Deterring hostel theft???

[janjan]

Just wondering if people experienced much theft while staying in hostels (whether it be food, towels, or drying wet clothes?) I just want to get some advice as to how to deter thievery.
I don't know if certain countries are worse than others...we'll be in Greece and Egypt if that counts at all. I'd like to be able to store food in the fridges...but I'm not about to do that if I know it's going to end up in someone else's stomach! Any tips or past experiences?

[herrbert]

It never happened to me, and that's really all I can say about it.

Most people stick to the codes of staying in a hostel. As far as food is concerned you could label it with you name, but you just can't put it in the lockers.

[Eagle]

janjan, I've also never had any problems with theft while staying in Hostels (so far!). However, I always secure my Backpack and other valuables when going out touring for the day, and I don't buy food to store there (I always use deli's or restaurants for meals). Some of the Hostels I've stayed in didn't have any provision for storing food or any kitchen facilities, so there wasn't any reason to buy food.

Cheers!

[janjan]

Thanks Herrbert and Eagle for the info! I don't go to Europe till spring/summer 2009 so I'm still open to other advice from people about how to deter or avoid hostel theft!

[etherashe]

Just use common, travel sense.

I've been to many hostels and worked at one also, and would recommend to ALWAYS know where your wallet/money is. Better yet, keep it on your person at all times. Most people in hostels are cool, but in some places, you can run across shady types it would be best to not trust.

My niece left a lot of money (most of what she had) in a hostel room in the UK (class trip) and lost it all. It was a really naive thing to do, but she was young and had no real travelling experience.

If you clearly mark your name and date on your food items, they will usually be left alone. But not always.

But generally, hostels are a great, friendly, safe way to travel cheaply.

[Jerseyboy]

I have stayed in some pretty sketchy hostels and never had a problem... But I always take quite a few precautions... I have a really light weight wire bike lock that I use to ensure my backpack doesn't walk away if I stay at a place that doesn't have lockers (it also comes in handy if my little padlock doesn't fit when there are lockers that require you bring your own). I also keep my security belt on at ALL times (when I shower it goes around the shower head) and when I sleep I keep it on (It helps to get a really comfortable one). Other than that I make sure the stuff of real value always goes with me in my day pack, when I am out and about. It really makes sense anyway bc stuff like a camera, and cell phone would be used then anyway...

As for stuff like food and clothes getting washed.... generally I only do that sort of thing at nicer places... but people generally respect food... and who wants your wet clothes? ; )

But speaking of safety.... I heard a piece of advice before I went on my first Euro excursion (by myself) that I had considered anyway but not for the same reason.... Pocket knives are very useful... packs break.... food needs cutting... you have a bottle of wine and no cork screw... etc... AND (this was the advice I was given).... if you are somewhere like a train stop... and its two minutes till the train is coming and its just you and sketchy guy halfway down who keeps looking at you... take out an apple and cut it up with the pocket knife and have a snack... You would be surprised how easily that deters someone's thoughts of robbing a backpacker. I am not advocating escolating knife violence on the continent... I would never actually attempt to defend my backpack with a pocket knife (I am not Steven Seigel) and generally there are few situations where you can't simply walk away, but this did actually happen to me in Germany.... I was in the middle of nowhere on a deserted train stop and at the very least it made me feel better. The guy left the "platform" and 30 seconds later my train came. (when I say pocket knife I mean swiss army type... small... utilitarian... not of the bowie variety... bc then you are the one creeping people out)

[jessus]

Yeah, labelling things in fridges really largely and clearly I think is a big deterrant.

As for other things... just be smart! I hadn't heard of anyone getting their drying things stolen... I don't think many people are that desperate.

However, on the trip I just came from I did get my wallet stolen from a hostel because I wasn't quite smart enough! I had my wallet zipped into my purse which was in my carry-on bag, which was under my bed while I was sleeping. When I went to the bathroom, someone very sneaky (who must have been watching me), snagged JUST the wallet. The moral of the story? ALWAYS USE THE LOCKERS!

[mslibrarian]

Out of all the hostels I stayed in (and that's not many, I'll give you) only one had lockers in it and that was in London. The rest I just used common sense. In Edinburgh I was in a room with 6 other women and they left their stuff everywhere. Cameras, cell phones..you name it. Spread all over the room. I took it for a pretty relaxed atmosphere but I didn't follow suit. The only thing I did was just as Jessus did. Left my wallet and bag under my bed. BUT, most of my money was in my moneybelt and that was on me at all times. When I showered, it came with me and went into a ziplock or was hung on the door if it was a private shower.

The silliest mistake I made was in the Orkney Islands. I was with a bus tour and the 8 of us (plus our driver) had this remote hostel al to ourselves. We all went to bed and something woke me up around 2am. I went down stairs and there was this drunk Aussie just getting (he had stopped at the pub before going to the hostel). There, in the rec room of the hostel, was most of our groups purses and backpacks. I grabbed everything I could and took it back to our room. The next morning everyone was thanking me. My purse was there too!