Many hostels are laid out dorm-style, often with large single-sex rooms and bunk beds, with some private rooms that sleep two to four. They often have kitchens and utensils for your use, bike or moped rentals, storage areas, transportation to airports, breakfast and other meals, laundry facilities, and internet. There can, however, be drawbacks: some hostels close during certain daytime “lockout” hours, have a curfew, don’t accept reservations, impose a maximum stay, or, less frequently, require that you do chores.
Joining the youth hostel association in your own country (listed below) automatically grants you membership privileges in Hostelling International (HI), a federation of national hosteling associations. Non-HI members may be allowed to stay in some HI hostels, but will have to pay extra to do so. HI hostels are scattered throughout Spain and Portugal, and can be less expensive than private hostels.
Most HI hostels also honor guest memberships —you’ll get a blank card with space for six validation stamp, each night you’ll pay a nonmember supplement (one-sixth the membership fee) and earn one guest stamp, and six stamps make you a member. Most student travel agencies sell HI cards, as do all of the national hosteling organizations listed below. All prices listed below are for one-year memberships unless otherwise noted.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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