Backpackers Hostels Blog

Hostel Staff: More than just a cheery smile

2012-05-28T21:59:55Z

People would think that working at one of the many properties Nomads Hostels have, is pretty straight forward, check in, provide internet credit and check out. Many would say that robots are going to be doing our jobs in a few years. Well you are mistaken, Nomads Queenstown backpackers hostel has an excellent staff rating and of course for a simple reason, we are AWESOME at our jobs. Here are some skills that not many people see but the staff are indeed very good at:

Maintenance: Many of our staff members are pretty handy around the hostel, mainly the fella’s but not counting out the ladies who are also pretty handy around the place. In particular we have a member of staff who we should just call ‘Bob the builder’ cause there is probably nothing in this hostel that he can’t fix. Surprisingly he didn’t build the hostel (although I am sure he could have with a McGuyver tool kit – a piece of string, a pen and a used tissue) I know when he has been ‘down’ he has broken something, then when someone notices it, he fixes it to heap all the praise from his fellow colleagues as an ego boost (believe it or not this has happened) and although we don’t condone that sort of behaviour about breaking things, we know that he needs the attention.

Firefighter and part-time model: Yip, one of our staff members is a firefighter and model, he got his recent firefighters badge for putting out a fire and ushering everyone to safety and out of harms way. He also does part-time photo shoots (pretty much every hen or stag party that sees him wants a picture, not to mention random girls on a night out). He hasn’t got an agent but I reckon if he did, he could endorse more hair products than David Beckham. He is also the Nomads poster boy and will probably be available for hire when you arrive.

Singer: One of our talented staff should have entered Pop Idol when it first started, she would have won hands down. Most people who stayed here over Christmas were lucky enough to have had the chance to hear her screech, 10 alley cats could not bring down the greenhouse quite like her. The majority of the songs she sings are Scottish but we don’t mind. I mean who wouldn’t like to be woken up to the sound of fingers scratching across a blackboard at 10 in the morning. If you see her, ask her to belt out a tune for you, believe me it is a life changing experience.

Travel guru’s: One of the great things about our staff here, is we will bend over backwards to cater for your needs, wants and desires. If you wish to get an adrenalin filled day, they know just the things to keep you going for a full day, a luxurious cruise down Milford sound, they are definitely the ones to go and see. They will phone and barter with every operator in Queenstown to ensure you get the best deal available and it is just a quick walk downstairs next to reception.

Doctors: Now we know backpackers have close relations with the people they travel with but sometimes they find themselves isolated and alone and just in need of someone to chat to and offer them a bit of advice or to touch up the wound they incurred walking barefoot around town or falling off the table they were dancing on. This mainly happens at night but the dudes who work the night time are more than capable of this and always on hand to offer sound, sober advice to anyone wanting to listen, as they work alone and don’t get to have too much banter until the morning guys and girls arrive or give you the medical attention you need.

Collectively as a team, we also train younger students eager to learn how things work here. We have students arriving from overseas all the time to do their internships here and all have left here very happy that they have learnt valuable information from all the crazy staff here. We have been lucky enough to have some different characters here who have all brought their own brand of craziness to our team and some great bonds have been made over the years.

One thing is for sure, is that the staff from Nomads Queenstown backpackers hostel know how to enjoy themselves whilst working and always provide a friendly and efficient service whatever time of day. If you are lucky enough to see one of the staff out and about in town, be a mate and buy them a drink cause that is another thing they are AWESOME at. If you haven’t been to Nomads Queenstown, come pop in and see the crazy cats that work there and enjoy your stay in the best Hostel in New Zealand*.

*Nomads Queenstown has been voted the Best Hostel in New Zealand by backpackers at the Golden Backpack Awards, TNT.

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Fishing in Cairns :)

2012-05-28T21:50:56Z

Hi, It’s Kevin again, one of the interns at Nomads Cairns Backpackers hostel. I am writing this blog to tell you all about the awesome fishing night out I had with a few friends last week. It was quiet a spontaneous trip but that’s the beauty of Cairns, there is always something to do. So after work one night I had just finished eating my dinner at Nomads Cairns bistro when a friend suggested that we all went fishing “HELL YEAH” was my response as we grabbed our gear and loaded it up into the truck and drove off into the night. There was only a small group of 5 of us, 4 dudes and Sam the fish whisper.

We left the hostel and headed straight to liquorland to stock up on alcohol for the trip. We then headed straight down to the Barron river to catch some live bait. The fish here love fresh prawns. We only needed to cast the net 5 times before we had enough prawns to last us the whole night and bonus we even caught some good sized millet fish. After this we hit the road again to find a space along Cairns fishing pier (down by the marina). When we arrive we set up camp waiting for bites whilst drinking our lovely cold beers. Although it was a brilliant night for socialising our fishing skills were not up to scratch with the men of the group catching no fish!!!

Sam the fish whisper however, managed to catch three fish. The lucky girl! Putting us men to same. So we did one any real man would do and had another beer and packed the fishing gear and our pride into the car and headed for a manly burger from MacDonald’s. Hopefully the next trip will bring us better luck.

Although you do not have to have a licence in Cairns to fish, there are a few restrictions, check out the Recreational Fishing Rules in QLD to check what you can and cant do.

If you are a beginner to fishing or would like to visit some of the local hot spots in the area there are many local tours that can take you out for either a half day, or full day fishing. Davy and the Mad Travel Desk can help you book all these.

So why not add fishing onto the must do list when visiting us at Nomads Cairns Backpackers hostel.

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Have a Bear Grylls Style Adventure in Byron Bay

2012-05-28T21:23:34Z

I have just booked a trip for an English backpacker who booked pretty much what I will describe as the ultimate “Bear Grylls Style Adventure” Package. So let’s tell the story of his soon to be adventure and let’s name him Charlie.

Charlie was tired and had been up jamming with the locals at a local pub in Byron Bay. He had decided to park his Jucy campervan for the night and get a decent nights sleep at Nomads Byron Bay Backpackers Hostel as he had booked a skydive the next day. He didn’t realise a small coastal town could be so lively on a Tuesday. So he awoke to his alarm and waited patiently and slightly anxiously to be picked up. Finally he was picked up by Skydive Byron Bay and taken to the fields and up and away on the plane. He looked at the window to see a clear view of the ocean, flowing hills and lush subtropical bushland.

“This is it!” says the instructor who with a moments movement had them falling 14,000 ft out into the open air. “Holy shit, Holy shit!” was all Charlie could think feeling more alive than ever. When he landed he had already decided to do it again in Mission Beach.

So what does one do now when they have adrenaline pumping through their veins and a beautiful day ahead of them? Charlie had been on the Mojo Spot X surf camp so he decided to hire a board and hit the point.

But hell, the ocean was huge! Big swell had come through so he decided to stay on the outside section at local spot, The Pass. When he was done, he hid his board in the bushes and trekked up to the Byron Bay lighthouse. Being whale season he saw pods of them, dolphins too, manta rays and sharks all swimming in the vast body of ocean as though people swarming the streets. “This is incredible, so this is what it means to be a marine park, life.” So he booked in to do an intro dive with Byron bay Dive Centre at Julian Rocks, a small rock formation off the coast. “The beauty of the Julian rocks is,” says the marine studies student taking the group out on the boat, “is that this is where the cold water meets the warm which creates the enormous biodiversity. When you are really lucky you get to see an endangered and harmless Grey Nurse shark.”

Charlie saw things he didn’t believe were possible. An array of sea life that he certainly didn’t expect to see on this part of the coast. So excited by the natural beauty of Byron Bay he decided to go on an evening Eco Tour, The night Vision Walk. This included actual Call of Duty style night vision goggles! “Yew!” he thought, “to the bush!” The experience was truly unique. Seeing Australia’s native animals in their natural environment, not disturbing them gave the opportunity to see something only imaginable on a Steve Irwin documentary.

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We did it – Bungy in Cairns!

2012-05-24T22:23:41Z

Isn’t it lovely to meet people from your hometown on the other side of the world?

Trust me, it’s awesome to see a face you know ! My dutch friend Mandy who is currently working for Nomads Westend Backpackers Hostel in Sydney, came over to Cairns for a short holiday. While I was working on reception at Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel she was picked up by our free pick up service and finally walked into the hostel where I was already waiting with a big hug to welcome her.

She had already booked the most awesome trips at MAD Travel desk earlier and I got so jealous when I heard about her upcoming activities: diving in the Great Barrier Reef, Skydiving and a trip to Cape Tribulation. And guess what? She booked me onto one of her adventures!

First I was extremely happy, couldn’t wait to do it too. It was scheduled for Thursday and as you might know, Wednesday is Pubcrawl time. So we went out and the later it got the more nervous I got!

You want to know what I’m talking about? Our first BUNGYJUMP! OMG.

At 11 a.m. we were picked up with four friends in front of the hostel to drive to the AJ Hackett Bungy sight in Cairns!

What an awesome place. A bar, music, terrace, smoking area (yea important on a day like this) and lovely people. It’s an awesome atmosphere up there.

So up to 50 meters height with the four of us ! And guess what – I had to jump first… Staying there and looking down, I was so extremely scared… I was in fact that scared that I couldn’t jump.

So the instructor suggested that I do the jump backwards, which meant he would hold me on my harness and as soon as I would let go he gives me a little push. Oh my god… Fine… 4 minutes later after I finally took my hands off him for 1 sec he dropped me. I can tell you it was freaking amazing (even so it took a second to get over the shock)!! What a feeling, awesome!

After my jump, it was Mandy’s turn. And yes she was more brave then me! She only waited 1 minute and jumped!! Good on you girl!

We went back to Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel with a great feeling: Yes we DID it!

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Let’s go to Tasmania!!

2012-05-23T21:21:18Z

Tasmania is a beautiful, little (compared to the rest of Australia) island a 1 hour flight from Melbourne away and definitely a destination in Australia that one shouldn’t miss!

If you are in Melbourne you should take some days and head down south, trust me you won’t regret it!! If you want to see all of ‘Tassie’ take at least one week, but shorter trips are possible as well. I was only down there for 4 days and already saw loads!! The first day we went up to Freycinet National park and did the 1 hour return walk up to the Wineglass Bay Lookout and a couple of smaller walks within the National park. The amazing scenery and the view was well worth climbing up the 300 steps to the lookout! You could easily spend the whole day in this area of Tasmania but as I was staying in Hobart one day was all I could do.

Next day we were heading over to Port Arthur, a spot where you can learn about the convicts in Australia. Aside from that it is a beautiful spot right on the water (Bonus: a short cruise is include in the entry fee!!) and you can easily wander around for many hours! About 5km from Port Arthur back to Hobart there is a small Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary and a great chance to see those shy animals up close (they do feedings a few times a day and it is definitely worth sticking around for one of them).

On my last day we were heading west to Mount Field National Park. The weather wasn’t on our side at this one and it was raining pretty much non-stop but that didn’t hold us back to do a few of the smaller walks. The first one goes up to 2 waterfalls and the second one is the Tall-Tree walk. You can combine all walks together but because of the rain we split them up.

And then it was already time to head back to Nomads Melbourne Backpackers Hostel after these awesome days in Tasmania.

Because Tasmania is so small you don’t have very long driving times between your destinations which is great! So if you love being outside and love to do some walks, head over to Tasmania! If you want to know what else is there to do once you are over there or you need information about tours & adventures, come and see us at the Mad Travel Shop in your Nomads Hostel.

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Horse Riding

2012-05-22T23:52:21Z

I hate horses. I make no bones about it. To be fair I think the feeling’s mutual. So when I went Horse Trekking (in Geraldine near Christchurch) with Peel Forest Horse Trekking, I must admit, I wasn’t overjoyed, however, I was soon won over. We got to the riding school and I reluctantly exited the bus to be greeted by almost a dozen horses. Oh great. Seeing as there were more people than horses we were split into two groups, I vehemently insisted on going in the second group as I wasn’t quite ready mentally to embark a large unpredictable animal just yet. As the first group trotted on ahead the obviously fearful and pathetic group followed behind on foot.

We split up and headed to a gorgeous river with an amazing mountainous backdrop, there we chilled out whilst waiting for the first group to finish their trek.

When they finally arrived back from their horse trekking adventure everyone seemed to be on a high – they had loved it, this comforted me slightly and I was prepared to give it a go myself. Before we exchanged places the guide asked for a volunteer to swim with the horses. I wasn’t that confident and let the thrillseekers give it a go. The saddles were removed and Mark from Nomads Queenstown Backpackers Hostel took the challenge, he jumped on and rode his horse into the water, before we knew it he was submerged and Mark and his horse were fully swimming, it was actually an amazing thing to witness.

“Next groups up”, ah man.

I took a helmet and picked the friendliest looking horse I could find and attempted to jump on. For some reason I thought jumping on would be a movie moment like John Wayne in an old western, however my attempt was more of a Mr Bean comedy moment, with a little bit of a push I was mounted.

I instantly felt uneasy, but everyone else had raved about how much fun they had just had, so I sucked it up and began the trot with the rest of the group. We headed through some woods and trotted in a line one by one, up down I bobbed, I held the reigns and felt my confidence grow. The beauty of our surroundings made me forget all about my previous fears and as I watched the sun setting slowly I felt as if I were in paradise, then something happened, something that could only happen to me, my horse decided he didn’t like the route we were following and walked directly through the thorn bushes, awesome, I’d chosen the rebel.

A few cuts and scratches later we rejoined the path and continued on to our next hurdle, a small river. As everyone trotted through it with ease, again a moment which could only happen to me, my horse decided not to walk straight ahead, but to walk down the river and as it got deeper and deeper I feared for the safety of me and my camera equipment, I somehow managed, and I have no recollection now due to the sheer panic, to get my horse back to the path without injury or water damage, success.

I admit, it was comedy gold, everyone found it hilarious so I laughed it off and continued ahead. I was enjoying myself regardless of my rebel horse but the horse trekking had come to an end and after a steep incline we were back at the centre and disembarking our horses. I’d had an awesome time and would highly recommend it to anyone. Thanks to Peel Forest Horse Trekking and Stray Travel for having us.

About the Author: Laura can be found behind reception at Nomads Auckland backpackers hostel (and if she’s not there she’s probably in The Camel Bar just down the road!)

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Secret Spy Agent Stray Famil…

2012-05-20T23:52:04Z

Now that had to be the best week/weekend ever in my many years of living… A few of us sexy, secret, spy agents (travel agents) from Australia and New Zealand were lucky to score a spot on a 5 day Stray Travel trip with our driver Scratch and so cool host Casey.

So once upon a time, all of us S.S.S. agents started our TRIP with a few drinks and pizza and introducing ourselves to everyone on the tour whereas for others it was a good excuse to get absolutely blasted knowing full well that we had an early departure.

It hit 6:45am and our very own Maebh was not on the bus departing from Nomads Queenstown Backpackers Hostel, but luckily we had to stop back at another hostel to pick up all the other sleepy heads and from there we finally started our 5-day journey living our lives like backpackers. A journey that I myself would be doing and I was very much afraid of doing it because I am a big girl lol. We finally reached Milford Sound, just in time to board the Miter Peak battleship, where we were greeted with free lunch, which was my favourite part of the cruise haha. An hour and a half later of the most entertaining on board commentary around Milford Sound we made our way towards Guns Camp for our 1st night accommodation full of alcohol and drinking games and puzzle time!!haha yes we were officially the 1st and the coolest secret agents to do a 1000 piece puzzle on a travel agent trip.

After an epic first night, it was time for the tourism capital of New Zealand and I’m happy to say my new home… QUEENSTOWN!!! Casey had a big surprise for us and it was the AJ Hackett Nevis Bungy jump.

It was an exciting time for all of us, especially for those that have never done it before which was the majority of the travel agents. Adrenaline was pumping high after the jumps and to top if off we got lunch which was once again my favourite part lol. It was lugeing time and there was no messing around there, no more friends and no more Mr Nice-Guy, it was that time to seperate boys from the men… And as for that night, that night will not be spoken of as we all swore not to talk about what ever happened during this trip.

Early morning is a pain in the a$$ especially after a massive night, that morning I felt very special and this time the bus had to wait for me. Now there are many ways of getting rid of a hangover in Queenstown, and Canyon Swing is one of them, that morning a few of us soldiers were brave enough to do a canyon swing in the freezing weather with Claire and her awesome crew. A must-do activity while in Queenstown btw!!!

Then it was time for Mount Cook and that place was just ridiculously beautiful, 360 degrees of natural beauty. Now the best part of a mountain was of course dinner time, food was always my favourite part of the famil.

Next day would have to be my favourite… I got to go ice skating for the first time, horse riding for the first time and rafting with the Rangitata Rafting crew… It was epic! I think my skills were obvious and I rocked the Ice Skating helmet like a warrior! Horse riding was awesome.

I’m not too sure if Maebh enjoyed like I did, because she looked pretty terrified… Her actual words were, “this is the closest to a farm like situation I have ever been” Ha ha. Rafting on the other hand was fun for everyone. It was challenging and rewarding and we were welcomed by the Rangitata rafting guys with a big feast. I do love my food. We ended this amazing day with singing songs including a little bit of everyone’s culture. It was great.

The final day was spent saying goodbye and reminiscing over the last few days events. Everyone really enjoyed the whole trip and I am happy to say that we have all stayed in touch and made some awesome friends.

From Mark and Maebh here at Nomads Queeenstown, Cheers to the guys at Stray and everyone for being such good banter!

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The End to my East Coast Adventure

2012-05-17T21:01:41Z

After spending the last 3 months travelling up the East Coast, I have finally reached the last stop of my adventure: Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel. This place has a lot to live up to as the East Coast has provided some awesome experiences. With Fraser Island, the Whitsundays and the party lifestyle of Surfers Paradise, I’ve really had the time of my life.

And Cairns has not disapointed me!!! Arriving at Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel, I was lucky enough to already have a job to work here, so I quickly got settled and then went to find out what Cairns had to offer. At reception I immediately heard of the pub crawl they hold every Wednesday night (stories of dancing on tables and amazing nights) and I must say this is one of the best things about Nomads Cairns, they hold different activities every day, so if you’re travelling alone or in a group it’s a great way to meet other people and have fun, and also most of the activities have chances to win great prizes… and every backpacker loves free stuff, right?!

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the main reasons I was excited to get to Cairns, as well as the tropical rainforest. So one of the first things I did was go and see Davy on the Mad Travel Shop desk in the hostel. He is an experienced backpacker and will give you some great travel advise or book your favourite activity.

I let my dare devil side out and booked a skydive, a bungee jump and ‘extreme’ white water rafting. After hearing everyone talk about how amazing it is to dive out of a plane 14,000ft above Mission Beach, I’m so excited & a little bit nervous to put on a tandem parachute and try it myself soon. The bungee is the one that is causing the most butterflies though… will I have the nerve to jump or not?? Well I guess we’ll find out pretty soon.

Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel may be the final destination of my East Coast trip, but it certainly doesn’t mean the adventure stops here.

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Radio Competition took us to JAPAN!!

2012-05-16T22:30:14Z

I have never won any sort of competition ever in my life, maybe the odd prize from a raffle but that’s about it, so we could not believe our luck when we got a phone call from our local Cairns radio station saying that we were one of 8 finalists and we were in with a chance of winning a trip to Japan.

A friend of mine here at Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel entered me into this competition, without thinking we’d get anywhere, but lo and behold we made it to the finals. Basically the competition involved asking the radio host a question and the top 2 questions asked, won. So the morning arrived where I received a phone call from the radio station and I was live on air, ready to ask the one important question to the presenters.

On the day the competition winners got announced all 8 finalists, and their plus one, had to arrive at the radio station and everyone was to be put in taxi’s. All 8 taxi’s would drive to the airport, 6 of which would do a u-turn and drive to a Japanese restaurant and 2 taxi’s would carry on to the international airport and immediately board to Tokyo.

We arrived at the radio station and seeing all the other people made us think, that realistically we were not going to win but hey ho we had come this far, lets get in the taxi and see what happens. On the way to the airport we drove past Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel where we saw all the staff huddled around a little radio behind reception. On our way to the airport the nerves were at an all high time and we couldn’t believe that in 5 minutes time we could either be back on our way to Nomads Cairns Backpackers Hostel or on an airplane to JAPAN.

We approached the round about at the airport and saw several taxi’s in front of us do a U-Turn. When going around the roundabout I was just waiting for the taxi to turn but… IT NEVER DID. We did it! We were on our way to Japan. Screaming with excitement we were rushed into the airport terminal and put straight on air to be interviewed. Within 2 hours we were on our way to Japan!

After an action packed 5 amazing days of site seeing, skiing and 5 star hostels, it was time to return home to Cairns and most importantly the beautiful hot weather that the area has to offer.

I can only advise you all to test your luck and just take part in some funny competitions. Even if it’s just a quiz night in your Nomads Hostel you can win awesome prizes!

Thanks to the awesome crew of 103.5 Hot FM for making this possible!!

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Sky-rocket in flight!

2012-05-16T22:29:00Z

Auckland SkyTower (Photo credit: fremat)

I never thought that I would be the one standing at the top of the highest building in the southern hemisphere about to step off. However, I was! Not because times were tough, but because my wonderful friend Ben from Big Night Out called me and said, “Hi would you like to do a jet boat ride today?”. Liar!

The Auckland Skytower is not and never has been a location for jet boating!

As I was working in the brand new Mad Travel Shop located underneath Nomads Auckland backpackers hostel on Fort street, Ben thought it would be a great idea to get a full view of the city, a view from 192m high!

The awesome Benny who runs the bar crawls was also in Auckland so he collected me and off we went. To be honest I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to do it, but he had already organised it and I knew he would never let me live it down if I didn’t do the SkyJump. As you walk towards this monumental sky scraper you begin to realise the sheer height of it.

After putting on my amazing superhero onesy we made our way to the top of the skytower. Floor after floor passed as we went up in the lift (with a scary glass floor!) and we still weren’t at the top. Just to help build the nerves we shared our lift with some other people who were about to embark on the SkyWalk. Finally we made it and went out to the waiting area. You can see people jump from here and hear the incredibly loud whoosh of the wire as someone drops to the ground. If you weren’t nervous before this, you definitely would be now!

I had to go first, my heart was in my mouth. Edging out side by side with the instructor and every safety clip double checked, I shook to my core. It’s surprising that even though you are filled to the brim with fear, you still step off the edge and let yourself hover above the city.

After a brief photo you glide to the bottom of the tower taking in the view and feeling like you are flying. It was amazing. Now for someone who was so scared to start with, my god did I surprise myself when they offered us a second SkyJump and I leaped up to get there first. Haha.

This is one of my favourite things that I have done. Thanks to Ben and Auckland Skytower for this amazing day! And thanks to the staff at Nomads Auckland for looking after me on my short job swap from Nomads Queenstown backpackers hostel.

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