Hostels in AU & NZ - theft?

[kdp77]

I am travelling to AU & NZ soon with my husband, we are 27 & 30 and are thinking of staying in hostels to save money on this trip. My concern is that we will be bringing a lot of expensive camera equipment, and I am afraid that if we stay at a hostel there will be a much higher likelyhood of our stuff getting stolen. We can pass for 'backpacker kids' on looks, but once they see our nice luggage and camera bags I am afraid people will notice we are not 'poor backpackers' and will get into our room and rob us. We've never stayed in a hostel before and if we weren't bringing all this stuff I wouldnt' even be posting here. Any advice?

 

[aussie_shark_bait]

How cheap are you looking for rooms, in Cairns you can get a hotel room for under 50-70 per night with bathrrom faciliteis etc..and most hostels for around the same price have double ensuite rooms here now too.

 

[Roz Amos]

Depends where you are in Oz, but in a lot of places, as stated previously, a cheap hotel room is pretty close in price to a twin room in a hostel, especially if you want ensuite, and other options include apartments - try the following websites -
www.ozstays.com.au, www.hotelclub.com.au, www.yha.com.au. I have done lots of travelling around Australia, staying in all kinds of accomodation with dive and camera gear and never been robbed (touch wood!). The experience of most of my friends has been that robbery in hostels has happened in dorm rooms. If you are really concerned then the hostels tend to have secure lock ups too. My inclination would be to get decent travel insurance, and travel smart - locked bags, and don't advertise expensive gear - I always think bags with big dive logos etc are a sign saying please steal!

 

[aussie_shark_bait]

Also try

For Australia Wide and some will also service NZ

www.lastminute.com.au
www.wotif.com.au
www.needitnow.com.au
www.readyrooms.com.au
www.check-in.com.au
www.RatesToGo.com
www.cheapaccommodation.com

in the Cairns area try

www.cheapaccommodation.com/Cairns
www.cairnsaccomm.com.au
www.cairnsaccommodation.com.au/
www.cairnsholiday.com.au/

Hope that helps

 

[alemaozinho]

I am travelling to AU & NZ soon with my husband, we are 27 & 30 and are thinking of staying in hostels to save money on this trip. My concern is that we will be bringing a lot of expensive camera equipment, and I am afraid that if we stay at a hostel there will be a much higher likelyhood of our stuff getting stolen. We can pass for 'backpacker kids' on looks, but once they see our nice luggage and camera bags I am afraid people will notice we are not 'poor backpackers' and will get into our room and rob us. We've never stayed in a hostel before and if we weren't bringing all this stuff I wouldnt' even be posting here. Any advice?

I did very quickly realize on my visits to NZ and Australia, that you dont safe a lot of money staying in hostels,i instead did stay in Lodges and Motels and Cabins,you can have a much better comfort and your stuff will be safer.Kiwi lodges /Motels are like little apartments and if you prepare and read a little,then you,ll get fantastic deals.I shared with a Buddy and we paid average 120$/week/total for total comfort.Remember that Kiwis and Aussies are very nice People and you,re propably will only encounter theft among Travellers who are desperade of money.Renting a campervan is not a bad idea either,remember that the Dollar goes a long way down under and life,s cheaper down there and there,s less ripoff too.Last but not least you could or should take up a travel Insurance to protect your Property (depend on value).peace

 

[aussie_shark_bait]

On the campervan thought enquire if you are interested in the really cheap one way rates, often they need to get a van back from cairns down to sydeny or vice versa and will give you up to or more 75% off the daily rate if you take it from point A to B in a certain amount of time 2/3 weeks or so. Loads of these offers around when you look. Both in NZ and OZ.

 

[techdiver]

thanks for all the great advice
i have flights already booked btwn cities so i can't do the campervan thing
but i will definately check out some of those websites and try to find inexpensive motels etc instead of hostels
we do have travel insurance
i just thought it would be cool before we got too old to do the hostel thing but we are big picture/video takers and can't leave home w/out all the gear
thanks!

 

[Gill]

I backpacked through New Zealand back in Feb/Mar for 19-days and did the hostel route. I had no problems with stuff getting stolen nor have I heard of any during my trip. Some hostels have lockers in the room (bring your own padlock), although most didn't. Some travellers left their laptops out. I left my camera gear packed in my daypack in the hostel when I didn't feel like lugging the gear.

I was paying about $13-18 USD a night for the dormatory style. If security is a concern you can pay a little more (I think it was about $25-35 USD) and look for a twin occupancy for a little more privacy.

 

[Scubaroo]

Sadly this country is not without it's lowlifes, and desperate young travellers looking for something to hock for cash. Keep your valuables secure when you're not around.

 

[Mako Mark]

Remember that Kiwis and Aussies are very nice People

Aww shucks.... (not so sure about those aussies though)