Why does the US lack youth hostels/isn't backpacker friendly? (cost, cycle)

[Trimac20]

Well I don't think America's size is the reason because Australia is just as big and in my city alone there are probably over 20 youth hostels. In San Diego, where we stayed at a backpacker's, there were only a couple. And American's not having a gap year is kind of irrelevant as most backpacker's here tend to be non-Australians. We also have a huge camping/outdoors culture too...yet there's still the backpacking culture/infrastructure here in Australia. I'm inclined to believe it's the general attitude of tourism in the US, which doesn't cater so much to international tourists, despite it being the second most visited nation in the world.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Well I don't think America's size is the reason because Australia is just as big and in my city alone there are probably over 20 youth hostels. In San Diego, where we stayed at a backpacker's, there were only a couple. And American's not having a gap year is kind of irrelevant as most backpacker's here tend to be non-Australians. .

I would attribute it to several factors:

1) Americans are more likely to drive than to use trains or buses. That gives us a lot of flexibility as to where to stay. In my youth, I was as likely to stretch out my sleeping bag in the back seat than to pay for a room.

2) The backpacker types - and I have met quite a few - do want to spend much. That eliminates the ability of an operator to make much money on the proposition.

3) The few hostels I have been to in the US actually cost more than the cheaper hotels.

4) I do not think that many people want to sleep in a room with a bunch of strangers - even in my younger days.

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In Canada, I used to travel from college to college staying in their summer accommodations. They offered private rooms as opposed to the hostels and were priced similarly.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

I would attribute it to several factors:

1) Americans are more likely to drive than to use trains or buses. That gives us a lot of flexibility as to where to stay. In my youth, I was as likely to stretch out my sleeping bag in the back seat than to pay for a room.

2) The backpacker types - and I have met quite a few - do want to spend much. That eliminates the ability of an operator to make much money on the proposition.

3) The few hostels I have been to in the US actually cost more than the cheaper hotels.

4) I do not think that many people want to sleep in a room with a bunch of strangers - even in my younger days.

==============================

In Canada, I used to travel from college to college staying in their summer accommodations. They offered private rooms as opposed to the hostels and were priced similarly.

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.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I'm inclined to believe it's the general attitude of tourism in the US, which doesn't cater so much to international tourists, despite it being the second most visited nation in the world.

We do cater to all kinds of tourist but there are not enough international travelers to support being catered to over domestic ones(i.e. What an US Citizen wants and does will be what hotels/motels will offer). I think Austrilia likely has connections to other countries via the common wealth that makes travel to/from easier for people living in the common wealth nations. Also I think european hotels tend to cost more than US ones.

Also even for low cost backpacking/walking you need good Public Tranist which is something that outside of Major US cities can be lacking.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

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.

Americans would prefer to have much more control over who they share a room with even if it means paying a little more or cuting the trip a little short. Last time I shared a room with people I was not related to was on some High School trips ages ago....never again.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

I recall, or have read, that hostels were pretty widespread in Germany, but I thought this was sort of an old fashioned thing, a leftover of their pre-WWII outdoors/folk culture , where teenagers or young adults would hike cross country with their canes and rucksacks to explore their "heimat", staying in these hostels on the way.

Sounds sort of old fashioned and picturesque, and I thought this had faded by now. I didnt know we had any of this stuff in the USA.

For the US the budget thing was the YMCA in the big cities (for men), or "tourist courts" and "motels", for cross country travel..

Far from old fashioned! I lived in the UK for about 6 months in 2009 and used that time to travel through the UK and Europe. The only times I didn't stay in a hostel were in smaller, tertiary cities in central Europe (Olomoc, Czech Republic; Zakopane, Poland; Gyor, Hungary) because you could get a nice hotel room for very cheap. Staying in hostels, eating PBJ, and not meeting any other Americans who would "lower" themselves to such an experience was a blast.

Europe is so much more "expensive", but I was able to affordably travel much more extensively in Europe and the UK than I have ever been able to in the US even though I have lived here most of my life. The US's lack of an effective transit system make it incredibly difficult to travel cheaply, and the lack of hostels is just one side effect. The number of people saying that a tourist would need to rent a car is a huge indicator as to why the US is not a major travel destination for international young adults aside from a handful of cities (ie NY, San Francisco, LA) whereas even hostels in places as isolated as the Isle of Skye, Scotland and Akureyri, Iceland were packed to the brim with Aussies, Kiwis, and Germans.

[phxgreenfire]

You keep mentioning what America should do for international over American tourists, but you're forgetting that there are far more American tourists traveling within the country than there are foreign. Obviously businesses are going to cater to the larger market, which is why people keep mentioning American tastes. It's also likely a combination of things:

-The kind of people traveling to and within the US
-Profitability (if they were profitable here, there would be more of them)
-NIMBY factors (I can't imagine many people would want a hostel opening up next door to them)
-Competition (there are plenty of budget accommodations with more privacy with which hostels can't compete)

I would also say prestige may be a factor. I work mainly with foreigners and there are only a handful of places they know about, or knew about prior to coming. You would be surprised how many don't know about Chicago, San Francisco, Boston or New Orleans amongst others. It's still hard for me to fathom how these people I work with haven't heard of these cities. In other words, they may not be able to reach their full potential. Another possible thing (just a theory) is the psychology associated with travel. I've read that when away from home, many people will change somewhat. A lot of the people I work with don't have a lot of money, and rely on government grants (theirs, not ours)... but when they settle in they will act as if they do, and blow a lot of that tax-payer money here. Many come from countries where alcohol and gambling are forbidden, then develop gambling or drinking habits because no one at home will ever know. It's possible that people visiting America may want to opt for private accommodations, which would also lower the demand for hostels.

[Peregrine]

Here's a thought. Why don't we start a thread listing as many as we possibly can.

I'll start as Cleveland, Ohio just got it's first one about a year ago and so far it's been wildly successful.

The Cleveland Hostel - Cleveland's First Hostel

(Should probably start a new thread, eh?)

[annerk]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Well I don't think America's size is the reason because Australia is just as big and in my city alone there are probably over 20 youth hostels. In San Diego, where we stayed at a backpacker's, there were only a couple. And American's not having a gap year is kind of irrelevant as most backpacker's here tend to be non-Australians. We also have a huge camping/outdoors culture too...yet there's still the backpacking culture/infrastructure here in Australia. I'm inclined to believe it's the general attitude of tourism in the US, which doesn't cater so much to international tourists, despite it being the second most visited nation in the world.

We completely cater to international tourists. We just don't cater to a small segment of them. Frankly I'd rather have us cater to the people who come on a month long vacation where they drop $20K, eating, drinking, shopping and spending money on various attractions than a couple of broke backpackers who spend $1K all month. Which one makes the most sense to cater to?

[Data1000]

Originally Posted by phxgreenfire

You keep mentioning what America should do for international over American tourists, but you're forgetting that there are far more American tourists traveling within the country than there are foreign. Obviously businesses are going to cater to the larger market, which is why people keep mentioning American tastes.

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.