Youth hostels offer affordable accommodation for travelers worldwide, promoting social interaction and meeting people from different cultures. The first hostel was founded in 1912 by Richard Schirrmann, leading to the creation of Hostelling International, managing over 4,500 hostels in 80 countries. Hostels offer dorms, single or double rooms, common spaces, and notice boards with activities and attractions. Some hostels require membership cards, while others are run independently, known as backpacker hostels.
A youth hostel is a place that offers very cheap accommodation in a comfortable environment suitable for people traveling on a budget. These hostels exist all over the world and are a boon to many students and backpackers who travel both locally and abroad. While they primarily provide safe accommodations for travellers, they also promote social interaction with fellow guests in a variety of ways. Although the term is associated with young people, people of all ages can be seen using these hostels.
Richard Schirrmann, a German teacher and visionary, founded the first youth hostel in 1912. He became aware of the lack of affordable accommodation for young people on school trips when he was forced to spend the night in the village’s school buildings and barns. His first hostel was opened with the help of numerous donations and much public support. Some incidents in his life led him to reflect on the idea of creating friendly meeting places where people of different origins from different countries could socialize with each other. Subsequently, he created a youth hostel association and retired from teaching to focus his energies on the idea.
His original idea spread like wildfire around the world, eventually leading to the creation of a non-profit organization called Hostelling International, or HI. This organization manages youth hostel associations globally and there are now over 4,500 youth hostels spread across 80 countries. Although hostels are managed by national associations, they are required to meet the standards set by HI, which regularly carries out inspections to ensure quality. The central vision of its founder has been preserved and for many people youth hostels are an easy and safe way to meet people from different cultures.
In the past, hostels were places where travelers would throw themselves and engage in work that was considered character-building. These days, youth hostels are well staffed and offer many hotel-like facilities at no extra cost. They offer very reasonable accommodation, which can be in the form of dorm beds, single or double rooms. Dorms are a budget option and can contain rows of bunk beds. A person checking into such a hostel can leave their belongings in a locker provided, which ensures safety.
A youth hostel also promotes socialization among its guests in the form of common spaces where everyone can spend time. They can bring a set of books with some donated by travellers. Usually, there is a notice board detailing the attractions and activities available in and around the area. Additionally, students and other travelers are welcome to submit travel and planning-related suggestions or questions. For many travelers on a budget, the youth hostel offers a surefire route to finding fellow travelers who travel the same routes and who are willing to share the cost of transportation and food.
While many youth hostels are run by associations and require membership cards which can be easily obtained, there are also non-HI hostels. These hostels can be as diverse as its owners: in some places, the owners make sure to remember each guest by name and introduce them to other guests in the common areas. Some may even employ long-term guests as cleaners or receptionists, offering them free accommodation in return. These hostels are also known as backpacker hostels due to the huge number of backpackers who seek them out.
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