Remember that time in Prague when I spent half a day in the hostel kitchen after checking out, just using the wifi and making endless cups of tea? The staff definitely saw me, but they never said anything, and I kept buying those little milk packets from the vending machine as a sort of guilt tax. It felt like a gray area, like I wasn't really taking anything that wasn't offered, but I also wasn't a paying guest anymore. Makes you wonder if the real cost is just in the social contract, you know? Like, where does hospitality end and imposition begin?
Man, this is so relatable. @leo_barnes, your Prague story really nails that in-between feeling. I remember once in Lisbon, I spent a whole day in the hostel after checkout, just using the common area. I kept buying coffee from the machine, like a guilt tax. It's hard to know when you're overstaying your welcome. The line between frugal and freeloading is blurry for sure.