On my first trip I did not even consider bringing a padlock. Despite taking every gadget somebody recommended on a forum, a lock didn’t even come up. And why would I need one anyway?
Answer: Hostel Lockers.
Well before my first hostel stay, I wouldn’t have guessed. Sure, you find out that hostels have lockers but in my head that meant a small locker for your valuables like a hotel, not the large backpack-sized lockers you will usually be allocated. I actually found myself relying on my room locker quite a lot for some peace of mind. It’s easy to be paranoid when all of your belongings fit into one bag that can easily be snatched.
Anyway, what I’m getting at here is that you need to provide a padlock to secure it. There’s no doubt you will be able to buy one at the hostel reception. Quite frankly it’s bad business for them not to. But it will most likely be a pathetic looking lock that comes with a flimsy easy-to-lose key. Or in my case during my first hostel stay in LA, I got one of those twisty combination locks American kids use on school lockers. It literally took me an hour to work out how to use it…
It just makes life a little easier if you bring your own.
Just remember that lockers in all hostels are different. From your standard metal locker to a normal cupboard you can lock, they will always have different sized metal loops to attach your lock to. I would suggest buying a medium sized combination lock with a long-ish loop to cover all bases.
I should note that this only applies to hostels in Australia and America (and New Zealand I would presume). In Asia, you pretty much have no hope of securing your valuables… Sometimes you’ll find a hotel-like box of a locker to put your passport in but most of the time you will have to leave everything you own in your room, secured with an easily broken lock. But in a weird way thats kind of part of the adventure. And really you shouldn’t have that many valuables anyway.
Buy a combination lock on Amazon here – TSA Combination Padlock
Anyway moral of the story: Bring a Padlock!
I took a padlock I found with a wire attached. It always worked, even with the most awkward hostel lockers. My friend had a normal padlock and there were a few times he couldn’t lock his locker properly and had to put all his valuables in mine. You can get one on amazon here http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000TGMODG/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I Suggest you should bring your own padlocks (The thicker the better) and you should not depend on the hotel safe that is provided by the management. It’s better to secure and to make sure that we have a peace of mind in terms of valuable things.