The impersonal pronoun
When talking about general experiences—like life as a backpacker (el mochilero)—that apply to people in general but also include yourself, use the impersonal pronoun uno (one). It is similar to using the generic "you" or "one" in English.
Verbs following uno are always conjugated in the third-person singular (the same form used for él or ella).
| The good thing about this hostel is that one meets a lot of backpackers. | Lo bueno de este albergue es que uno conoce a muchos mochileros. |
If the speaker identifies as female, she will use the feminine form, una.
| As a backpacker, one always looks for a cheap hostel. | Como mochilera, una siempre busca un albergue barato. |
Surviving the hostel
Staying in a hostel (el albergue) means making some adjustments. For example, you will likely want a bunk bed (la litera) close to a socket (el enchufe).
| One needs a socket near the bunk bed. | Uno necesita un enchufe cerca de la litera. |
You also need to keep your things safe with a padlock (el candado).
| One must use a padlock on the locker. | Una debe usar un candado en la taquilla. |
Sharing spaces
Hostels are famous for their communal (comunitario) and mixed (mixto) spaces. Because privacy (la intimidad) is often hard to find, one simply has to adapt (adaptarse) and put up with (aguantar) other people's habits.
| One has to adapt to living without privacy there. | Uno tiene que adaptarse a vivir sin intimidad allí. |
| The worst thing is that one has to put up with people who snore. | Lo peor es que uno tiene que aguantar a la gente que ronca. |
