If you want to save money, stay in a hostel. In Britain, hostels are generally clean and friendly places, and in larger cities many students even choose to live in them for extended periods of time while enrolled. Many of them are laid out dorm-style, often with large single-sex rooms and bunk beds, although private rooms that sleep two to four are becoming more common. They sometimes have kitchens and utensils for your use, bike or moped rentals, storage areas, transportation to airports, breakfast and other meals, laundry facilities, and Internet. However, there can 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. In Britain, a dorm bed in a hostel will average around £12-15 in rural areas, £15-20 in larger cities, and £20-35 in London. Make reservations at least a week in advance, especially in more touristed areas on weekends and during the summer.
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 hostels, but they will have to pay an extra £3 to do so. HI’s umbrella organization’s website (www.hihostels.com), which lists the web addresses and phone numbers of all national associations, can be a great place to begin researching hosteling in a specific region. Other comprehensive hosteling websites include www.hostels.com and www.hostelplanet.com.
Most HI hostels also honor guest memberships —you’ll get a blank card with space for six validation stamps. Each night you’ll pay a nonmember supplement (one-sixth of the membership fee) and earn one guest stamp; six stamps make you a member. A new membership benefit is the FreeNites program, which allows hostelers to gain points toward free rooms. Most budget and student travel agencies sell HI cards, as do all of the national hosteling organizations listed below. All prices listed below are valid for a one-year membership unless otherwise indicated.
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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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