Matt Down Under

Another lesson learnt — $60 lost. Today I arrived in Adelaide after I got picked up by a backpacker tour bus late yesterday afternoon in Port Campbell.

We then spent the night in a crappy backpackers in Halls Gap in the Grampians, after a long drive getting there. Accommodation wasn’t included in the tour fare — one of those traps that are common in backpacker tour packages. But what annoyed me more, was, the tour didn’t actually drive to Adelaide, unlike the one I had booked in 2008. This one simply dropped us off in Horsham where they gave us tickets to board the Vline coach to Adelaide. Very funny. As a backpacker in Australia you get ripped off everywhere — I’m so glad I got a bit of experience by now to avoid the big traps, but still.

But today was one of those days, Friday the 13th. First it rained when we went bushwalking in the Grampians, then we had to spend 6h in a Vline coach (which was pretty good quality actually), then came the hostel.

My plan for Adelaide was to just walk into YHA Central, an excellent hostel where I had stayed before. But on the tour I met a nice German girl and she told me of this hostel where it’s so much cheaper than YHA. I liked her so I just followed to see the hostel she meant. It was really cheap so I booked in for three nights before seeing the room.

It was the crappiest hostel ever. The bathroom was full of hair. The first bed I checked was full of sand. The second had a hairy pillow. No way I was going go sleep there.

After a lot of contemplating and the risk of feeling like the diva among backpackers I grabbed my stuff and walked around the corner to the YHA. The friendly receptionist there really made my day, the bed looks fresh and clean and everything looks so much more professional.

The lesson I learned here is, that I should stick to my intuition, no matter how pretty some girls are. I’ve got more experience to know where the good places are, and I know it’s often worth paying $3-4 more per night to have a clean bed, a secure room and a shower that is not disgusting.

Now the thing is, YHA is no guarantee for great quality — I’ve seen some smaller ones that weren’t great, but the big ones in Adelaide or Melbourne are usually great places to stay and worth the money.

And always remember, if a place is cheap, there’s usually a reason for it.

By the way I also signed up for YHA membership again — you get concession everywhere when traveling.