A naked Russian, a snoring Englishman and some fighting Aussies are a usual group of roommates when it comes to European hostels, and these are just a few of the interesting people I have met.

Since crossing the pond about two months ago, I have had the honor of sleeping with over 50 strangers from Chicago to Sydney, Hong Kong to London, and everything in between.

Hostels around Europe

Like people, hostels come in all shapes and sizes, each with its own character and level of cleanliness. But hostels seem to conjure up certain preconceived notions which I have quickly discovered are not all wrong.

Most people imagine hostels to be similar to dark, smelly military bunkers from the 1950s. Well, hostels have come a long way since the turn of the century, but you can still find a bit of the historic prisoner feel in some hostels. But hey, some people come to Europe to experience history.

Most hostels are large, dorm-style rooms with anywhere from four to 16 sets of bunk beds. Lots of people, no privacy, public bathroom and sometimes not-so-lovely smells are common characteristics of older or cheaper hostels.

This should not be a deterrent.

The bunk beds allow you to channel your childhood interest in fort building in order to build the ultimate contraption to block light, sound, and ensure privacy. It is not a common practice, but I have seen a few people engage is this activity.

Larger rooms are also a great place to make new friends, and enemies, from all over the world.

Nowadays, many nicer, newer dormitory-style hostels that offer single, double and triple rooms are available.

A cultural experience

Staying in hostels has been more about the cultural experience of hanging out with people from all over the world than just gaining the basic necessities of a bed and shower each night.

I have had countless nights playing games with new friends, enjoying dinner with fellow travelers and even a night at the opera with a very attractive gentlemen roommate.

With every new hostel I have enjoyed sleeping with new and exciting strangers. Each place and person I encounter has provided a different experience. They have all left me with fond memories of my European adventure.

Sleepless night

One of the most interesting nights, or I guess mornings, I have experienced was at the Hostel Ruthensteiner in Vienna, Austria.

It all started around 3 a.m. when I was awoken by the violent shaking of my bunk bed. One of my roommates was flailing to get on to the top half of the bunk after a long night of partying.

He tried once, twice, three times to run and jump onto the bed with no success. All I saw was a large body coming toward me followed by his body smacking into the bed with hardly any lift off the ground.

Naturally, I feared for my life, or at least my precious sleeping time.

After his first couple of failed attempts to jump to the top of the bunk, he decides it would be a good idea to stand on a stool and pull himself onto the bed. After a long night of partying, balancing on a small, circular area may not be the best plan. But he was going to try.

He made it after a couple of attempts and I was happy to finally get back to sleep. Nope.

Within an hour the entire room was awake because the same gentlemen was serenading everyone with his snoring. This would not do.

It then became a team effort from the members of the room to stop this guy from his continued disturbance of our sleep. People were yelling, cursing, hitting, and, when all else failed, attempted to push him off his bed.

Although the tries were admirable and an odd bonding experience, we had to suffer through the rest of the morning and buy earplugs the next day.