Showers

You will occasionally see some hostels or other places advertising “24-hour hot showers”. They advertise them for a good reason: Some places only permit the use of showers, or provide hot water, at certain times. The reason for this is cost, since it is expensive to keep a tank of hot water heated during the day, when nobody is likely to use it. So, sensibly, the heat is turned on in the morning and evening, and off during the day and night.

Sometimes you are the person who turns on the heat. If you have a shower with an individual hot-water heater in your room, look for a switch, hit it, and then wait for about twenty minutes. Some places, but not many, may charge per shower. On the same subject, late risers in many hostels and small hotels can expect freezing showers that make glacial snowmelt feel warm and toasty. It usually pays to be the first one to the bathroom in the morning.