Hostelworld , http://www.hostelworld.com/ , is a reservation service with detailed reviews and ratings of independent and HI hostels by backpackers. There's a 10 percent nonrefundable deposit; part of the $2 service charge is donated to UNICEF.By Sue Kovach Shuman, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, August 6, 2006; Page P07
At 52, I'm no youth. But I'm hooked on hostels.
And I'm not alone. Mark Vidalin, marketing director of Hostelling International, says about 10 percent of HI's 3.2 million members worldwide are over 55.
I've stayed in top-notch hotels in Asia, Europe and the United States, but I stretch my budget overseas where the dollar is weak. Give me bunk beds and shared showers instead of four stars if the location is good.
Bunks are often in stunning locations. In a whitewashed cottage last summer at Pwll Deri in Wales, the sound of waves splashing against cliffs lulled me to sleep. Under a brilliant morning sky, I roamed rocky fields filled with sheep. Cost per night: $37 for a double.
This July, I walked everywhere from Hostel Kinizsi in Budapest, a block from the Danube River ($30 per night for a double). This was not an HI-affiliated hostel; I couldn't bring myself to pay the nearly $100 the official one was charging for a double. But the Kinizsi -- a university dorm that opens its rooms to travelers in summer -- was a fine substitute. My Munich hostel, Munchen-Thalkirchen, in a residential neighborhood two blocks from the subway, was HI-affiliated and charged a more reasonable $61 -- which included breakfast with dark German breads, meats and cheeses. On a staffer's tip, we watched the final World Cup match over schnitzel a block away at a neighborhood beer garden.
Since my first hostel stay -- 1989 in London's Lancaster Gate, with children in tow -- the concept has changed. Many places today have private rooms and baths, fridges, microwaves, even Internet and tourist information desks. Some offer meals at prices far below those at local restaurants. There may be homey touches like herbal teas in the cupboard for late-night sippers. Sheets are usually included, and helping with chores is often optional.
"Older adults often ask us if they can do anything -- or just start helping," Milannee St. Hill, manager of the Victorian-style Santa Cruz (Calif.) Hostel, said in an e-mail. "Many young kids haven't got to that point yet." About a quarter of Santa Cruz's guests are older than 50, she said, and are "comfortable with . . . dorm rooms, characters, sometimes squeaky beds, mismatched sheets and comforters, etc."
Some "characters" are fellow travelers with insiders' tips on the best roads, pubs or festivals -- advice beyond that found in guidebooks. Sharing food or drink -- but you don't have to -- can turn conversation around the fireplace into a party.
One rainy evening in England's Peak District, my family shared our pasta and salad with two other guests, a British plumber-motorcyclist and a disillusioned South Dakota chef. The first contributed a bottle of wine; the latter pulled freshly picked herbs and a tiny bottle of his own spice mix from his bag to transform an ordinary meal into gourmet fare. Both washed dishes.
I love to cook, so when traveling I seek out produce markets and grocery stores. With a kitchen-equipped hostel, often cheaper than a rental apartment, lamb chops and vegetables become dinner after sightseeing -- with money left to splurge at a restaurant locals rave about.
There have been downsides -- a manager's wake-up whistle, street noise, a scolding for not leaving my key at the desk of an urban hostel.
But no bedbugs. We got those at a French two-star.
By: Anne McDonough, Washigton Post, Sunday, August 6, 2006
BOOKING A BUNK: The nonprofit International Youth Hostel Federation (also known as Hostelling International , 011-44-17-07-32-4170, http://www.hihostels.com/ ) is a worldwide umbrella organization. Membership with the American affiliate, Hostelling International-USA (301-495-1240, http://www.hiusa.org/ ), is free for those under 18, $28 a year for ages 18 to 54, and $18 for ages 55 and older. A lifetime membership is $250, regardless of age. Membership includes access to 4,000-plus overseas hostels and roughly 100 domestic ones, plus travel discounts and basic travel insurance. Nonmembers can stay in HI hostels but must pay a supplement, which varies by hostel.
Overseas HI hostels can be booked online ( http://www.hihostels.com/ ) for a small fee and 5 percent deposit, both nonrefundable (there's a 10 percent deposit, but no fee, when booking in person at HI centers, which are listed on the Web site under "Book a Hostel"). The balance must be paid to the hostel in the local currency.
Contact information for North American locations is available online (http://www.hihostels.ca and http://www.hiusa.org/ ); booking for many must be done directly through the hostel. Prices and types of hostels vary: Seven dollars will get you a bed and breakfast at the intimate 32-bed Thanh Van Hostel in Hoi An, Vietnam, for example, while the 220-bed Stayokay Hostel in The Hague offers dorm beds with breakfast for about $28 and up.
Private hostels are often cheaper than HI hostels in the same cities, and there are no membership fees. Guidebooks, Web sites (see below) and word-of-mouth are the best ways to find good independent hostels.
Want the camaraderie without the communal sleeping? As with HI hostels, many facilities offer double or single rooms in addition to dorm rooms. Also, prices, facilities and rules -- regarding age limits, lockouts, length of stays, coed accommoda- tions, left luggage, etc. -- vary depending on location.
WHAT TO TAKE: Dollar stores are a great resource for many of the items below. Initially, everything you pack should fit into your backpack -- no clipping items on the outside. (Hanging wet laundry and shoes off your pack is resourceful on the road but not when checking luggage.) Include a day pack so that you can leave most of your cheap but worldly goods in the hostel while you're out exploring. Pack everything you think you'll need, then unpack and ditch a third of it. Chances are you won't miss it, and your back will thank you for it.
· Bring zip-lock bags or large spill-proof Eagle Creek Pack-It Sacs (800-874-1048, http://www.eaglecreek.com/ ; $12) for wet or dirty stuff, but leave the plastic grocery bags at home; nothing ticks off those in a communal room more than plastic rustling as you leave for your bus at 5 a.m.
· Pour liquid toiletries into small travel bottles . The peppermint scent of Dr. Bronner's all-purpose soap (760-743-2211, http://www.drbronner.com/ ; $3.33 for travel size, order with friends to beat the $20 minimum) is heaven on the road, plus it doubles as a shampoo and laundry detergent. A tiny spray bottle of -- don't laugh -- Febreze or some other fabric freshener also comes in handy (Note from your webmaster - Febreze can significantly reduce your laundry needs).
· Skip an expensive prepared first-aid kit ; make your own with a zip-lock bag, Band-Aids in various sizes, antibiotic ointment, aspirin and anti-nausea medication, and include any destination-specific medicine you need.
· Take a sleep sheet , available through Magellan's (800-962-4943, http://www.magellans.com/ ; $40US) and other outfitters. Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca or on Richmond Road in Ottawa's Westboro district) has a silk bag liner that scrunches up very small for $43. Capital City Luggage at 137 Wellington St West in Ottawa offers a stiny sheet bag for $34.95. Or sew two old sheets together; leave the top quarter of the sack un-sewn so that the lower layer can cover your pillow and the top layer can fold down over the hostel's blanket. Some hostels don't allow sleep sheets, but it will come in handy as a train or bus blanket.
· Take a metal or plastic mug with handles. It's a coffee mug and a toothbrush/toothpaste carryall for the communal bathrooms, and it can clip to your bag with a carabiner (pack at least one of those handy metal clips, preferably several).
· Hostel self-catering kitchens will have basic cooking implements -- great for saving money and meeting people. Bring your own small bowl, folding knife and utensils. The Chow Set's fork, knife and spoon by Campmor nestle into each other for easy packing (1-888-226-7667, http://www.campmor.com or local outdoor stores - about $3).
· Fl ip-flops will save you from hostel bathroom-feet, double as walking shoes and can clip on the outside of your pack.
· A bandanna can serve as a headband, washcloth, napkin, handkerchief, emergency tie when your shoulder strap breaks -- and it can mark your place in the standing-room-only areas at the opera house in Vienna.
· Bring a quick-drying towel , or if you're a bit more adventurous, just a few washcloths that you can buy and discard en route. If you shower the day you leave a hostel, you're carting around anything wet until you reach the next one.
· Get the smallest possible travel alarm clock and have handy a set of replacement batteries. After that, buy on the road. (Batteries are heavy and easy to find.)
· A deck of cards will help you make friends and can serve as one when you're still solo after a 24-hour train ride.
· A money belt is essential. Sleep with it on, bring it into the shower area with you (wrap it in your towel) and keep it tucked away under your waistband at all other times. Keep cash for daily expenses in an easier-to-access place, reaching into the belt only for your passport, train tickets and credit cards.
· Paperback books are good conversation starters, the perfect solo dinner companion and great to trade en route (as are guidebooks). Many hostels have take-one-leave-one libraries.
· With a notebook, pen, glue stick and small roll of tape, you can create your journal and keep your hostel brochures/cards at hand; trading tips on which ones rock and which ones should be avoided is one of the best backpacking services that travelers can offer each other. Paste a copy of your passport in your journal in case of an emergency. (You can also scan your documents and e-mail them to yourself.)
· Bring an extra-high-capacity memory card and extra camera batteries . Try not to leave camera equipment in hostels (if you do leave it, bury it in your pack, preferably under your dirty clothes). Walk around at home with your equipment in your day pack and see what you can reasonably handle without getting a backache.
· Rolls of duct tape and toilet paper will come in handy. Remove the cardboard tubes and flatten before packing.
· You may like sleeping in your birthday suit, but that's not appropriate when sharing a hostel room. Bring sleepwear .
· Have handy -- and use -- a cable lock for your bag (splurge for the $59.95 Pacsafe55 mesh cable from http://www.pac-safe.com/ , or do as I do and make one out of a dog chain and combination lock). Bring a lock to use on hostel lockers and keep the key in your money belt.
· A headlamp is great for lights-out reading and hands-free navigating to the bathroom.
· Last but not least, while keeping your pack light, bring at least one creature comfort , whether it's a full-size toothbrush instead of a compact traveling one, a couldn't-be-cozier sweater or your iPod. Night after night in different hostels can take a toll, and it's nice to have one little indulgence on hand.
-- Anne McDonough
Washington Post Sunday, August 6, 2006; by Karin E. Tanabe
Here are a few important things to confirm before checking in.
· Is the hostel open? (Sounds obvious, but many hostels are open only in the summer months.)
· Is there an age limit?
· Do you have to be a member of Hostelling International to stay there?
· Are linens provided or must you bring your own? (Even if linens are provided, pillows usually are not.)
· Is there a "lockout" during the day? At what time and for how long?
· Is there 24-hour check-in? What time is checkout?
· Is there a limit on how many nights you can stay?
· Is there a bar in the hostel? (If you want to party and sleep, stay in a quiet hostel and visit the party hostel. Many hostels with bars and restaurants don't require you to be a guest there to use their facilities.)
· Is there luggage storage?
· Is there a common room? A common kitchen?
· Are there lockers? Do you need to bring your own lock?
· Are there Internet connections?
· Will the hostel help with tours or other arrangements?
-- Karin E. Tanabe
Washington Post Sunday, August 6, 2006
Hostelworld , http://www.hostelworld.com/ , is a reservation service with detailed reviews and ratings of independent and HI hostels by backpackers. There's a 10 percent nonrefundable deposit; part of the $2 service charge is donated to UNICEF.
· 
Hostelling International , http://www.hihostels.com/ , books reservations and lists all HI-affiliated hostels.
· Europe's Famous Hostels , http://www.europefamoushostels.com/ , is a guide to some of -- yes -- Europe's most famous hostels. The "Reserve Now" page links to individual hostels' Web sites.
· Hostels.com , http://www.hostels.com/ , is a booking service for more than 10,000 hostels. It requires a 10 percent deposit and charges a $2 service fee, both nonrefundable.
· 
The Lonely Planet guidebook company's Thorn Tree , http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ , is a free online forum organized by geographic region. Travelers can read, request and post reviews of specific hostels.