Hotels FAQ

Question:

>>I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay >will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack >at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate >to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. >Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite?

Many, if not most hostels will have a way for you to lock up your stuff when you’re not around.  Personally, I’d take the camera with me all the time, or just take a cheaper camera. As far as personal safety, most of them are quite safe because there’s people around most of the time!  :)  They might be stoned but they’ll be there… Don’t worry too much about it.  Get some locks for your bag if possible, don’t be blatant about having nice stuff, don’t be paranoid, and if you do get ripped off, don’t let it ruin your trip. Paul

Response:

>I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay >will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack >at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate >to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. >Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite?

I traveled from Greece to Scotland over a period of six months, about ten years ago, with a large backpack and a camera bag with two Leicas and three lenses. Never had a problem, but that’s maybe just good luck.  If I recall correctly, all the hostels lock up the dorms from morning ’til late afternoon, so I left "cheap stuff" in the dorm.  Always carried my valuables with me.  A small padlock and a short piece of bicycle cable could be helpful if not too heavy.   >My major concern is my Nikon camera that I really can’t do without and I >would die if I had it stolen half way through the trip. >Do the hostels provide blankets? or should I bring a lite sleeping bag.

I bought a sheet-thickness sleeping bag and used that, (some hostels provide blankets only, as I recall) altho a very thin insulated bag would have been better.  I used my towel as a blanket sometimes. Another thought… you might try to make friends with someone else who is traveling as you are and team up for security and companionship.  That worked VERY well for me. Dave

Response:

I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite? My major concern is my Nikon camera that I really can’t do without and I would die if I had it stolen half way through the trip. Do the hostels provide blankets? or should I bring a lite sleeping bag.

Response:

There are people who live by ripping off backkpackers.  I’ve been hit once in the Basel youth hostel where a "sleeping spray" was dispersed in the room during the night.  Others were missing their wallets too in the morning. Putting your wallet in the bottom of your sheet sleeping sack (supplied) is recommended.  In the Zurich hostel I caught someone trying to rip me off in the night.  At 2 in the morning I couldn’t sleep.  All beds in the room were occupied.  The door opened up and from the upper bunk I watched as someone went through the pockets of pants hanging from the bunks.  When he passed by me, I grabbed him.  On questioning, he disclosed his "stash" of cameras, wallets, etc. hidden in the hostel’s loft.  Lesson:  leave nothing unattended, even when you are having a shower.  In time, you WILL be ripped off. I managed the Champex youth hostel in Switzerland for five years.  We often had requests to store valuables.  Only once did someone complain about being ripped off.  (We found the item, a flashlight, under a mattress while cleaning…) regards,  Steve

Response:

> I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay > will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack > at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate > to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. > Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite? > My major concern is my Nikon camera that I really can’t do without and I > would die if I had it stolen half way through the trip.

Some hostels provide lockers. They’re reasonably secure, though I wouldn’t use them for gold ingots or anything. Some hostels will let you leave stuff at reception, but that’s pretty annoying every time you want your camera. I generally leave my passport etc in the pocket of the last pair of pants I was wearing, and fold that under my pillow. I know people who sleep with such things in the toe of their sleeping bag. My camera I leave in my bag and lock the zippers; to date it’s been fine. But you can always bring your camera bag to bed with you. In all the years (years) I’ve spent in hostels I have never had anything stolen. I often leave my big pack, full of stinky clothes, out (again, with the zippers padlocked shut) and it’s never been molested. I figure if someone else has a little less security than I do, they’re the one who’s going to get ripped off. And true to the theory, every few weeks or so someone in the room with me complains that something disappeared (hm, suspicious, Maxwell Smart would suggest that I’m the perpetrator). > Do the hostels provide blankets? or should I bring a lite sleeping bag.

A really cheap sleeping bag might be useful. I have a $10 one that’s barely large enough to cover me. It’s extremely light and compresses down to the size of a large jar of applesauce, so it’s not a bother. But it’s useful as a pillow or as a little extra cover on those cold nights. Most if not all hostels do provide blankets when the weather calls for it. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos, tales, and tips from around the world: http://u.nu

Response:

I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite? My major concern is my Nikon camera that I really can’t do without and I would die if I had it stolen half way through the trip. Do the hostels provide blankets? or should I bring a lite sleeping bag.

Response:

There are people who live by ripping off backkpackers.  I’ve been hit once in the Basel youth hostel where a "sleeping spray" was dispersed in the room during the night.  Others were missing their wallets too in the morning. Putting your wallet in the bottom of your sheet sleeping sack (supplied) is recommended.  In the Zurich hostel I caught someone trying to rip me off in the night.  At 2 in the morning I couldn’t sleep.  All beds in the room were occupied.  The door opened up and from the upper bunk I watched as someone went through the pockets of pants hanging from the bunks.  When he passed by me, I grabbed him.  On questioning, he disclosed his "stash" of cameras, wallets, etc. hidden in the hostel’s loft.  Lesson:  leave nothing unattended, even when you are having a shower.  In time, you WILL be ripped off. I managed the Champex youth hostel in Switzerland for five years.  We often had requests to store valuables.  Only once did someone complain about being ripped off.  (We found the item, a flashlight, under a mattress while cleaning…) regards,  Steve

Response:

> I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay > will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack > at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate > to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. > Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite? > My major concern is my Nikon camera that I really can’t do without and I > would die if I had it stolen half way through the trip.

Some hostels provide lockers. They’re reasonably secure, though I wouldn’t use them for gold ingots or anything. Some hostels will let you leave stuff at reception, but that’s pretty annoying every time you want your camera. I generally leave my passport etc in the pocket of the last pair of pants I was wearing, and fold that under my pillow. I know people who sleep with such things in the toe of their sleeping bag. My camera I leave in my bag and lock the zippers; to date it’s been fine. But you can always bring your camera bag to bed with you. In all the years (years) I’ve spent in hostels I have never had anything stolen. I often leave my big pack, full of stinky clothes, out (again, with the zippers padlocked shut) and it’s never been molested. I figure if someone else has a little less security than I do, they’re the one who’s going to get ripped off. And true to the theory, every few weeks or so someone in the room with me complains that something disappeared (hm, suspicious, Maxwell Smart would suggest that I’m the perpetrator). > Do the hostels provide blankets? or should I bring a lite sleeping bag.

A really cheap sleeping bag might be useful. I have a $10 one that’s barely large enough to cover me. It’s extremely light and compresses down to the size of a large jar of applesauce, so it’s not a bother. But it’s useful as a pillow or as a little extra cover on those cold nights. Most if not all hostels do provide blankets when the weather calls for it. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos, tales, and tips from around the world: http://u.nu

Response:

>I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay >will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack >at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate >to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. >Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite?

I traveled from Greece to Scotland over a period of six months, about ten years ago, with a large backpack and a camera bag with two Leicas and three lenses. Never had a problem, but that’s maybe just good luck.  If I recall correctly, all the hostels lock up the dorms from morning ’til late afternoon, so I left "cheap stuff" in the dorm.  Always carried my valuables with me.  A small padlock and a short piece of bicycle cable could be helpful if not too heavy.   >My major concern is my Nikon camera that I really can’t do without and I >would die if I had it stolen half way through the trip. >Do the hostels provide blankets? or should I bring a lite sleeping bag.

I bought a sheet-thickness sleeping bag and used that, (some hostels provide blankets only, as I recall) altho a very thin insulated bag would have been better.  I used my towel as a blanket sometimes. Another thought… you might try to make friends with someone else who is traveling as you are and team up for security and companionship.  That worked VERY well for me. Dave

Response:

>>I’ll be in europe for two months this summer and the majority of my stay >will be in hostels. I was wondering if it is safe to leave my big backpack >at the hostel and just take my day pack and my valuables with me? I’d hate >to have to lug all my stuff around at the museums. >Do I also have to sleep with one eye open at nite?

Many, if not most hostels will have a way for you to lock up your stuff when you’re not around.  Personally, I’d take the camera with me all the time, or just take a cheaper camera. As far as personal safety, most of them are quite safe because there’s people around most of the time!  :)  They might be stoned but they’ll be there… Don’t worry too much about it.  Get some locks for your bag if possible, don’t be blatant about having nice stuff, don’t be paranoid, and if you do get ripped off, don’t let it ruin your trip. Paul

Response: