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| Youth Hostels Guide |
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Youth Hostels History The first youth hostel was founded by Richard Schirrmann around 1909. Schirrmann was a German teacher who organized trips and visits with his students. During one of these excursions, a sudden rainstorm forced his group to seek shelter in an empty school.
It was then that Schirrmann had the idea of using schools that were empty during holidays as guest houses for young people that were travelling in groups in the countryside. The idea caught on very quickly, and by the 1930s there were more than two thousand hostels in Germany.
The idea spread out in the rest of Europe, and after an important international conference in 1932, the idea was exported to the United States and many other countries, and the International Youth Hostel Federation was born, with the idea of providing cheap accommodation for young travellers.
With time, the concept of hostel has broadened, and now Hostels accept guests of all ages, providing cheap but comfortable accommodation and a unique atmosphere that cannot be found in hotels.
Hostels Equipment If you are travelling for a long time, buy yourself a good backpack, which fits you comfortably, and do not exceed in loading it - a heavy backpack can be very painful to carry when it's summer and it's hot. Choose comfortable shoes, and keep cool shoes for evenings out.
Hostels most often provide you with sheets (often at an extra cost), but you should bring your own, just in case. Some hostels might not allow sleeping bags, for reasons of hygiene (you might have been sleeping anywhere with a sleeping bag, and hostelling is not the same thing as camping).
Some hostels will provide you with a so-called sleep-sheet, which is two sheets sewn together, so they form a sort of sack. This way the bed stays clean. It is not as common as it used to be years ago.
You should also bring your own soap and towels, since only some hostels provide these, usually with an extra charge.
Hostels Social Life Hostels are definitely the place for socializing. Since the guests in a hostel are mostly younger people, there are plenty of occasions to get to know other travellers. Some hostels organize parties, meetings or competitions, or have a bar within or just outside their premises where people can meet and chat to fellow guests.
Hostellers are generally more interested in meeting other people than your average tourist, so it's much easier to get in touch with them, share common interests and exchange advice, tips, etc. Many people travel on their own all over a country or continent more than a year long, and rely on chance meetings to make friends.
Remember: you can always meet people who have opinions (on politics, sex, religion, your country) that are very different from your own, so you must be prepared to be tolerant and understanding other people's positions and views on life. Without a doubt, this will certainly enrich you and broaden your perspective. So if you go to a hostel, expect to meet new friends, (especially if you speak some languages) and put on your best smiling face. Who knows, you might make the best friendships of your life!
Youth Hostels vs Hotels There are several types of Hostels nowadays, and all of them tend to have their special characteristics; some are more like standard Hotels, some are a completely different experience. The main difference is that most hostels offer accommodation in dormitories, or shared rooms. Dorms can be bigger or smaller, can be for males/females only or mixed, but anyway this means that you can share your room with strangers.
Although many hostels now provide private rooms with en-suite facilities, the atmosphere is still very different from that of your average hotel. Whereas hotels only tend to just provide their customers a comfortable place where to spend the night, hostels tend to have more of a social atmosphere which often is derived from sharing dining tables, washing machines, dryers, and much more with with other guests.
Many hostels organize parties and excursions for their guests, and many have a bar where people can meet and get to know each other. In a hostel it is much more likely to start a conversation with a fellow traveller or to be asked for advice, tips and information by someone you have never met before.
Basically, hostels are generally a good place to make friends, to meet people from far away countries with ways different than your own, to exchange tips on clubs, museums, shows, shopping and the like.
Different kinds of hostels Hostels come in all shapes and sizes nowadays.
City hostels tend to lean more towards the social/fun aspect of city life, offering information about pubs, tours of the city, thrift shops and night clubs. They can be much noisier than country Hostels, since they often have no curfew and are open 24 hours a day. The bigger the hostel, and the more night-life oriented the city it's in, the more social life you will find.
Country hostels are a very different thing. They're mostly frequented by people who are travelling through the country, possibly walking or hiking. This means people wake up earlier, and go to sleep earlier, and usually like it quiet!
How long can I stay in a hostel? Some hostels won't allow you to stay longer than a couple of weeks, since the idea of hostelling is that people are travelling across a country, and not staying in the same place all the time. But many others will not mind if you stay longer: after all, you are indeed a customer! Some hostels will require you to prove that you are an international traveller, since it wouldn't make sense for a hostel to be full of locals, but this is not too common.
Group bookings Not every hostel is ideal for group bookings, since some can be small. The best idea is to book well in advance, so you can be sure to find room for everyone in your group.
What kind of facilities are available in hostels? Most (but not all) hostels will offer a laundry room, telephone, Internet connection, lockers for your precious stuff, and a breakfast service. Some will offer more. Every hostel/hotel in our list has an indication of the facilities it has, so you can be sure to get what you need. If you're travelling with a dog, remember to check whether the accommodation you choose allows them in!
Do I need to book hostels in advance? Definitely yes, and that's why we're here. Especially during peak seasons, and even more in the most famous cities and resorts, Hostels can be fully booked and have no room for you, especially if you're travelling with many people. Booking in advance is a good idea, since you get rid of worries and do not need to walk across a city with a heavy backpack looking for accommodation. It might detract a bit from the sense of adventure, but you'll definitely have much more time to have fun!
Is breakfast included in hostels? Can I cook in hostels? Usually, breakfast is not included in the price, but it's reasonably cheap and abundant in quantity. Some hostels offer cooking facilities, such as a kitchen complete with pots and everything you need. Other hostels will be more than happy to give you advice about the cheapest bars and food outlets in the neighbourhood.
Age limits Some hostels do have age limits, and might give precedence to younger travellers (especially Youth Hostels in Europe), or exclude them (if they have a bar in the premises), but most hostels will welcome guests of all ages, and will even accommodate small children and provide smaller beds and cribs if asked in advance.
Curfew Some hostels will have a curfew, some won't. It largely depends on the type of hostel, on the owners' policy and on the location of the hostel (there's not much use in being able to come to the hostel at three in the night if the hostel is in the mountains!). Many hostels in our directory have information on their curfew policy right in their description.
Lockout Some hostels might have a lockout period. This is usually around lunchtime or in the early afternoon, and is meant to let the hostel's staff clean the premises, or if the place is owned by a person, to allow her/him to go out and make supplies, etc. It is not so common any more, so check with the hostel's staff if you want to be sure.
Dormitory vs Private Rooms in hostels A dormitory is a room with several beds (often of the bunk type), all of which can be booked individually by different guests of a hostel.
It is also called a shared room, since you share the room with other guests. Dorms can vary from 4 to 20 or more beds, and some hostels have separate dorms for males and females, while others do not make a difference and offer mixed dorms.
Dormitories are always cheaper than private rooms in the same structure, and generally require people to be a bit more adaptable, since your room-mates may go to sleep or wake up earlier or later than you do, have different habits than you, or snore...
But dorms are often great fun, since it's much easier to get to know fellow travellers if you share the room with them! After all, the loss in privacy is counterbalanced by many social advantages.
While dorms were the default option of most hostels years ago, most hostels now also offer private rooms, which usually have 2 to 4 beds, sometimes even with en-suite WC and shower. In this case, staying in a hostel is very similar to staying in a normal hotel, apart from all of the social chances you will have during communal moments (breakfast, evening, etc.).
Hostelworld Hostelworld provides on-line confirmed bookings for hostels, budget accommodation centres and package tours, as well as comprehensive content such as city and country guides.
All bookings are made securely, in real-time and are guaranteed for you.
Our staff are from all over the world and have years of experience in the budget travel industry, having travelled extensively throughout over 75 countries around the world, for both business and pleasure.
HostelsClub The HostelsClub network provides travelers with the ability to browse and make reservations at thousands of our partner hostels and hotels all over the world. Our online booking service is frequented by over 600,000 visitors every month from all corners of the globe, connecting you with millions of potential guests every year!
HostelsClub is a young, vibrant and dynamic company dedicated to providing the budget traveler with a one-stop-shop for their travel accommodation needs. Our online portal provides travelers from all corners of the globe an online engine for searching and booking at destinations worldwide. That means whether you are traveling to or from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Oceania or Africa we will have what you are looking for. HostelsClub offers a wide range of accommodation choices suitable for all travelers' budgets and needs.
Hostelbookers It was back in 2003 that the HostelBookers concept was formed. Sitting around a small circular table the management of the now successful website operation had decided: "HostelBookers - It does what it says on the tin".
March 2004 saw the launch of the HostelBookers website, and the eye-opening, jaw-dropping introduction to the market of a "free" service - a site that had no booking fees.
It was welcome news to the market. Customers love it because they can book for free and hostels love it as the price they advertise is the price the customer pays.
We are a friendly and approachable company. HostelBookers aims to deliver exceptional customer service and a personal touch so lacking in today's online world.
We like to think we offer a refreshing approach to the industry and incorporate a few differentiators.
Free service - no booking fees. You can book on this website for free.
Quality, not quantity. We like to provide a good selection of hostels and budget accommodation per destination with sufficient choice, but not too many. This helps our customers browse easier, and our hostels receive a better share of the business. Everyone's a winner.
HostelTimes HostelTimes strives to be the elite site which provides the most up to date and precise information for backpacking and hostelling. We do in-depth research from various outlets, and form a apprehensible, and accurate information that those surfing the web, can view in our ever expanding database.
HostelTimes offers a rather new function for those of you whose first language is not English, which are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and of course English as the default language. This is to facilitate the whole process for the potential customers of which speak the above foreign languages to make bookings, and find their way to their destination.
Also, on top of the four different languages to choose from, our list of hostels and tour products are huge, and are growing all of the time, as well as having a section where former guests can express their opinions on hostels they stayed in. And for those who are not as well traveled as others, can employ the FAQ section, which will give you answers about the basics of hostelling or backpacking and purchasing a tour package, renting a car, etc. Further more please keep in mind that our website (HostelTimes) is still in the early stages, thus, it is always changing as to cover all the possible demands that an each potential hostelling/backpacking customer may have.
Finally, we have developed huge "FORUM" section in four different languages. This enormous community section will allow to not only the company as a hostel or Tour Company, but also the traveler to participate in forum so we could exchange needs what backpackers may want to have.
Gomio Gomio is the brainchild of 'The European Hostel Cooperation Ltd' (EHC), an Irish company founded in April 1994 that has its head office in Berlin, Germany.
It is owned and operated by a group of 20 European hostel companies, who between them run over 50 individual hostels in Europe, among them the Bulldog in Amsterdam, the Ashlee House in London, the Sea Point in Barcelona, the Circus Hostel in Berlin, Sir Toby's in Prague, the Euro Youth Hotel in Bad Gastein, the Hostels Allessandro in Rome, plus many more.
The European Hostel Cooperation
The EHC was founded with the idea in mind that as the hostel infrastructure in Europe grows, there was a need for an organisation that can bring all hostels in Europe together. The EHC is open to any hostel, and operates on a principle of cooperation to achieve the following:
Representation of hostels and hostelling to the outside world Support hostels with software and other technical tools Share information between hostels and offer advice, shared marketing etc.
Run an annual European Hostel Meeting to allow hostels to 'network'.
The other main role of the EHC is to operate GOMIO.COM. The main aim behind Gomio is to satisfy all the needs of an independent traveller, of course including booking hostels and low budget accommodation, but also:
A hostel list of all options in a given destination
Reviews and Rankings of hostels from fellow travellers
A forum for tips and chat with other travellers
Information on destinations and other articles on travel in Europe
A links directory, to find out the info that we can't provide
We are constantly working on the GOMIO.COM website to make it even better for the travellers that use it, and if there are ever any suggestions we would love to hear from you at
Flashbooking We are a team of professionals from the tourism marketing and programming sector and human resource management field. We are passionate travellers too.
Through our job and effort, we want to put at the disposal of any traveller a vast range of selected accommodations all over the world for every kind of purpose ( business, pleasure) and need (Hotels, B&B, youth hostels, guest houses, campsites, motels, farm houses, apartments.)
We provide an online booking system where one may find and book 24/7 the best solutions and options for all their travel needs.
For establishment's owners, FlashBooking creates a multilingual Microsite for free, graphically neat and inviting, where it is possible to insert/update the property's description, facilities, photos, room availability, rates, ecc. We provide you with a no-stop booking system, that allows you to receive reservations from all over the world, any time.
Flashbooking strives to make it quick, safe and easy!
Hotel, youth Hostels, B&B, GuestHouses, Camping, CountryHouses, motels, apartments, etc, selected all over the world according to the criteria of quality-price.
Competitive and updated rates; establishments update their availability and prices daily and advert ise special offers and " last-minutes".
Multilingual approach: the site and the establishment profiles are viewable in 10 languages (Italian, English, Spanish, German, French, Swedish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese) offering you personalized service .
Transparency: customers evaluate their stay, give their feedback and have access to the personal booking status with the possibility to view/cancel in every moment.
Fixed rates: real prices. Pay a 10% deposit to secure your room and the balance when checking-in/out.
Security: all credit card transactions are protected and encrypted by Thawte secure system. This system encrypts all the processed data and guarantees that this will not be read, used or modified by other parties. Every time you use a secure connection, the padlock icon will appear on your browser meaning you can safely enter your personal data and credit card details and book with no worries.
Simplicity: guided and simplified approach in all the booking steps.
Speed: Instantly confirmed and guaranteed on-line bookings 24/7.
Assistance: multilingual customer care: we answer your questions within 24 hours via e-mail.
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