Here’s one of the cheapest ways to find out about shoestring budget places to stay in North America this year.
The “Hostel Handbook for the U.S.A. & Canada” is a listing of more than 500 budget facilities for travelers. Many of the locations included are affiliated with international networks such as American Association of International Hostels, Backpackers Hostels Canada, Hostelling International-American Youth Hostels and Hostelling International-Canada.
It also includes unaffiliated hostels and, in areas where no hostels exist, alternative budget accommodation suggestions such as Motel 6.
The 48-page booklet is prepared each spring by the staff of Sugar Hill International House with the help of the staff of the Blue Rabbit International House, two small hostels in New York City.
The facilities listed average from $9 to $15 per night. The trade-off is that travelers should expect to share a dormitory room, plus lounge and kitchen facilities. For most facilities you’ll also need to pack your own towel and sheet sleeping bag. The authors point out, “Keep in mind–you are not paying for a five-star hotel and it won’t be one.” You do give up some privacy, but in exchange you get a greater opportunity to meet, mingle and share information with other travelers.
Two points to keep in mind: With the accommodation listings you just get the facts as the hostel manager presents them. There are not independent insights on the quality of the facilities. Some hostels will also limit admission to travelers who can prove they are on an international journey.
On a more positive note, the booklet also includes travel tips, advice on scams to watch out for, and information about other services suitable for backpackers.
To order the “Hostel Handbook for the U.S.A. & Canada,” send $3 to Jim Williams, The Hostel Handbook, 722 St. Nicholas Ave., New York, NY 10031. Checks should be made payable to Jim Williams.
This summer, students traveling within Canada are eligible for more than 200 discounts on transportation, accommodation, entertainment, sport services and attractions.
A listing of the student discounts available across Canada to anyone who holds an International Student Identity Card is contained in the “Student Travel Discount Guide,” which is now available from the Canadian Federation of Students.
Services offering discounts range from accommodation in university residences and hostels to reductions for whalewatching in the Maritimes, sea kayaking in Vancouver, reduced entrance fees to major museums and a 50 percent discount on tickets to “The Phantom of the Opera” in Toronto.
For a copy of “Student Travel Discount Guide (to Canada),” write to the Canadian Federation of Students, 243 College St., Fifth Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 2Y1.
Australia has committed $4 million during the next four years to attract backpackers Down Under. One of the ways is through a special free, 64-page magazine-style publication called “Australia Unplugged.”
“Australia Unplugged” won’t tell you specifically where to stay inexpensively, but it does give information on budget accommodation networks that stretch across the country offering hostel-style accommodation from $8 U.S. per night, plus camping, rooms at pubs, homestays and campus accommodation.
For copies of “Australia Unplugged” and a second free publication, “On the Loose,” a 31-page booklet that covers backpacking deals around Australia, call the Aussie Helpline at 708-296-4900. The can also tell you about travel agents in your area that have qualified as “Aussie Specalists.” For a free copy of the 139-page general information magazine “Destination Australia,” call 800-753-0998.
