Hostels, by choice

The generation that invented backpacking is getting back to basics. Sarah Nicholson discovers why hostels are emerging winners in the accommodation stakes.

I met Fafa and Olivier, an adventurous couple from the south of France, at the YHA hostel in Alice Springs. They were spending a year before retirement teaching at a school in New Caledonia and using their temporary base in the Pacific to see as much of Australia as they could.

Olivier explained they always stay in hostels when travelling because they love meeting people from around the world and can’t see the point in spending big bucks on a hotel room they will only spend a few hours in each day. It seems Fafa and Olivier aren’t unique, and there’s a growing band of mature travellers who are electing to stay in hostels while roaming the world.

Shelbey Sy, from Hostelling International in Canada, says while hostels have always
catered for older guests, the number of mature travellers checking into this style of accommodation is on the rise.

“There’s a trend of more older travellers staying at hostels as the population ages,” she says. “A fair share of our older travellers were once young and intrepid backpackers, who now face empty nests and retirement, and (they) have rediscovered hostels.

“We also have others trying hostels for the first time for budget and social reasons.”

Sy says travellers who frequented hostels in the 1960s, 70s and 80s would notice a real difference if they stepped into a contemporary property. “Twenty years ago hostels had chores, lock-out periods, dormitory rooms only and share bathrooms,” she says. “Today hostels offer private double rooms for those seeking additional privacy,
ensuite bathroom facilities in rooms are a growing trend, internet and Wi-Fi access is now standard, and you’ll sometimes find iPod docking stations and flatscreen TVs in (the) rooms.

“More and more hostels offer full service restaurants and bars on site, and the practice of curfews and chores has also fallen by the way with most large city hostels offering 24-hour access, city tours and more.”

Mark Sleigh, from BASE Backpacker Hostels which has 13 properties in Australia and New Zealand, says “the days of $10 dorms and bedbugs are long gone”.

“Modern day hostels are no different to hotels, in fact, in a lot of ways, they provide more services,’’ he says. “Most of our hostels are one-stop shops, they all have travel desks, bars, restaurants, high-speed internet kiosks, and if you don’t want to leave for the duration of your stay you wouldn’t have to.”

So, why would you opt to stay in a hostel when you can afford to sleep in the hotel
of your choice?

“One of our management team coined a phrase – the only difference between hostel and hotel is the ‘s’ and that stands for social – and it’s such a great description of the way we see our product,’’ Sleigh says. “Stay in a hostel, you can still have your ensuite private room, but you also get the chance to interact with people of all ages from all over the world.”

Sy, who stayed in her first hostel in 1997 when backpacking around Europe with her sister, agrees the social aspect is the best reason to settle on a hostel. “When I first started hostelling it was definitely due to a tight budget,’’ she says. “Since that first experience I think the single greatest benefit, in addition to affordability, is the chance to meet people, and it’s truly an international meeting place.

“Hostels, unlike hotels, offer shared living spaces that encourage interaction with other travellers.”

Silke Kerwick from YHA Australia’s Sydney office says that while there are no age limits on who can stay at a hostel, some properties are better suited to grey nomads and families. “Staying at a hostel is a lifestyle choice and it’s not age driven, but you do need to be open to that communal aspect,’’ she says.

“Urban hostels are a starting point for younger people on working holidays but regional hostels, both in Australia and overseas, are a bit more mellow and have families and older travellers staying. You don’t always have to sleep in a big
dorm room with strangers, now hostels have a higher percentage of ensuites
and smaller rooms, and that’s because all travellers are demanding more privacy.

“YHA is building a new property in Sydney (where) every room has an ensuite and there are two, four and six-share rooms.’’

Hostelling International Canada also opened a new-style property in Whistler after the Winter Olympics when part of the Athlete’s Village became a hostel with two floors of dorms as well as a collection of private and family rooms with ensuites.

“Hostelling International hostels must meet international standards of quality and comfort, which is something that older travellers demand more (than) younger backpackers,’’ Sy says. “Security, quality facilities, safety and great service are taken very seriously at our hostels.’

First published in YOURLifeChoices Magazine

Looking for inspiration?

Here are a few interesting hostels.
BASE Magnetic Island (Queensland, Australia)
Set right on one of Magnetic Island’s beautiful beaches.
Visit www.stayatbase.com

Grampians YHA (Victoria, Australia)
This eco-hostel has a solar-passive design and solar power.
Visit www.yha.com.au

Qixian Hostel (Xi-an, China)
Set beside the Old City’s wall in a row of classic Chinese houses.
Visit www.hihostels.com

Hostel Corbett Park (Corbett Wilds, India)
The hostel is set beside a reserve that’s home to tigers and elephants.
Visit www.hihostels.com

Villa Camerata (Florence, Italy)
A 17th century villa surrounded by Italian gardens.
Visit www.aighostels.com

Hostel Stayokay Domburg (Domburg, the Netherlands)
This 13th century castle also has rooms in the carriage house.
Visit www.stayokay.com

HI Catalazete (Lisbon, Portugal)
An 18th century fort with water views.
Visit www.hihostels.com

Carbisdale Castle YHA (Carbisdale, Scotland)
A castle in woods just an hour from Inverness.
Visit www.hihostels.com

HI Montara (California, USA)
This lighthouse, built in 1875, is 40 km from San Francisco.
Visit www.hiusa.com

STF Stockholm Langholmen
(Stockholm, Sweden)
A ‘luxury hostel’ set in an old jail.
Visit www.langholmen.com

More

Hostelling International represents more than 90 hostel associations in 90 countries, and has more than 4000 hostels on its books.
Visit www.hihostels.com

Almost 2 million Australians have been YHA Australia members since hostelling came to our shores in 1939.
Visit www.yha.com.au

BASE has hostels from Queenstown to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand and Melbourne to Magnetic Island in Australia.
Visit www.stayatbase.com