Money/personal ID safety while sleeping in hostels

Jackie,

Most of the hostels have a locker inside the dorm. Bring a good lock with you and lock your valuables in there while sleeping. Nobody will break into your locker when you are there. Before you book your hostel, make sure you check if the hostel has lockers inside the dorm and a safe storage room .It's very important. When I stayed in hostels last year there were girls who left their backpacks inside the dorm and nothing happened, but I will never do that.

Yes, you should wear your money belt in bed.

Some hostels have a "party" reputation and others may not be clean to your satisfaction. There are seven YHA hostels in London. Any of them would be a good choice.

The Arran House Hotel in Bloomsbury is a B&B that, in addition to its private rooms, has some dorm-style rooms at hostel-like prices. Everyone gets the full English breakfast.

Wherever you decide to stay, book your lodging now.

I never stayed in a hostel. Not yet anyway.
Don't most of them have lockers to put things like this in, and you bring your own lock?
Happy Travels!!

I travelled all over Europe and stayed at many hostels. Some hostels offer lockers inside the rooms (you need to bring your own padlock).

In the instances where a locker was not provided, I never wore a money belt while sleeping. To keep my money, ATM/Credit cards and ID safe, I kept all of these items locked inside my backpack. I then would secure my backpack from being removed from the room by using a steel retractable cable lock. It's simple to lock your pack to a fixed object (i.e., slide the cable lock through the metal frame of your bunk bed). Don't flash your money or credit cards about when you are in the room with strangers. Be discrete when you want to remove your wallet to take it with you when you go out.

If you go online to REI.com, Pacsafe offers wire mesh casings which you can fit over your backpack (or duffle bag) and lock for an extra layer of security.

To check the ratings on a hostel, you can use a site like BUG or Hostelworld.com - you will get way more reviews about the safety & cleanliness of hostels at those websites. And you can also figure out which ones tend towards being party hostels and which are quiet when you read the reviews...though previous poster is correct - YHA hostels are generally quieter and attract a slightly older crowd or families with children. Many hostels have co-ed rooms, so if you want an all-female room, you should try to book in advance (though with London, you should always try to book ahead).

Even though it is still fairly early in the summer, you may want to look into housing options at local colleges and universities - they rent rooms to tourists in summer. I stayed at one of the London School of Economics dormitories and it was a great price, centrally located, clean and quiet. They have a lot of private rooms that don't cost much more than booking 2 bunks in a hostel and are far more comfortable.

Hi Jackie,

For me, I have had wonderful experiences staying in hostels.

Most have lockers that you can lock up your valuables. For me, I wanted everything next to me. At night, I would put my money bag, ID's, etc into my pillowcase. Knowing that my head was resting on it, I felt secure in this. In the morning, I would awake and everything would still be in its place.

Most of the hostels that I stayed in in Italy had roughly 12 bunks to a room. I felt comfortable and safe in mine. I met lots of people through the hostels and if you are lucky, you'll meet that staff who are willing to help at all times.

I hope this info helps. :) Happy travels!

Jackie,Even with a Locker, I think I would feel better having my money belt on while sleeping ( or at least in my pillowcase). After travelling with it on all day, you won't even notice your still wearing it, and you won't wake up everytime one of your room mates moves, worrying about theft.

Jackie, if you want more privacy, try getting a hotel on hotwire.com for London. I did this 3x's and have been very happy. I'm going back in 2 weeks and for a 3 star hotel I got the Sheraton for $89 a night.

Last year in March I got the Hilton Wardorf (a 3 1/2 star choice) for $126 a night, and 3 years ago I got a Crowne Plaza for $110.

The bad part of hotwire is the hotel is a mystery til you purchase it. The positive part is you can see the icons which tells you what they have, you can narrow the location, and you can pick the star rating. I try to stick to at least a 3 star.

I found this site which gives possible clues on the hotel. So far its been pretty accurate: click here

Jackie - I've hostelled in London on a few occasion, around Scotland and even Holland. Bring a padlock with you - I prefer one with a key (which I keep in my moneybelt - no way could I remember a combination!). Don't get the largest one you can find (like one to lock a shed). Sometimes the locker openings are a bit smaller - a medium-sized padlock should do. I wouldn't use my TSA lock - its not strong enough for my liking.
If my locker is in my room, I do put my moneybelt and things inside my luggage in a locked locker. Other times I do sleep with it in my pillowcase. Since my room keys are usually in my moneybelt, its typically with me at all times. And I mean all - even to the shower. I know it may be overkill, but MY peace of mind is worth it.

Don't be afraid of hostelling. I met one of my dearest friends while in London in 2003. She's from Oz and gave us the ins and outs of the hostel as she'd been living there. Great fun! Have met (since then) in NYC, Toronto and Dublin! You never know who you may end up meeting in a hostel! =)
Enjoy!!

Essentially, don't leave anything unattended that you don't want to walk off. I use a backpack lock (D ring with latch and combo) for hostels. I put everything of value in my locker and make sure it's locked up whenever I shower, sleep or leave the room.

Hostels really aren't dangerous places but petty theft is all too common.

Something else I forgot to mention.I carry something called personal alarm.It's the kind that can be use in may ways, on your backpack or as a door alarm. When the pin is pulled out the alarm will sound.It also has 2 metal clips that when released the alarm will sound.I place my laptop on top of the clips inside the locker and if someone lifts it up, the alarm will sound.It sound very loud, at about 107 db.
It looks like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350065995022

Locker policies, availability, and functionality vary from place to place.

But I agree with Natalie's approach: if there's easy access to a locker, then I use that. If not, I put my wallet and passport deep inside my pillowcase before going to sleep, and then make sure the pillowcase opening faces the wall.

When my daughter was 19, we went to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for two months, sleeping in hostels every night. I always felt safe, though more safe in the countryside than in London or Dublin. Most hostels have lockers where you can lock your valuables, but you must provide your own combination lock. Before leaving home, I made "hip pockets" to wear under my jeans or pjs. I cut the strings off those zippered travel pockets that you are supposed wear around your neck. I sewed two of them onto a piece of comfortably wide elastic. I kept them on day and night and used them to carry money, passports, Britrail passes, Heritage passes, ATM cards, etc. It worked out great, and I didn't have to carry a purse. If you don't already have reservations, you really should get them for London in the summer. I used hostelworld.com -convenient though they charge a small fee. Once you know the address, finding the place will be easy with a good map. London's subway system is very good and easy to navigate, though sometimes hot and crowded. Have fun!!! I'm so jealous.

Even tho we had lockers and the steel cable to lock our Roll Aboards and day backpacks to the beds....we still slept with our neck wallets. Better to be safe.