Breaking the Ice - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**TheWills** · 09-12-2004, 03:08 AM

Hey all
So im about too head out solo for the first time here, im just wondering how do you all break the ice in a hostel, do you just go up too someone and say hello Im blank from blank and start talking or what do you guys do ? Im pretty social but this is in a new country with diffrent people,

Also after a hard night of boozing how do you get up in the am. Any tips for this cause It hink it would be rather emabrassing to wake up and realize im the only one left sleeping and its 2 30 pm and no one is around hehe how do you deal with that ??/
Thanks again all
Will

**skidrage** · 09-12-2004, 08:28 AM

I'm sure everyone has their own ways for breaking the ice in hostels. Usually, I try to start up a conversation with people in my room. Your going to see them more than anyone else in your hostel so why not get to know them a little. The other way is going to the common area of the hostel and just start striking up conversations. Or you could listen to other conversations and but in when you hear something that interests you. I have yet to be at a hostel where people turn the away when you start to talk to them because a lot of travellers are also solo and in the same boat as you.

As for making sure you don't want to sleep that late, you will need to motivated to get up. If you are in a city with a lot to do, then this should not be a problem. While I did my share of partying during my trip, you realize that doing it every single night can be quite counterproductive. I look at it like this; you can party back home, but you can't see the famous sights and experience the culture of another country in your home town.

And if all else fails for breaking the ice, buy some people a round of beer. That will always work.

**AdamTheCultured** · 09-12-2004, 08:52 AM

Yea...everyone at hostels seem to be very friendly....chilling in the common area is a good idea.....and dont be afraid to go ahead and say "Hello, How's it Going, WHere you from" to the random person next to you.....It really is so easy.....you can have hours of conversation just talking about where someone is from, where someone has been, and where someone plans on going.....

The buying a round of beer thing works well....but what I did was that I bought a bottle of alcohol, a bit of coke, and I had one of those collapsable cups, so i just started making shooters for random people....getting drunk with someone is probably the quickest and easiest way to bond with someone.......

**simply_angelic** · 09-12-2004, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AdamTheCultured@Sep 12 2004, 11:52 AM
....getting drunk with someone is probably the quickest and easiest way to bond with someone.......

true that, my man....true that

**omisan** · 09-13-2004, 10:24 AM

Streak through the common room naked with "Where ya from?" painted on your ass in red lipstick. Sure, a lot of people will stay the hell away from you. But the really COOL people will want to hang out.

**joanofarc** · 09-14-2004, 08:59 AM

^ that's damn funny, my friend!

haha!

on a side note... i thought the old "where you from" was way cliche - i guess what else would one say? ah, i'm super anti-social anyway, i'd prefer nobody aproach me at all. like the coolest girls i met, these icelandic chicks, i met through a fight we had over whose turn it was to use the internet, haha - they tried to usurp on my turn, i tried to check their asses, they gave me some attitude back - the next thing you know we're hanging out for a few hours chatting about immigration, bjork, and u.s. military settlements in iceland - nice~

**TheWills** · 09-14-2004, 09:25 AM

hahaha joan you rock
kick some ass and then buy them beers