The Beehive is not a typical hostel; it's a hostel and hotel. In the year 2000 (!) when I was a young lady, some friends and I used their apartment rental service and we were very happy. I don't know if they still are doing that--times change--but at that time it was very economical.

https://www.the-beehive.com/#about-the-beehive

If you don't move around too much, $9K is doable for a family of five if it doesn't include airfare.

Leely, we loved the Beehive. They had cross-pollinate where they had other places they recommended in other cities. They still have apartments. We had a group and had the rooms with shared bath but we were only ones using them and they had a sink in every room. I used a Hostel in Galway during a multi function event weekend and it was very fun. We had a shared room first night but got a private room next two nights. The best thing was they had discounts on all of the tours. We had one great day tour for 20 euro. The evening living room had a very diverse group but in the morning the breakfast room had many families. I would still try for apartments in a couple of bases with day trips. Check out Flixbus also.

Hostel for a family? Sure, why not?

But the idea to save for another year so you can have more the trip you dream of, is the best idea.

Hostel for a family or older folks - how many have Suze and Janis stayed in? None this millennium I suspect - yes older folks do stay but most would prefer a private room in a proper hotel.

You suspect (seriously) wrong. But what else is new . . . .

You do realize that MANY hostels do have private rooms -- right???

Most folks including you I suspect want an en-suite private room - with WC/shower - if hostels provide those then they are not hostels in the traditional sense.

Things are changing. Ours in Galway had private bath with two beds. We had shared laundry, living room and nice kitchen. Shared bath in Rome but we never saw anyone else. In Galway one of our roommates was a young Doctor, the other a college student travelling to meet her mom. I was with my girlfriend. We were just not finding any hotel rooms due to two festivals in town. I also love how Universities in UK and Ireland open their dorm rooms up for use when students are not in residence. I wonder if Italy does that?

There have always been hostels with private rooms or family rooms. I'm surprised you do not know this PalQ.

I'm also not sure how you think you know what I need in a bathroom. We really aren't that close.

Yes I've stayed even long ago in private rooms in hostels but never saw an en-suite one - anyway... many folks do not want to share WC/showers with others.

None of that has anything to do with the question asked here PalQ. You're way off topic, again.

Pal - you are so full of it.

First 'Families don't stay in hostels', then 'Adults sure wouldn't want to stay in a hostel', then 'I doubt j or s have ever stayed in a hostel', then 'If a hostel has private rooms it isn't a hostel', then 'Oh yeah, yeah, I know hostels have private rooms - I've even stayed in one' . . . and yet another thread is sent off track . . .

Since the Beehive in Rome was specifically recommended by someone who stayed there, I don't see how your anecdotal, ancient history info about hostels is relevant. The Beehive offers private rooms with private baths as well as dorm rooms. It says all over their website "this is not a party hostel."

https://www.the-beehive.com/

Give the kids two scenarios - the frugal one of 2019 or the hopefully less frugal one of 2020. See what they say. I would be very surprised if they vote for 2020.

“Who knows what the kids will be focused on in 2020.” So true. Families are full of stories of the trips that never happened.

Well current budget is just not enough even for hostels - trip expenses add up with visits to caffes for gelatos, museum fees, restaurants, etc.

I would go with a frugal trip in 2019 and who knows maybe you will be able to do another frugal trip in 2020. I agree with a previous poster to ask your kids what they would want. As a young adult (and now) my vote would always be to go as soon as possible. With nine thousand for 5 people and finding the right plane ticket for around $500-600 (maybe less, maybe some tickets can be had with airmiles), I think that is plenty for my budget. By Jove, I might even have enough money to buy a coffee mug with a drawing of lemons in Ravello.

with 5 will they need or want separate hotel or hostel rooms? If so could be hard to do on that budget.

$575 per day for the family on a 10 day itinerary.

They have decided to wait.

But I feel they do have the budget for a decent trip if they went for 10 days instead of 14. Even if they had to give say $300 for an apartment to sleep everyone, that's still $275 per day for eating and walking around money. That's plenty for a frugal to mid-level trip.

Well if they stay in family-friendly hostels whose rooms seem to rival a hotel in basic amenities they could stay 14 days - the difference between 10 and 14 huge in seeing what they want - Venice, Florence and Rome with nice day trips possible too, like to Siena from Florence - just about an hour by bus..

I know they've given up this year's trip, but I can say that we take plenty of trips on a low budget. We always rent apartments and use a lot of public transportation. 9K for 10 days sounds quite doable to me.

Fair enough, but just some comments.

First, there are excellent airfares for next summer from the NYC area to Rome, some as low as $520 per person round trip.

Second, look at VRBO or vacation rentals. Here's one between Florence and Sienna, for example - https://www.vrbo.com/872948ha or a unit with a pool also in Tuscany - https://www.vrbo.com/1112680ha - both for $100 to $130 per night. A five-passenger van picked up at Rome airport would run around $650 for ten days, and food cost would be based on whether you shop in the street markets and cook things yourself, vs. eating out. Either way, it wouldn't be a huge burden.

So your budget might not be that jeopardized, but it might mean a slightly different approach. I happen to like this style - stay outside the big towns and commute in (using local buses or trains, or park the car on the outskirts for the day) but staying in a house in a village, shopping in the street or public markets... well, to me that's a lot more fun than forced marches through museums. But your values might be different.