I’ve worked as a front desk receptionist at a backpackers hostel in Sydney for the last couple of years. Although the title “receptionist” doesn’t really begin to cover it. Besides managing reception duties, front desk staff are also tourism experts, computer geniuses, electricians, security guards, DJ’s, and bouncers. It’s a fun job because you never know what is going to happen from one day to the next. Some days are super chill and you can just relax and hang out with whoever you’re working with. Other days are really intense and you’re busy doing 20 different things at once. It really depends on the types of people who happen to be staying at the hostel on any given day. I’ve worked at the hostel long enough to have a pretty good idea of the kinds of people who you’re likely to find in a hostel.

15 people you’ll find in a backpackers hostel:

The Tourist – Whether they are by themselves or traveling in a huge group, the tourist is unmistakable. If their Hawaiian shirt and velcro sandals don’t give them away, you’ll be able to spot them once they start talking. The tourist will inevitably spend at least half an hour at the front counter to get a map, ask for directions and recommendations, and get help booking as many tours as they can squeeze in. Tour groups from China are the absolute worst. I’m happy to speak Chinese to anyone with a Taiwanese passport, but as soon as that Chinese passport comes out, I’ll admit, I am hesitant to let on that I speak Chinese. As soon as they know I can speak Chinese, they start to make demands, from free wifi to free towels to free breakfast…none of which is actually free.

People who do it anywhere – There are some people who will have sex anywhere — including in a 6-share dorm room. You know which rooms these people are in because they will have a sheet hanging from the top bunk for “privacy.” They refuse to pay for a private room but that doesn’t stop them from getting some action – even if five other people happen to be in the room with them.

The Local – Usually middle-aged and bogan, these Aussies are on the “must not check-in list.” If you do make the mistake of saying you have a free room before you have a chance to detect the accent and smell the alcohol on their breath, don’t worry, they probably wont have a valid ID, so you’ll be saved from having to check them in. Homeless people looking for a cheap bed for the night are also pretty common. It’s hard to turn them away knowing they will most likely be spending the night in the park, but that’s the job.

The Hot Head – This guy loses his temper at the drop of a hat. Things escalate really fast if he’s had a few drinks. Whether it’s swearing at staff or starting a fist fight with someone who looked at him wrong, the hot head will always be causing trouble. Luckily, they usually get thrown out pretty quick. Not so luckily, it’s your job to get rid of them, often with the assistance of your local police authorities.

The Lightweight – After half a cup of goon, this girl is ready to par-tay! Pity the night staff that have the job of cleaning up after her vomit when she gets back at 3am, and housekeeping that has the job of cleaning the sheets the next day.

The Stoner – You can spot him straight away by his super chill demeanor and the spacey look on his face. Stoners are not very discreet about their stash, which usually gets discovered by staff and removed or by fellow roomates and nicked. Pot heads are pretty harmless for the most part though. Stupid, but harmless.

The Smoker – Pretty much 95% of the backpacker population. I’m sure I’ve lost a few years off my life from all the smoke I’ve inhaled working at a backpackers hostel. The smoker’s favorite spot is sitting on the step right outside the main entrance, filling the lobby with the smell of smoke. New smoking laws in Sydney mean it is illegal to smoke within four meters of the entrance to a public building. Enforcing this is the biggest failure of my life to date. People will literally sit or stand directly in front of the “No Smoking” sign and smoke. I go outside and point out the sign to them and they give me a look of utter indifference, move away for a minute, and then move back as soon as I go back inside.

The Racist – Usually white, the racist backpacker resorts to racial slurs when describing staff and other backpackers, accompanied by offensive stereotyping. Being white, it’s very uncomfortable when the racist backpacker starts ranting to me about others as if I’m on their side.

The Long Termer – Long termers are usually working in order to save up for the rest of their travels around the country, and can stay for a year or even longer. After a few weeks, long termers really start to settle in to their new “home.” Then they get a little too comfortable and start to think the rules don’t apply to them. Food in the rooms, paying late, not keeping track of their check-out date and not extending on time, and generally acting as if they own the place.

The Party Animal – Where my party pa party party ppeople at? Always the life of the party, the party animal just doesn’t quit. There are parties four nights a week at the hostel and you can bet the party animal will be at every single one. Drunk and loud and obnoxious AF.

The Messy Backpacker – It doesn’t matter how many times you lock them out of their room or how many signs you put up telling them to clean up their sh*t, the messy backpacker’s room is always a mess. Clothes strewn all over the floor and suitcase open in the middle of the room. How hard is it to keep all of your things in the locker or under the bed?? Really hard, apparently. You know you have a messy backpacker on your hands when multiple guests you check in to that room come back and ask to move rooms.

The Friendly Backpacker – The friendly backpacker can either be really great or really annoying. Some friendly backpackers are awesome — they make you crepes and brings you snacks when you’re working. Others can be annoying, by spending way too much time at reception, talking to you for hours at a time and not letting you get any work done.

The Old Person – I try not to be ageist, but some old people make it really difficult. The old person will book a 6-share dorm room, and then at check-in insist on having a bottom bunk, which is pretty much impossible to guarantee, and highly unlikely in busy seasons. And then when you tell them it’s not possible, they act like it’s YOUR fault and say something to the effect of, “I’m 68 years old and you expect me to climb up onto a top bunk???” Old people are also not great for the vibe of the hostel. No 18 year old wants to have a 68 year old roommate who goes to bed at 9pm and complains when anyone turns on the light or gets a bit loud.

The Chauvinist – Most guys I come across at the backpackers hostel are kind and respectful to women, but there are always a few chauvinists. The chauvinist will always choose from his extensive vocabulary of sexist names for you instead of simply using your name. I’ve been called baby, love, honey, dear, sweetheart, doll, darling, etc. I usually just cringe at the names and don’t say anything, which is probably interpreted by the chauvinist as a polite smile. There have been a few unpleasant experiences of extreme sexism, like the time a guy asked me to do his laundry and seemed genuinely surprised when I refused. He then proceeded to ask me how much it would cost for me to do it, to which I replied “$100”, to which he replied “geez, you’re expensive” to which all of his mates had a good laugh over, because, sexual innuendo, haha. Another time I was told to “not be a bitch” when I advised a guy that if he took his KFC up to his room instead of down to the kitchen, I would have to tell the manager. And then there’s the time two rowdy guys enquired about accommodation, to which I of course said, “sorry, we are full”, because I am experienced enough to know trouble when I see it. The guys then noticed the free condoms on the counter and started stuffing their pockets with them while one guy said to me, “we need lots cuz we have a lotta sex” as if it wasn’t already obvious what they were trying to indicate by taking all of the condoms. They then proceeded to tell me about how they got kicked out of another hostel because they were being too loud, and asked if we had a problem with people having really loud sex in the rooms. Charming.

The Moron – The moron is just an overall lost cause who does idiotic things at random, for no particular reason. The moron loses his room key upwards of five times per day and then refuses to pay the $2 charge for lost keys. The moron strolls down at 12:30pm to check out when check out time is 11am. When you point out that check out time was an hour and a half ago, he just looks at you blankly and shrugs. No explanation, no apology. There is no point charging him for being late because he won’t pay the fee. The moron presses the lift button on every floor on his way down the seven flights of stairs, and he has to take the lift from level 1 to level 2 instead of walking. One moron decided it was a good idea to press the emergency stop button in the lift while I was in it and when I asked him why he just did that, he said he didn’t know.

Working at a backpackers hostel is great, and you get to meet so many interesting people, but I don’t think I would be able to live the backpacker lifestyle for very long. I’m too old for that.