i'm new to hostaling, so i welcome any advice
u guys can give me.
i've decided to only hit 2 towns being that its
my first time to spain. i want to avoid running
around alot, and really soak up the culture.
i was thinking madrid than on to seville.
whatta ya think?

Ive never been to spain, but Ive stayed at a few hostels and I would feel fine leaving my backpack. If i were in a rough area I might padlock it to my bed or something. But they say "Locks only keep honest people out"... so I don't know. have fun.

Lets get it togeather

I came back from my Spring Break holiday in Scotland just recently, and it was my first hostelling/backpacking experience as well. Considering I was with a tour group staying in reputable hostels, I had no trouble leaving my backpack behind in the hostel while we were out doing activities during the day. I had qualms about it at first, so I kept my passport and tickets on me the first few days, then as I got more comfortable I threw caution to the wind and just left it behind in the rucksack as well, no padlock, not even putting it in the safe. Maybe I was just lucky. I'm going up again this summer and I'll have a proper messenger bag for a daypack so I'll keep those important stuff on me at all times because you can't be lucky all the time. But I dunno how it is in Spain.

Hostels are generally okay to leave backpacks in, but off course there's no accounting for unusual situations. A good rule of thumb is to not take anything you can't afford to lose. Don't leave expensive cameras, clothes, money, tickets, passport, etc in the hostel.

I lived in a dormitory in Hong Kong for 3 monthes one time. There were 6 of us in a tiny room with our stuff all ovwer the place. Everyone was cool and didn't steal, but again there was nothing stopping them.

Travel light and don't worry too much.

-Nick-

Madrid is a great place to start in Spain. The Prado art museum can't be missed. It took my breath away. Seville is neat if you really like to party. I'm more of a history/culture nut myself. To really soak up some culture I would recommend Barcelona or Valencia. If you go to Barce, go see Gaudi archetecture. Beware of Spain. We meant to spend a week there and ended up staying 3 weeks. Enjoy!

Good advice about leaving packs at hostels. You take your chances. Definitely take with irreplaceable items.

Lots of Eurobackpackers aren't to be trusted. Just imagine life in a foreign country without your passport, camera, clothes, traveler's checks, etc. and plan accordingly.
I never rest easy unless I know my valuables are locked up. Anywhere besides France, train stations have locker rental that will take care of your pack.

if you're really that concerned with your bag, you cuold always invest into a pacsafe

http://www.thesavvytraveller.com/tools/pacsafe/home.htm

its not a surefire method, but its definatley a theft deterant and hassle (like the club in a car). if someone is apt to steal a pack, it'll more likely not be the one with the wire mesh cage and padlocked to the bed.

though it might be excessive. usually a few locks on the zippers and bikelocked to a bed post is a decent millieu.

cheers.
--kenny.

quote:

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Anywhere besides France, train stations have locker rental that will take care of your pack.

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I've been to a lot of train stations in France, and they almost all had locker rentals, with the exceptions of extremely rural locations. My advice is to bring a good lock and chain your backpack to something sturdy. I never had any problems in Barcelona, but I haven't been anywhere else in Spain. In some cities, like Amsterdam or Naples, I would not leave anything of value in a hostel.

if you have to leave your stuff behing i would recommend locking it up as well, some hostels have rooms of lockers for just that purpose. Have fun!

~Not all who wander are lost~

Not in the USA either- terrorism threat

quote:

Originally posted by Felix:
Lots of Eurobackpackers aren't to be trusted. Just imagine life in a foreign country without your passport, camera, clothes, traveler's checks, etc. and plan accordingly.
I never rest easy unless I know my valuables are locked up. Anywhere besides France, train stations have locker rental that will take care of your pack.

to be honest i've been lucky backpacking around, but i'll always use a locker if possible, for that reason carry padlocks, a little one and a bigger one, to make sure at least one fits

If there are no lockers, ask to put your passport and money belt (with cards, travellers chqs etc) in to the hostel safe. I think I've only ever stayed in one hostel of hundreds that refused to look after it

ps. aslong as you don't leave moeny on top of your bed you;ll be fine, although once I offered to look after these swedish guys bags in our dorm room, I left 2 mobiles, a wallet and passport on my bed by mistake, anyway two skinny scruffy guys came into our room and pilfered a laptop and digital camera from the swedes, They didn't even touch my stuff.. felt really bad !!

If you don't feel comfortable leaving your stuff out get a hostel that has lockers and luggage storage. Most of them do but not always so double check. Make sure to bring your own lock because lots of times hostels don't provide these. For your valuables such as passport, credit cards, money, and camera you should always have these locked up or on yourself the whole time. If there is no locker or luggage storage you should shower and sleep with these things. I'd say stealing is rare but not unheard of so for your luggage don't bring any clothes or items that you'd care if lost or stolen. Another thing to look into is travel insurance. Especially if you bring your laptop (I see more and more people than ever bring one which I don't completely understand but it's becoming mainstream)because if you loose stuff you can always make a claim. I knew one girl who used a big garbage bag to store her laundry and a hostel cleaner threw it out thinking it was garbage. She luckily had travel insurance and was able to make a claim for that.

I have left most of my things in Hostels for a long time, over a number of years. When I left binoculars and electronics, they were stolen. I'm not alone in this. When I carry a laptop, it's always with me like a small infant.

Clothes? Only once did my clothing go missing, and I really missed them since I had some great hot weather clothing from Mexico and India with me, and they went missing.

Theres a rule I follow, and it keeps me from getting paranoid. If I can't afford to lose something, I don't bring it. An object that weighs on the mind is not worth taking unless its necessary for one reason or another.

Another rule I follow is never to leave my passport and essential documents alone if possible. This really puts a damper on my swimming at a beach when i travel alone, and the hotel has no safe, but what can I do? I don't do much swimming at beaches anyways.