Backpackers: The next generation? - Scholarly Commons Home

Backpackers: The next generation?
ID
Dorms
Rooms
Kitchen
Common Rm
Outside Areas
Quiet / Study
Internet
TV
Used bikes,
kayaks, etc
sm lge priv ensuite B L D
Ken x x x x x x
Helen x x x x x x x
Ingrid x x x x x x x x x
Brian x o x x x x x
James x x x x x x x x x x x
Heinrich x x x x x x x
Birgitta x x x x x x x x x x
Betty x o x o x x x x
Paul x o x o x x
Kim x x x x x x x x x x
Rita x x x o x x x x x x
Wally x x x o x x x x x x
Erich x x x x x x x x x x x
Catherine x o o x x x
Edward x o o x x x
Louise x x x o x x x x x x
x - Frequent use.
o - Occasional use; also dine out, particularly if kitchen cleanliness a concern.
All respondents who use small dorms will use large if needed.
All respondents checked for both private & ensuite will use either available.
Sleeping facilities
Travel Info
appreciated
Most of the backpackers’ accommodations and youth hostels across New
Zealand offer a combination of dormitories and private rooms. All eight of the
sites selected for this research do so. Importantly, seven hosts interviewed are
moving towards additional private facilities, even though at times they reduce
overall bed count to do so.
We just converted a dorm to two double rooms. Ninety percent because of
demand, and because we wanted to quiet down a little bit. We’re gaining
a better lifestyle; we’d rather have two couples than six individuals….
Financially a bit of a step backwards, but in high season, it’s easier (106).
In this research, couples exclusively used private rooms, either with ensuite or
shared bathrooms. Of these, none would rule out staying at a facility where an
ensuite was unavailable, though four women mentioned that they would inspect
the shared bathrooms before checking in. Half of the backpackers’
accommodations reviewed had ensuites. Two owners had just recently
completed additions of ensuite rooms and “they’ve already booked out two
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