Has anyone had any bad experiences staying in hostels? I
friend of mine was ina hostel in Amsterdam (I think) when
two Arab guys basically threw themselves on top of her and
she had to scream and struggle before they'd leave her
alone. She spent the rest of the night in her (female)
friend's bed, hoping to God there wouldn't be a repeat
performance. Luckily, there wasn't, but I don't fancy
having to go through anythin lik that myself.
Any anecdotes?
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Why didn't she call the police or the management? Maybe
this is just a "story". Maybe she really liked the
attention, but won't admit it. I've never heard of anything
like this. I think it's just alot of B.S.
Because the management won't look for the people who did it
or maybe they won't believe her or a bunch of cops will just
ask
her why she was leading them on or something just as asinine
as your response, Paul.
Sally, don't worry about most places. I have found that the
more dodgy paces were the ultra cheap private hostels
frequented
by druggies (in Amsterdam at least) and non traveler types,
i.e. those working or living in the city. And YES these
things
happen occasionally, but just keep your eyes and ears open.
Ask all other women travelers who have just come from the
place
which you will be visiting about good/bad places they have
heard of. Remember that everyone has a different idea of
dangerous.
Follow your intuition, if someone leads you to a hostel or
pension and you don't like the looks of it, tell them to
take you back to
the station. Any respectable hostel/pension rep will do
this. A few extra dollars for a slightly higher quality
place might help you
sleep more soundly at night. Don't shun all the cheap
places either, most of them are OK. If you feel nervous
anyway, stick to
places with segregated sleeping areas where the likelihood
of men wondering around will be reduced..
Don't wear flashy pajamas, keep your important documents on
your person, excessive alcohol and traveling alone don't
mix.
Take the top bunk...that's what I do. We all travel
differently so maybe the others on this post will have
differing opinions.
I'm planning on travelling quite a bit by myself this year,
and I am also worried about safety. I've decided to stay
primarily in HI hostels - it seems to me that these are
safer. Of course, I may be wrong, but from all the internet
research I've done, it seems that HI hostels are
standardized and concerned for their travellers. I hope
someone else responds to this topic and reassures me, too!
... for your comments. But not to Paul who is obviously
one of those men who gets a kick out of trying to antagonize
women on this page (see also :Tommy) Get a life, pal!
i think most youth hostels are fine - as someonesaid earlier
on just use your intuition.i have travelled as a single
woman all over-
by and large i have been using HI hostels all over -
especially in europe and haven't had a SINGLE problem! on
the contrary have made some very good friends who have
lasted well after the journeys and the travelling are done!
in some hostels i find they are also careful not to give a
single female a bed in a room where there are only guys and
in some hostels they actually have a different floor for
girls and guys!( hostel at inverness scotland!)
at most places you can request acco in a room with girls
also!
so go ahead and have a great time!
minni
I had a similar experience in a 3* hotel in Luxor/Egypt.
The hotel-manager !!!! (hallo Paul) showed me a room and
threw himself on top of me once we were in. I shouted at
him and hit him in the face. After that he got up, arranged
his clothes, told me that I was a beautiful woman and
lookonig like a german girlfriend he once had. He even
showed me a very old picture of a very young blond girl.
I was more fascinated than in fear or anger about this
ridiculous situation. An other Arab told me later, that
Arab man believe that european women come only to Egypt to
get a good (means fast and often) fuck. What else is there
to see in Egypt anyway?
By the way, my husband was downstairs with the luggage all
the time waiting because the hotelb÷y told he that the room
was not ready yet.
So, just kick the guys wherever you can get them to change
theire false believes.
Susanne
I have travelled around Europe, OZ and New Zealand quite a
bit and never had any bad experience. At one stage I shared
a room with 4 men - I was the only women in the dorm - and I
had no problems at all. I know of a friend though, who was
sleeping in a mixed room, that one night a guy came back to
the dorm - completely drunk - and threw himself on her. She
screamed and luckily enough he went away. Anyway, don't
worry, if you stay in HI hostel they might have women only
dorms as well. BTW I mainly stayed in backpacker hostels and
most of them were great.
PAUL, it's plain that you don't have or never will have a
lady friend with an attitude like yours, and if by some
chance you do -I feel sorry for her. It's guys like you
that give us a bad name, and I hope that you ladies don't
paint us all with the same brush. But Sally, it's clear to
me that types like (Paul) would be what to watch out for
while staying at a hostel.
.. to all the above who contributed posts, esp to Dion, who
reminds us all that there are plenty of men who contribuite
to this page and are a world away from the likes of Paul and
Tommy!
I noticed that several women recommended staying at a HI
hostel. I've never stayed at a hostel but will likely be
staying at some this summer in europe (Germany, France and
Holland). Could someone please tell me what a HI hostel
is? Thanks!
HI (Hostelling International) is a worldwide federation of
national hostelling associations. A HI hostel has the seal
of approval from the International Youth Hostel Federation
(IYHF). The hostel has to follow certain standards and
regulations to become a member. If you become a member of
HI you can receive discounts on hostels and transportation
and you have priority over non-members when they are short
on beds;)
If you're thinking of visiting Amsterdam, the Arena is said
to have a good youth hostel and rooms. Prices are
reasonable. I think your friend has just had bad luck. Even
though I've stayed in quite a few mixed dormitories (in
Asia), nothing like this ever happened to me nor have I
heard about it happening to people I know. And NO, this is
not Arab style (talking about painting people with the same
brush!!!). It's just some stupid ignorant...well, you know
what I'm trying to say. Hope you have a great stay in
Holland, 'cause it really is great fun. If you want more
info on stuff to do in Amsterdam, e-mail me.
I was staying in a little Mexican hotel in Puerto Vallarta
and had been on a booze cruise for the day and had gone
back to my room at 4:30 p.m. for a siesta. At 7:30p.m. I
was woken up by a drunk kid (18-25 years old) ranting and
raving and bad-mouthing the Mexicans. After listening to
his ravings for half an hour, I yelled out 'Chill out!' He
asked who said it and I told him to never mind, just relax
and shut up. He came to my room and pounded on my door. I
explained I was a girl and he said he didn't care, he would
kick my ass. I called 'Soccorro, soccorro!' which is help
in Spanish and the manager came to my rescue. He tried to
calm the kid down, had to call the police and the kid and
his girlfriend were put in jail for the night and put on a
plane the next day. Just make sure there are night-watchmen
and know the word for help wherever you travel. Also the
kid was Canadian, I was never so embarrassed for such a
goof to come from my country. But they are everywhere. And
please, no flaming for the Canadian comment. It just seems
ironic that out of all my travels in Mexico, my worst
problem was with another Canadian!
I have always tried to avoid HI hostels. In Europe, I often
encountered school groups in the HI hostels (not just in
off-season, though mostly), and generally, HI hostels are
characterized by strict regulations - curfews and lockouts
and so on. I've never had a bad situation in any of the
backpacker's hostels I stayed in, and I find them much more
pleasant and friendly than the by-the-rules HI hostels.
Maybe the strict rules make HI places a bit safer, but
they're also often more boring, and I think a lot of teh
stories about hostel problems are just that - stories.
I stayed in a hostel in cape town, south africa, called
Albergo Backpackers, and one night this drunk Irish boy
jumped on a girl who was in our room. she was screaming for
him to get off her, and he didn't, so I grabbed him and
threw him off! Needless to say, the girl complained to
management and they refused to do anything, claiming that
"he has been coming here for years, and besides,everyone
gets out of control sometimes." Well, I stayed, and the
next night, it happened to ME! I was sleeping when I
smelled alcohol and felt someone caressing my ass and
trying to get into my underwear. I screamed kicked the
little cretin in the balls and the next day HE complained
that I had been "violent" with him and I got asked to
leave!!
If you have the option of staying with girls only, take it.
Besides, we don;'t get so stinking drunk nor snore so much.
and we smell better,too!