Need information on youth hostels across US. Is there a book with listings and phone numbers?

If there are youth hostels in the USA its something I've missed for the 49 years of my life. Have been helping people in the "Europe" forum with hosteling a lot and its pretty much a Canadian/European thing. Here you stay at a Motel 6 or Comfort Inn and you always get air conditioning, your own bathroom, but the beds are probably a little worse than the foam mattresses in Europe and the sheets and blankets are thin, towels thin. If you go up a notch to a Best western motel for about $20 more everything is a lot nicer. In Us we don't charge by the person, we charage by the number of beds in the room. And all of our rooms sleep 4, so families with 2 children can sleep together. Go into www.eurotrip.com for more info on joining the International Youth Hostel Associ and Hostels in Europe.

I correct myself- I should have said our rooms will sleep up to 4 max but you can get 1 double bed for one person. Add another person for $4-5.

I correct myself- I should have said our rooms will sleep up to 4 max but you can get 1 double bed for one person. Add another person for $4-5.

Tricia, I enjoy your commments and find them very informative but I wonder how you have missed the youth hostels in the US?? My husband and I have stayed in only one but have checked out others. We stayed in the one listed in Fodor's as Arlington House in Chicago. We got a private room with a private bath for $44/night. It had a king size bed (although the mattress hung over about 6 inches wider than the box springs and it had 3 different types/colors of pillow cases. The Motel 6 there was $90/night before tax. We stayed in room 323, I think it was. My challenge which resulted in our staying in the hostel was that many of my experienced-traveling friends told us we could not find a room in Chicago for less than $100. Well, guess what? I did. This was in August of 1996. This hostel also had the typical dorm-type bunks for about $14/night plus $2 for linens. True enuff, you have to be adventuresome to enjoy the hostels, but I guess we are, because we did. I need to modify that, I enjoyed it, my husband said NEVER again! We checked out the ones in Philadelphia but those would not make reservations for a private room ahead of time, and you were not given a key at night. That's a little too adventuresome even for me. But my point is hostels are in the US even if they have not caught on like in Europe.

You can purchase a listing of US hostels for $2.00 from the American Youth Hostels, PO Box 37613, Washington, DC 20013-7613 (202-783-6161). There is also a listing of US hostels on the internet in the International Youth hostels webpage. Hope this helps, Erika

Like I said Joan, if they are in USA I haven't seen
them. And like Erika said, they haven't caught on. And we didn't really care about your expose on Chicago, And really a Motel 6 for $90. I'll have to look that one up in their guide. That would be amazing. You act like I purposely sent him astray. I saw no one answering his question and told him what I knew. I gave him the info on hostels for Europe and figurered he could contact them and ask them. Why do you have to peruse every site and bomblast people? Erika told him what he needed to know, sweet and simple.

Just for the heck of it got out my Motel 6 guide- there are two types of Motel 6's-in the big cities like Chicago- They have STAR BANNER quality on the lake, its a top of the line 4 star Motel 6 starting at $80. The run of the mill Motel 6, say Arlington Heights, is a 3 star for $37.99.

Tricia your response is so unkind I should let it go because you really had to dig to find an insult in this particular message. Arlington "House" is listed in Fodor's as a youth hostel. You said Arlington "Heights" Motel 6. They are not the same. You also said that Erika said that hostels have not caught on in the US like they have in Europe. I am the one who said that they had not caught on in the US. The Motel 6 in Chicago, as I said, is $90/night unless you can figure out a way not to pay tax. Erika gave proof that there are many, many hostels here. Maybe you could take some estrogen and read my message again and you will see I am not picking on you or I guess you said I was "bomblasting". I guess you can't see yourself as the attacker.

http://www.hiayh.org/

This is the web site for American Youth Hostels....which have existed in the USA since 1934 BTW. There are over 150 in the US and they are found in all 50 states.

And I see we have yet another cat fight here going on between Tricia and Joan. Can't you ladies get along?
Tricia you were wrong about the youth hostels and I saw nothing offensive in Joan's post.........actually if you look at it again you will see she starts with a compliment to you!

I hate to cut in on the Tricia/Joan saga, but I am wondering if anyone else has stayed in youth hostels around the country and could provide some comments. I have heard that some are wonderful and some are horrid, and am not sure how to find out which are which, other than talking to people who have been there.

The Hotel Congress in Tucson, AZ is very nice. It has dorm rooms($13-16) and private rooms($31+), it accepts reservations, and there's a club, cafe, gift shop, and store on the street front. It's one of the many youth hostels in the U.S.A. that's worth the stay. And once you find one good one you talk to the other guests and find out about more, like the one in Flagstaff-Grand Canyon Interntl Hostel /[email protected]/ Happy Hostelling.

Hostelling in the US is the cheapest and most fun way to see the country if you travel alone. The 2 most memorable ones for me is the Pescadero, CA "Pigeon Point Lighthouse" and Flagstaff, AZ. Others that I also stayed:
Santa Monica, CA: Nice
San Francisco, CA: Nice
Alaska: a little rough
Oahu is clean compared with backpackers' places
New York is getting dirtier as time goes
Knoxville, MD: cozy
Ohiopyle state park, PA: cozy
That's all I could remember at the present time. I'll stay at hostels again if I travel by myself. With a friend or two, it's cheaper for us to stay at Motels. I found that same day arrival with motels' discount coupons are much cheaper than booking in advance. I found the coupons mostly at the tourists' office.

AYH also has tours. I took the Alaska one. For the 1st time camper, it was a rough trip but the sights were so beautiful that it was very worthwhile and I am glad I did it that way.

Personal note (no offense, please): Hostels in the U.S. are varied in price and condition just as in Europe/New Zealand/Canada.
I would not hostelling in China, Russia, Turkey, Mexico because it is a little too rough for me in terms of sanitation.
The things I like the most about hostelling are the chance to meet other interesting travellers to exchange notes and the ability to fulfill my addiction: noodle and vegetable with lemon sauce.