Backpackers: The next generation? - Scholarly Commons Home

Backpackers: The next generation?
We’d like to return here when we’re older and other, more adventurous
destinations have gotten too difficult. We feel safe and comfortable here
(Rita).
Only one man offered a comment about safety in New Zealand.
You can leave money on the table and walk away then come back and
know it will be there (Heinrich).
Safety of location was not mentioned per se vis à vis accommodations. Unlike the
Canadian hostel study (Hecht & Martin, 2006), no interviewees mentioned
needing or wanting either front desk staffing 24 hours a day or being concerned
about locks on doors, windows, or bathrooms.
Host / guest interactions
This research suggests that host/guest interactions are to be a key determinant
of the overall experience for older travellers. All of the accommodations
reviewed had the owners or managers living on-site, which is not necessarily the
case in other countries. At each, the actual host was present to check in new
guests and answer questions. All had local tour and travel information available;
several offered either bikes or kayaks for inexpensive hire. When asked, the
hosts were brimming with recommendations about things to see and do in their
area. Fourteen of sixteen backpacker interviewees specifically mentioned the
hosts and their interactions, and defined their stays largely on their initial
reception.
I think it’s how you get the first few sentences – the person in the office,
when they’re friendly, show you the place. Very fast you can figure out if
it’s clean, and am I welcome… ? (James).
A good stay makes you feel welcome, feel comfortable … and has
information for the next thing you want to do, or suggestions that might
interest you. People who have local knowledge, people who are interested
in their customers and says, ‘Oh, it looks like this person might like to do
that’. Somewhere where you don’t feel you’re actually too much of a guest
(Louise).
[If] the owners were there, they’d give you a beer and make you feel at
home. The key thing is that it’s a lifestyle choice and it impacts the whole
atmosphere. They can’t do enough for you. You have an interaction with
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