Budget travel in NZ

Imagine arriving at your accommodation for the night and instantly feeling like you belong. The people are friendly, there are other travellers chatting and sharing their discoveries, and the amenities are just what you need - and to top it all, the location is perfect…

You instantly wish you’d booked more than one night. But your itinerary is locked in and you’re moving on in the morning. Bummer, eh!

The good news is that New Zealand has the potential for spontaneous travel and the BBH Network, with 160 hostels around the country, makes it even easier. You can wake up in the morning, discover an off-the-track part of the world to explore and follow your instinct or whim to stay longer.

Yes, there are hotels, motels, hostels, Air B&B’s, plain B&B’s and couch surfing options. Not to mention homestays, farmstays, good stays, and bad stays with beds in sheds and bunks in dumps. They’re all online and listed on a myriad of international booking engines that urge you to “hurry up” and “book now” before you lose out. They don’t want you to know this, but that is all a load of tosh – for most of your stay in New Zealand you don’t have to travel that way; stuck to a pre-booked itinerary.

You don’t need to pre-book your entire stay

The BBH network has been specially created and managed to meet the needs of free independent travellers, latter-day explorers and part-time adventurers – and the BBH brand offers accommodation and information you can trust. Plus, one-third of BBH hostels are only listed with BBH – you won’t find them listed anywhere else, and they’re not chasing guests who aren’t really the hostel type.

Many BBH guests enjoy the rare opportunity to choose their own direction and travel at their own pace, looking for the answer to life, the universe and everything (42 according to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), or to stop and smell the roses.

BBH’s network of independently-owned hostels has delighted travellers from around the world for 30 years by providing specialised accommodation NZ-wide. Our original real-time, offline, face-to-face social network helps our guests to get the most out of their travels: providing places to meet fellow travellers; encounter fresh ideas and philosophies, and even lifechanging experiences in super-convenient or remote and beautiful locations. All at reasonable and reliable prices.

For much of the year, and in most places, it’s easy enough to wander without the restriction of a detailed pre-booked itinerary – and using hostels in the BBH network makes it much easier to achieve.

Sadly, large international Online Travel Agents (OTAs) use their considerable advertising budgets to create a sense that bookings are always essential and urgent. It’s in their own interest to do so because their income comes from the commission they collect on every booking. And they’re very, very good at it.

BBH can’t compete with OTAs advertising budgets, but we come out well ahead on service and the option for far more independent travel.

Our Unique BPP Rating

Ever since 1991 - long before the Internet and the likes of TripAdvisor came along - BBH has provided a unique, NZ-exclusive insight into hostel accommodation.

On one night in February, EVERY guest at every BBH hostel is asked for their opinion of EVERY NZ hostel they have stayed in, on a scale from 1 - 10 for total ENJOYMENT.

For more than a decade, HOPEWELL BBH, a jewel set in the exquisite Marlborough Sounds, has topped the rating charts with scores from 98+ to a perfect and astonishing 100%.

Like many BBH operators, Hopewell’s owner-operators have to love their location, lifestyle, and their guests to achieve and sustain results like that. Hopewell has the attributes of an exclusive luxury resort without hype and hubris.

It would be wonderful if Hopewell could be on everyone’s itinerary, but even if you’re unable to sample Hopewell’s perfection, we’re very confident that our unique and totally NZ-focused BPP rating system is the best guide to NZ’s special places, enjoyed so much for so long, by so many special travellers.

Try it and rely on it for peace of mind when choosing where to stay. It will make planning your unique wander around New Zealand all that more enjoyable.

The BBH Advantage

BBH hostels are all independently owned, but only those meeting BBH’s strict criteria are accepted into the network. All 160 meet their local body requirements including annual safety inspections.

With BBH you also get stable, predictable prices. No surprises, no peak season surcharges. Our published BBH prices are guaranteed. They are changed only twice a year. That means you can reliably budget in advance for an extended visit to NZ. A BBH Club Card makes budgeting even better as you save a minimum of $4 per night on accommodation at BBH hostels.

We’re also very security conscious. There’s no need to give your bank card details to every hostel. All our booking transactions are handled by BBH itself and can be checked on your own personal BBH profile. Your Credit card details are NEVER made available to ANYONE.

BBH is here for you

In the unlikely event of serious disagreement, BBH is able to serve as an intermediary between guests and hostels if necessary. Our email and phone helplines are monitored every day of the year - though not 24 hours - so you’ll never be left waiting too long for a genuine response from a real person.

At BBH hostels there’s an International travellers’ community that adds a special atmosphere to the BBH network. You can enjoy being part of it - even if you’re on a quick flying visit to NZ, with little time to settle.  It’s a big part of what BBH is about. We’re here to make your stay in NZ as enjoyable as possible.

This advertorial was written in 2017 by Shaz for Budget Backpacker Hostels (BBH) for publication in the Gap Guide magazine.