Why does the US lack youth hostels/isn't backpacker friendly? (hotels, plane)
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His question is not suggesting that America should not have hotels/motels catering to American tourists. He is only asking why we do not also have hostels, which are popular with foreign backpackers. Hostels in every country, including Australia, are often geared to foreign backpackers not only because of the cheap price, but because they are places where backpackers can share information and find temporary travel partners.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Data1000
His question is not suggesting that America should not have hotels/motels catering to American tourists. He is only asking why we do not also have hostels, which are popular with foreign backpackers. Hostels in every country, including Australia, are often geared to foreign backpackers not only because of the cheap price, but because they are places where backpackers can share information and find temporary travel partners.
Yes, I saw that. But after several people mentioned Americans traveling within America the OP posted later...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trimac20
Again you're talking about Americans but I'm talking about visitors.
I think hostels could be big business around college towns, especially big football/basketball schools. You would get guests every weekend for the games and even during non-game weekends for just out of town friends who come visiting. Hostels basically cater to college aged crowds (who don't have much money) anyways, so it would immediately be the #1 place everyone would want to stay when coming into town.
For example, a hostel near a Big Ten school I think would be packed every weekend, except maybe the summers when all the students are gone.
I am a Life Member of American Youth Hostels, but am no longer in a position to travel. The absence of Hostels in the USA is quite striking, compared to the situation in almost every other country where they are in nearly every small town. The few that are in USA seem to be in the large cities. There used to be a number of them in small towns of Massachusetts and eastern Pennsylvania, so that you could bicycle from one to the other. I don't know if this is still the case ? As mentioned above, Hostels are a great way to get traveling advice from other guests, and find temporary traveling partners. In Interlaken Switzerland there is Balmer's Hostel which caters just to guests from English-speaking countries and offers many on-site services/conviences. I have stayed in a (replica) medieval castle hostel high on a hill in Bachrach (Rhineland) Germany, in a light-house hostels on Lake Konstanz, Germany and Point Reyes California, and the Strawberry Mansion hostel in Philadelphia.
Again you're talking about Americans but I'm talking about visitors. Sleeping with strangers is no biggie unless they snore, but I've stayed in countless backpackers. The places I stayed in the States were decent but I think the ones we have here are better.
In most parts of the country, nearly all of your tourist trade consists of AMERICANS. Most of the large cities have a hostel or two.
I think because hostels are associated with cheaper, generally smaller, adventurey type places. For example, places like Guatemala or India attract younger adventurous types because they are so cheap and foreign so hostels spring up. The US however is super big and major cities are more likely to be spread apart too far. It's a country where people spend more money day-to-day, and travel for short vacations with lots of money and do a lot of consumption.
Compared to Europe, Australia, or even Japan and much of South-East Asia, the States seems to lack affordable budget accommodation for backpackers, notably youth hostels with dorm beds, communal rooms, facilities, a kitchen.etc. Even in large cities there's usually only a handful, mostly a HI (Hostelling international). It just seems in general the US tourist industry caters to families/groups or travellers with money. Given it's 60 million or so international visitors a year, why hasn't it made more effort to cater to budget travellers, including singles? Outside of places like SF - heck even NYC isn't that good for this. Why is this?
Because people here are afraid of their own shadows! Don't you see how they shoot themselves at every corner! Imagine if they saw someone with a backpack walking around!
Yes of course travel is only directed at the rich here; every time I come from Europe here it costs me 1/4 of the price it costs me to go from here to Europe and beyond. Tourism for the low budget is not encouraged at all....cable is and burgers and fries are though; remember once you're way over your BMI it is hard to fit in a plane. They don't want "everyone" to travel, otherwise they couldn't keep up the brainwashing into thinking US is the only country around; pathetic.
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Well yes, I know most travel within the US is for Americans, but it just seems that they aren't catering for a very large segment of travellers, that is backpacker's and budget student travellers. There certainly is a big demand for it, the hostels I did visit in the States were usually quite well booked out, but I don't know, I still didn't feel that sense of community.etc that I've got staying at hostels here.
I still didn't feel that sense of community.etc that I've got staying at hostels here.
i dont think you'll find it. hostels in the US are mostly for drug addicts and other people you don't want to be around. i wouldn't recommend you stay at them even if you exclusively stay at hostels in other countries - hostels are bad news in the US.
as far as broke student travellers and such, isn't that what coachsurfing is for? they have plenty of options to travel on the cheap in the US.
just because a country lacks hostels doesn't mean it lacks budget travel options - it's far cheaper to travel in the US than in australia.
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