Reading the listing
Filter reviews to the last six months and search them for the words that matter: locker, theft, bedbugs, staff, neighborhood. One bad story is noise, and three alike are a pattern. Look for a desk staffed around the clock, key-card access to both the building and the room, lockers big enough for a whole pack, and a walk from the nearest transit stop that you would be willing to make at night. Many hostels offer smaller dorms and single-gender dorms for a few dollars more, and a four-bed room sees far less traffic than a sixteen-bed one.
Your things
Bring your own padlock, since hostels sell them at a markup and many lockers come without one. Passport, spare card, cash and electronics go into the locker every time you leave the room and every time you sleep, and that includes a phone charging across the room overnight. Split cash and cards between two places so that one theft does not take everything. Most hostel theft is opportunistic and is committed by other guests, so the defense is mostly a matter of never leaving a laptop on the bunk while you shower.
The bunk and the building
The bottom bunk lets you get out fast, keep your bag in sight and reach your locker without climbing over anyone. On arrival, walk the route from your bed to the nearest exit and find the stairs, because converted old buildings can be mazes in the dark. Before you unpack, pull back the sheet and check the mattress seams and bed frame joints for bedbugs. The signs are rust-colored stains, tiny dark specks and the insects themselves, which are about the size of an apple seed. If you find any, ask for a different room or leave. Keep your bag on a rack or in the locker, never on the bed.
The people
Common rooms are the point of a hostel, and most people in them are exactly what they appear to be. Even so, keep your room number and onward plans vague with anyone you met an hour ago, watch your drink being poured and keep it in your hand, and tell the front desk at once if someone in the dorm makes you uneasy. Good hostels will move you or them without argument. If the staff shrug, move on, because one forfeited night costs very little.
Tip Pack earplugs, an eye mask and a pair of shower sandals. None of them is safety gear, but a rested traveler makes better decisions than a tired one.
