overnight school field trips in a hotel--sharing beds?

[Anonymous]

We traveled for sports and band and stuff all the time at my international school in Europe back in the 80s and that school was only 60 percent Americans. No one had a problem with it. Occasionally some kid would chose to sleep on the floor, and some kids would roll a blanket up or put a pillow in the middle to create a little boundary or sleep head to toe or whatever but most of us would just shrug and accept that we suspend normal rules when we travel and go with the flow.

[Anonymous]

For the Europeans, if twin beds were as rare in European hotels as they are here, would that change anything? Or would European parents simply pay twice as much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of kids' being expected to share beds, but it seems kind of weird to me. It seems as if it would be awkward among the kids, and, as a practical matter, would not result in a good night's sleep. Don't most teens like to sleep in their underwear or naked? That would make it even more awkward, I think.

I would argue that a 2-bed room with a rolling bed for a third would be a better option for everyone.

Did you not travel for activities in junior high and high school? This is all part of the fun. Also, no one slept nude or in their underwear on those trips. Weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We traveled for sports and band and stuff all the time at my international school in Europe back in the 80s and that school was only 60 percent Americans. No one had a problem with it. Occasionally some kid would chose to sleep on the floor, and some kids would roll a blanket up or put a pillow in the middle to create a little boundary or sleep head to toe or whatever but most of us would just shrug and accept that we suspend normal rules when we travel and go with the flow.

Right? We did it all the time. It’s part of the fun -four girls staying up watching The Shining and scaring ourselves to death lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the Europeans, if twin beds were as rare in European hotels as they are here, would that change anything? Or would European parents simply pay twice as much?

Also curious, how do European families sleep in hotels if there are only furnished with twin beds? Book multiple hotel rooms for a family of 4? Rent an apartment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes 2 per bed/ 4 per room is normal. I've heard of a few kids brining their sleeping bag and sleeping on the floor because they didn't want to share a bed. So I guess that's always an option but I would be kind of grossed out about sleeping on a hotel room floor.

We always shared beds but slept in our sleeping bags on top of the bed

[Anonymous]

Non-American, and yes, this would weird me out.

But I also find it so surprising that American adults in university are expected to share a room. With a stranger, no less.

[Anonymous]

Yes, something just seems off about that concept. Share a room together I think is not a problem but expecting kids to share the actual bed for some people is uncomfortable and kind of a big ask of kids particularly middle or high schoolers. I know people are saying girls are more okay with it, but I think that’s not true for many girls. I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with it, but I think it definitely can feel like an invasion of personal space during the vulnerable time of sleep. I am a woman and I did this in 8th grade with girls I knew in an activity, but wasn’t really good friends with and I was nervous and felt weird about that. I did it, but it certainly felt too personal. My husband agrees and said he did that in high school to but there was a lot of floor sleeping and chair sleeping.

[Anonymous]

It is pretty typical. I remember being in high school 30 years ago and we were 4 to a room, 2 per bed, back then, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Non-American, and yes, this would weird me out.

But I also find it so surprising that American adults in university are expected to share a room. With a stranger, no less.

I am an American and it weirds me out as well. That's why I rented a studio apartment when I was in college. It was cheaper too. There was no way I would roommate with a stranger.
I will pay extra for my children to stay in a single room or suite dorm room when they enter college. Or I will get a studio for them.

As far as school trips goes. Other parents and myself purposedly donate extra money so that only two to a room is standard. The only time it's four to a room is if we choose a place like Homewood Suites or Residence Inns that come with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

[Anonymous]

I am American and think this is really strange. I didn’t have to share a bed when I went in trips in high school but I just learned that my 10th grader will be expected to share a bed for an upcoming nationals trip. Seems even stranger when we have this cohort of Republican culture warriors focused on children’s bodies. They’re okay with this setup?

[Anonymous]

I did it a few times as a teen/college student and I hated sharing a bed. Sharing a room was fine though. I am a female. I suspect more felt like me but didn't want to be made fun of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is pretty typical. I remember being in high school 30 years ago and we were 4 to a room, 2 per bed, back then, too.

Same here, from middle school through college. I didn’t think anything of it back then, but I was usually with other girls that I knew well.

[Anonymous]

The number of “out” LGBT students now changes the calculation somewhat from when many of us were kids. Not a judgement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of kids' being expected to share beds, but it seems kind of weird to me. It seems as if it would be awkward among the kids, and, as a practical matter, would not result in a good night's sleep. Don't most teens like to sleep in their underwear or naked? That would make it even more awkward, I think.

I would argue that a 2-bed room with a rolling bed for a third would be a better option for everyone.

For larger groups, there is no way the hotel would have that many roll away beds. Our marching band had 300 kids, plus chaperones. You think that any normal hotel has 100 rolling beds just laying around?

No one sleeps naked on a school trip. Bring loungewear or PJs. It's not rocket science.

It isn't that hard. If you don't know the person well, just stuff an extra pillow between you on the bed to create separation.