As we head into winter, budget travel opportunities open up with summer approaching in the Southern Hemisphere.
A new edition of Backpacker Accommodation in Australia — A Ratings Guide has just been published for budget travelers seeking clean, inexpensive accommodations in Australia. Free copies are available at tourism information offices throughout Australia, and the complete contents have also been posted on the Internet.
Australia offers a wide variety of accommodations for budget travelers, but with many hostels operating independently it can be difficult to tell much about the quality of the facilities before you land on the doorstep. Guidebooks and word-of-mouth recommendations certainly help, and this ratings guide will also provide helpful guidance.
The Australian government has recognized the value of independent budget travelers. “In general, backpackers see more of Australia than other kinds of visitors. They stay longer and travel more widely, which means they also spend more nights on average in tourist accommodations,” said Andrew Thomson, federal minister for sport and tourism. The pocket-size booklet, which rates 300 hostels around the country, was created by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) with funding provided by the Office of National Tourism, Department of Industry, Science and Tourism.
Both the backpacker industry and the AAA worked out guidelines for rating the 300 hostels that volunteered to be assessed. The survey was completed in January 1998. The “backpacker” properties were defined as those that offered, at low cost, a range of sleeping arrangements, including dormitories, with communal and self-catering facilities and an emphasis on guest interaction. To qualify for inclusion in the scheme, properties had to be clean and well maintained. Each establishment also had to satisfy building, health, fire safety and local council regulations.
The hostels earned a rating of one to five backpacks. One backpack indicated that the hostel offered clean, simple and basic facilities, and, at the other end of the scale, five backpacks meant a superior standard of facilities. They earned their ratings for items that hostels should possess, including minimum facilities in sleeping, bathroom, communal and kitchen areas as well as appropriate security features and information sources, and for optional elements, such as tour booking services, an extensive range of leisure facilities, and additional security and room features.
Copies of the backpacker ratings guide are available free at hostels in Australia, and the complete contents are posted on the Internet at www.tourism.gov.au/publications/backpack. General information about travel in Australia is available at www.australia.com, or you can call 800-333-0139 for a free Australia Vacation Planning Kit.
The information in the ratings guide is brief. Detailed information on accommodation facilities and local activities is posted on the Internet sites published by the hostel networks. The Australian Youth Hostel Association (YHA), which is affiliated with Hostelling International, has a site at www.wha.org.au. In addition to information on its hostels you’ll find route maps for setting up your own tours and information on discounts available to members of affiliated associations. The Nomads network of hostels has a site at www.nomads-backpackers.com. In addition to photographs and details on its facilities you’ll find information on hostels that can help travelers who have working permits to locate employment (most of these are in agricultural areas).
SOUTH AFRICA
The South African Youth Hostel Association (SAYHA) has introduced low-cost City Packages in three gateway cities.
The SAYHA City Discover Packages include three nights dormitory accommodations and two full days of touring in each location. For example, the Johannesburg version, which costs $99, includes a one-day tour that takes you to a lion reserve, Sun City (famous for its casino) and Pilanesberg Game Park for an afternoon drive. On the second day this introduction to South Africa visits an African muti (medicine) shop where you can learn about traditional healing and beliefs. The tour also goes to the South African Breweries Centennial Centre, Museum Africa and the Carlton Centre — for a view of the countryside from 50 floors up. Then it’s on to Gold Reef City, an authentic reproduction of Johannesburg at the turn of the century, with an opportunity to go down a mine shaft for an additional $6.
The Durban City Discovery Package, which also costs $99, begins with an introduction to the lifestyle and culture of the Zulu nation on a walk through the Valley of 1000 Hills. Stops are made at villages where you join a local family for a traditional Zulu meal. The second day of touring includes a visit to the KwaMuhle Museum, which is dedicated to the history of apartheid, then a city walk through the Indian market and a visit to low-cost housing projects, which are at the forefront of the government’s new housing policies. Part of the tour is by foot, and you join a local family for lunch.
The Cape Town City Discovery Package costs $131. The first day of this package is spent exploring the Wineland regions, stopping for tastings at several locations and enjoying a picnic lunch before going on to one of the local townships for a concise historical orientation of African culture and a visit with local residents. The trip back to Cape Town offers a view of the famous Table Mountain from across Table Bay. The second day is spent exploring the Atlantic coast. At Hout Bay you have a choice of wandering around the fish market and visiting shops or taking an optional cruise over to Seal Island for $4. Then it’s on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where you have the choice of seeing it by bus or bike. If you choose to cycle, the sag wagon is never far off.
The SAYHA packages include dormitory accommodations. If twin/double rooms are available you can pay a supplement and upgrade. Picnic lunches are included in the Cape Town and Durban packages. To book before leaving North America contact Goway Travel: 416-322-1034 or 800-387-8850 (e-mail: res@goway.com).
The South Africa Youth Hostel Association was founded in 1954. There are now 40 affiliated hostels in the cities and main tourist centers of South Africa. The facilities vary from “resort-style” hostels with swimming pools and lots of amenities to rural locations with up to four people sleeping in a rondavel (beehive hut). Hostels offer travel services, cooking facilities and a common room and/or TV lounge. Some can book you onto overland safaris, surfing excursions, big game and whale watching tours, white-water rafting trips and ethnic tours.
You can contact the SAYHA directly at 3rd Floor, St George’s House, 73 St. George’s Mall, Cape Town 8001 South Africa (e-mail: info@hisa.org.za; Internet: www.hisa.org.za).
