At 8 a.m. Sunday, I’m nestled in my sleeping bag in the youth hostel in Nafplion, Greece. Deep in my dreams I can hear the Doris Day classic “Que Sera, Sera” performed on an accordion.
I open my eyes but can’t escape the sound. Lifting my head I see Dimitrios, the crusty hostel proprietor, standing in my room, his small arms wrestling a bulky accordion. My head drops back on the pillow. Somehow I don’t think this would happen in a Motel 6.
Welcome to the world of European youth hostels where for little money you get a roof over your head, a mattress under your body (and often over it), indoor plumbing, an occasional hot shower and sometimes a musical wakeup call.
With financial concerns forcing many would-be travelers to forgo European vacations, youth hostels offer the ultimate no-frills alternative. For those willing to sacrifice luxury and privacy, hostels provide an inexpensive means of seeing Paris, Berlin, Madrid and most other Western European locales.
Prices vary from country to country, but hostels can make Motel 6 seem as expensive as The Ritz. The Nafplion hostel, where Dimitrios wakes guests with “Que Sera, Sera” at 8 every morning, costs about $5 a night. And there’s no charge for music.
Travelers who choose hostels because they can’t afford any other accommodations often discover something surprising: They like them. The rules and shared quarters seem like minor trade-offs for the new friendships and camaraderie, especially for a solo traveler.
At their best, youth hostels capture the romance of traveling: backpackers, bicyclists and wanderers from all over the world sharing meals, trading books, playing cards and exchanging stories in a clean, comfortable environment.
At their worst, they resemble military boot camps. For the privilege of staying in large sterile rooms cluttered with bunk beds, you may have to submit to more rules than do nuclear power plant operators.
Most European hostels are affiliated with the International Youth Hostel Federation, the umbrella organization for more than 6,000 hostels in 70 countries, including 220 in the United States. But individual hostels often have little more in common than their IYHF affiliation. Each hostel has its own quirks and personality and rules abound, but few rules apply everywhere.
For starters, most hostels have no age limits, although hostelers over 27 sometimes must pay a surcharge. But in a few places, such as Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, hostels are restricted to those 27 and under.
Money matters
A membership card from an IYHF-affiliated organization usually is required. The U.S. organization is American Youth Hostels, which sells memberships for $10 for youths, $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and $35 for families. Many European hostels will issue cards at registration; some hostels accept student IDs in place of IYHF cards, and a rare few don’t require any card.
While staying in 20 hostels in six European countries in the last year, I paid as little as $5 a night in Greece and up to $20 in parts of Germany and the United Kingdom. Breakfast was sometimes included, sometimes an option, sometimes not available.
Some hostels are open year-round; others close for the winter. Some fill quickly and recommend reservations; some fill quickly and don’t accept reservations; some never fill.
Spartan rooms, many rules
Virtually all hostel rooms have bunk beds, but the number in each room varies from one to more than a dozen. Blankets and pillows usually are provided, but hostelers often are required to supply their own sheets or rent them at an extra fee. Sleeping bags made of sheets are always OK, but some hostels prohibit outdoor-type sleeping bags. Others don’t care if you sleep in a Hefty bag.
Rooms seldom contain more than bunk beds. Some have closets; a few have desks. Even rarer are bathrooms for each room. Most hostels have hallway bathrooms, and guests sometimes must line up for their morning shower. Full kitchen facilities were available at hostels I visited in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but not in other countries.
Many hostels have curfews-and lights out-as early as 10 p.m. Lockouts also are common: Hostels often close for several hours a day while the staff theoretically is cleaning. Not all the cleaning is done by hostel employees; many hostels require guests to perform minor chores, such as sweeping or washing dishes.
Hostel clientele varies. Some hostels attract families; some specialize in groups of screaming schoolchildren. Others have a special appeal to 18-year-old Americans who seem to be extras from the latest “Bill & Ted” movie.
Men and women are usually, but not always, segregated, although some hostels will provide family rooms or, more rarely, offer married couples a private room.
Some hostels can be gems. Some are not. The summertime hostel in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, is especially cheap, and for good reason. It basically is a rundown school building crammed with bunk beds.
Despite the differences in hostels, a few tips apply everywhere:
Keep your passport, travelers checks, cash and plane ticket in a money belt or money holster and keep that with you at all times. Few hostels have safes or lockers with keys. When I showered, I put my money belt in a plastic bag and kept it in view next to my towel. I also wore the belt to bed.
Travel light. Chances are there will be no room for your five-piece Samsonite set at the hostel. Cram whatever you can in a backpack or duffel bag. Leave the $2,000 Leica camera at home too. Theft wasn’t a major problem at the hostels I visited, but then again, no one seemed to have anything worth stealing.
Pack ear plugs. Every hostel room has at least one guest whose sinuses sound reveille at 3 a.m. I think it’s an IYHF rule. Also, take rubber thongs to prevent athlete’s foot in the shower and a flashlight for those nights when your roommates go to bed before you.
Make a sheet sleeping bag by taking a flat sheet, folding it in half vertically and sewing shut one short side and two-thirds of the long side. This will save you the expense of renting sheets.
If someone tries to strike up a conversation, be compassionate. There are a lot of lonely travelers in hostels who are not trying to pick you up: They’re just eager for company.
Some may think hostel rules are excessive and their conditions unbearable, but it is remarkable how well people adapt to them. Many German hostels had 10 p.m. curfews, but I seldom heard anyone complain. In fact, my roommates were often in bed by 9:30.
In Rethymnon, Crete, I was dining at an outdoor restaurant with Karen and Stephanie, two British hostelers in their early 20s. We talked about our accommodations.
“It’s the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in,” Stephanie said. Karen nodded in agreement.
“The best?” I was incredulous. “The mattresses are torn, some beds are outdoors, the shower seldom has hot water and the toilets don’t have seats. What could you like about it?”
They laughed. “I can’t believe you even noticed those things,” Karen said.
We finished our dinners and taking advantage of a warm September evening, headed to the beach. We plopped down on canvas deck chairs, gazed at the stars and pondered our lives and our futures. It had been 24 hours since I had met Stephanie and Karen at the hostel. They had met each other there just one night before. But after spending a day together eating cheese pies, drinking retsina and sunning ourselves on the beach, it seemed as if we were old pals.
Maybe they were right. I guess it was a pretty good hostel after all.
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For more information about hostels, contact the American Youth Hostel Metropolitan Chicago Council, 3036 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60657; 312-327-8114. Outside of Chicago, contact the AYH National Office, Box 37613, Washington, D.C. 20013-7613; 202-783-6161.
