Travel Tip Tuesdays: Safety Tips for a Hostel

“How do you stay safe in a hostel?”

Four-star luxury hotel? Nope. Chuck Testa.
(I mean, the Downtown Hostel in Sacramento, CA.)

The word “hostel” often evokes terrified reactions (mostly from people whose experience is limited to that one stupid movie). Who would ever choose to stay in one of these thief-and-rapist-infested houses of horror? The other common reaction is a look of confusion and a comment about hospitals. I always sigh sadly at both reactions, because it means that the person I’m talking to has never experienced this wonderful kind of accommodation.

These cheaper alternatives to hotels let you pay about $20-$35 a night for a bed in a dorm-style room, often located in the hearts of downtowns or scenic vistas. I’ve stayed in almost a dozen hostels during my travels, and I never found a bad one. Some people seem to think that all hostels are hotbeds of crime and prostitution, but this simply isn’t true. Here are three tips for having a safe hostel experience.

Do your research. First, find a hostel through Hostelling International, or Google-search “hostels in [place you’re going].” In the era of the World Wide Web, no hostel can run a prostitute ring and keep it a secret. Look up “[Hostel name] reviews” and look at third-party sites (tripadvisor.com is my favorite) that let anybody comment on their experience. These reviews are often broken down into categories such as safety, location, cleanliness and friendliness. Pay attention to the dates: be sure you’re looking at the most recent reviews. If eight dozen people from all over the globe give a hostel a glowing review, chances are you won’t get axe-murdered in your bed.

It's hard to get much cooler than a lighthouse complex
that's been turned in a hostel! (Point Montara, CA)

Choose your room carefully. A hostel may be clean and safe, but it might not be the kind of place you want to crash! If you’re a hardcore partier, don’t stay at an HI hostel, which are all alcohol-free. If you would rather sit and quietly read a book, stay away from the party hostels. Again, look at the reviews. (If a hostel is mentioned in several reviews as “boring,” I often find that a point in its favor.) Hostels generally have gender-specific dorm rooms, as well as co-ed dorms and private rooms. Co-ed rooms are notorious for hook-ups, so if you want a good night’s sleep, it’s best to stay in a room with your own gender. If you want a guaranteed good night’s sleep, get a private room.

Note: When you book a room, be sure to call the hostel for specific guidelines. Some are exclusively for youths, and some United States hostels don’t accept Americans, as my poor sister found out when she went to California.

Have some common sense. Don’t leave valuables beside your bed, keep your wallet and passport with you, and make use of the lockers that most hostels have (bring your own lock or rent one from the hostel). If one of your roommates has a creepy vibe, feel free to ask to be moved to a different dorm. Talk to each of your roommates when you see them: this will give you a feel for their personalities and how much you can depend on them. If you have seven roommates and six of them are good people, they will look out for you if the seventh turns out to be a thief. Hostels thrive on an atmosphere of mutual trust, so find the honest people and be their friend.

I love the Pike Place Market in Seattle, and the
Green Tortoise Hostel is right across the street!

I can’t say enough good things about hostels: I love the sense of community and the dozens of new and interesting people you can meet there. Next time you’re traveling, give hostels a try— you might be glad you did!

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