How to Secure Your Valuables While Staying in Hostels
One of the main concerns for solo travelers is safety and security. When traveling solo, you’re fully responsible for your own belongings and well-being. While hostels offer great ways to meet new people and provide access to faraway places, they are shared spaces. Here are a few tips on how to secure your valuables while staying in hostels.
Carry Multiple Locks
While staying in hostels, it’s essential to have at least one lock. Purchasing a solid lock is one of the most important things you can do before hitting the road. But having more than one lock not only allows you to secure the most valuable items during your travels, but it also gives you a backup in case you lose a lock or want to spread things out. For instance, you might have a laptop or tablet that only fits into a certain pocket, which would require its own lock. If you’ve got other valuable items, such as important documents, jewelry, cash, or even a backup pair of eyeglasses, having an extra lock to secure those valuables in a different place can be a big bonus. By spreading out your valuables in different pockets or bags, it can help ensure that you’re protected in case something happens to one of your bags. It can be useful to carry different types of locks as well, since keeping multiple keys can be challenging and remembering multiple combinations for a padlock can be difficult as well.
Otherwise, having extra locks can be useful when you’re preparing to explore a town or city for the day and want to ensure that your belongings are secured at the hostel while you’re gone, while also making sure that what you have on you is secure. No matter what, carrying multiple locks gives you flexibility when traveling and helps ensure that your belongings are safe and secure.
Purchase a Money Belt
This is one tip that travelers will agree upon. Money belts might seem silly or unnecessary, considering all the different ways there are to secure your cash and passports, but they’re incredibly useful and affordable. Keeping a money belt means having a way to conceal your cash and passport. Money belts are lightweight, easy to pack, and inexpensive. Many money belts are also designed to protect against thieves stealing your personal information by having protective sleeves built into them. One of the best things about carrying a money belt is that they’re often easy to wear and unobtrusive to your wardrobe.
Don’t Leave Things Unattended
It seems obvious not to leave your valuables unlocked or unattended, but sometimes solo travelers can get too trusting and leave important belongings out in the open. No matter how nice your roommates might be, or how quiet the room is when you check in, it’s essential to lock up your valuables when they’re not in sight. Most hostels have lockers or designated spaces that are secure and under surveillance, so it’s often easy to lock up and drop off your stuff before exploring an area. If you have questions or concerns about how or where to secure your stuff, ask the hostel staff, and they should be able to help direct you on the best ways to leave your belongings behind while you explore.
Buy a day-pack
Like a money belt, a day-pack can be a great way to keep your belongings safe when you’re staying in hostels. If you plan to do some exploring and want to ensure that your valuables are safe, carrying a smaller day-pack can help you keep the important items under your watch while you’re not at the hostel. Securing laptops, tablets, or cameras can be harder since they may be heavy or take up space, but with a day-pack, you'll at least know where your belongings are while you’re on the move. Having a day-pack for your valuables also means you can create more space in your larger bag for things like shoes, clothes, and souvenirs that you might pick up during your travels.
Dress like a local
There’s no clear instruction on how to dress like a local, but the best piece of advice is to not dress like a tourist. By blending in with the crowds and appearing as if you live in a place, you’re less likely to be targeted by a petty thief. There are certain giveaways that can make you stand out as a tourist, such as wearing flip-flops, athletic shorts, or sports jerseys of a certain team while traveling through Europe. Doing a little bit of research before your trip on what the local fashion trends are can help prevent you from sticking out in the crowd, thus making you less vulnerable to a pickpocket or scammer.
