-air dirty and 2. Really really try to remain standing up. That’s all we can say about that one. (Don’t do it.)
Be an asshole and do it in the shared room anyway... (again pls no.)
This is where we are going to shame you slightly, not for getting the D, but for being an inconsiderate asshole. If you are sharing a dorm with 6, 10 or 12 other people, trust us, not one of them wants to hear you having sex, or worse still – be on the top bunk of a rattling bed with two people humping below them. This is beyond depressingly awkward for all involved. The other thing to consider is that unbeknownst to you, there could in fact be that one person/perv who does wanna covertly witness your pash-sesh.
Do you really want to embrace this holiday hookup in such an open environment that it could easily be shared across the internet?! Before jumping their bones, please take a moment, check yourself and ask ‘would I be doing this back home in Barnsbury in-front of 11 people I don’t know?’ So to summarise, think about others but also yourself, before getting carried away with a hot surfer dude who wants to bang you in the bunk. Sharing a shower with 10 people is bad enough, do you really want to share this too?
Safety first, folks.
The YOLO attitude is great when it comes to picking accommodation, booking flights and trying new things, but when it comes to sex – just nope, nada, no-no, nien etc. We don’t need to tell you just how fucking important it is to be safe, healthy and aware when it comes to holiday romances or hostel hookups.
You are adults, and we’re not your mum. But this isn’t just about checking for soil-free sheets, using condoms and not excessively disturbing fellow hostellers. It’s important to add another level of savvy-thinking to your social life when travelling, there’s an extra layer of consideration needed, on top of all the usual things we do when dating back home.
