While hostelling is widespread among travelers in Europe, it remains relatively unknown to travelers within the United States.
Hostels give budget savvy travelers, who are often college students, a place to sleep for the fraction of the cost of a hotel. They can be found everywhere from large country inns to historic buildings in major metropolitan areas such as New York or Chicago.
There are approximately 120 hostels in the United States, charging anywhere from $8 to $24 a night. Some offer private rooms with baths, while many are dormitory style, where bedrooms and bathrooms are shared with other travelers.
“When Americans think of hostels, they think of Europe, of living on $5 a day,” said Mike McGill, the media relations manager for Hostelling International-American Youth Hostels in Washington, D.C.
Traveling from country to country in Europe is no different than traveling from state to state in the United States, McGill said. Between 55-60 percent of the people that stay in hostels in the United States are from other countries, giving every hostel experience an international appeal.
There are an average of 1.2 million people that stay in American hostels every year, however, that number has been reduced since Sept. 11, McGill said. The Columbus hostel, located on 12th Avenue near the Ohio State campus closed this year, leaving the city without a hostel.
Most hostels are open during the winter, 34 of which are within a two-hour drive from major ski areas in 17 states including Killington in Vermont, Sun Valley in Idaho, and Crested Butte and Breckenridge in Colorado. Spring break hot spots such as Miami Beach, Key West, Galvelston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Diego and many others also accommodate hostelers, McGill said.
Large cities are not the only places where hostelling is an option. Malabar Farm located in Lucas, Ohio (about an hour north of Columbus) is on 900 acres of farmland and rolling hills. The inn at Malabar was once the home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Louis Bromfield and also the hangout of celebrities such as James Cagney, Shirley Temple and the sight of the 1945 wedding of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
Betsy Rush, manager of the hostel, said people pass through from all over the world. Travelers have come from as far as Japan, South Africa, China, and Russia.
“There is quite a mix,” Rush said. There are a lot of single travelers, older seniors and groups on weekends, she said. Reservations are recommended at Malabar and at most other hostels.
Hostelling International offers a $25 year-long membership from the date of purchase that gives discounts on lodgings. The membership can be bought at STA Travel and other student travel services.
STA Travel can also make reservations at hostels with its Beds-on-a-Budget program, said Carol Seymour, a branch manager at the Columbus location. The program offers student travelers affordable rooms at hostels, as well as discounted rooms at four star hotels.
The hostelling movement began in Germany in the 1930s and quickly spread throughout Europe. Today there are over 5,000 hostels in 70 countries. More information on specific hostels can be found at Hostelling International’s Web site at www.hiayh.org.
