It’s now less than a week until I leave for my nearly 4-week trip to Australia and New Zealand. I’m starting to get my ducks in a row: I’ve got hostels lined up for Sydney and my first few nights in New Zealand, I unlocked my cell phone so I can get a new sim card (and New Zealand phone number, what what?!?!) and make calls while I’m down there, I’ve copied all of my important documents, and I’ve got my packing and shopping list together.
Oh, and lets not forget the most important part! I’ve got my own souvenir to take down there with me!
How do you pick your hostels? Do you go by word of mouth? Online reviews? Price? Location? Sometimes it's so hard to choose or figure out which ones are legit/safe/clean.
It's a combination of things. First I find areas I think are good, then I look based on prices and reviews, and finally check for availibility. I think the reviews are the best place though – spots like http://www.hostelworld.com and http://www.mylaterooms.com are helpful too. Of course you can always buy a membership to places like the YHA so you know what you're getting.