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I happen to live in a small town that gets a lot of foreign visitors. A large handful of them are "backpackers".
Those backpackers stay in our extremely nice campgrounds. A state or federal campground costs somewhere between free and $12 a night, depending upon how elaborate the facilities are.
You would have a difficult time doing that in Britain of Europe. The campgrounds in Britain all have large signs saying "no tents", so you must own an expensive travel rig in order to camp. The campgrounds in Europe are more like resorts with pools, restaurants, recreation, and they are not cheap. Cheaper than a motel, but still, not cheap. I know they allow tents, because I have tent camped in campgrounds in Europe, but they cost. (and I think, well worth the money; they are very nice)
All over the USA, you can camp in a federal or state campground for not any more than $12 a night. That will usually include a hot shower. So why would you want to sleep in a dormitory with a bunch of strangers?
All over the USA, you can find older courtyard motels. They are all along old highways in areas that have new freeway bypasses. Those motels can be had for as cheap as $25 a night and you can put up to 4 people in one of those $25 rooms. So what's the point of staying in a hostel?
Incidentally, if you don't mind sleeping in a room full of strangers, you can stay in any of the homeless shelters for free to $2 a night. Large room full of beds, and there is a supervisor at night to prevent mayhem. Nobody checks your finances, although I consider it pretty darn low to pretend to be pennyless in order to take up a bed that someone else genuinely needs.
There is also a website, but I do not know what it is where people can rent rooms in a home (no, not b&b). One of my friends did this a few months ago and I think it worked out well. I know it was not pricey at all. let's face it, America is just not the type of country that welcomes Youth Hostiles, and cheap backpacking sites.
As others have already mentioned, there are a variety of inexpensive options for budget travelers, from Couchsurfing to AirBnB to Hospitality Exchange.
If you look at the "Specialty Lodging" option on Tripadvisor there are a variety of ways to spend the night. It might not have the name 'hostel' but it might be backpacker friendly.
A place that comes to mind is the well-located San Remo Hotel in San Francisco. It's not dirt cheap, but reasonably priced for that city, with several different room options--and it is sparkling clean. We also stayed in a beautiful hostel on the Big Island of Hawaii. If you want to be frugal, all you have to do is research a bit.
Maybe there would be a better hostel system if we had a better public transportation system. But the USA is so big, and we do seem to love our automobiles.
Why not ask "Why do Europe and other countries have youth hostels and cater to backpackers? We don't do it in the US and we have millions of people visit every year."
Why not ask "Why do Europe and other countries have youth hostels and cater to backpackers? We don't do it in the US and we have millions of people visit every year."
Maybe it is because Europeans work a lot less and need to really economize in order to travel so frequently.
I have enjoyed reading this thread. I am an American and recently traveled to India and England. I stayed at a nice hotel in Jaipur, India that was about $30 a night which is reasonable. I went to London and stayed at a hotel one night that cost me about $90 or so, the following nights, I decided to stay at a hostel that cost me about $40 or so a night. The hostel was my first experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'd do it again. I stayed in a smaller room (they did have larger rooms with 6, 10 and 12 people...I'm too old for that)....room of 4 but the first night, it was just me. The next night, it was a full room of girls, me from America, one from South Africa and the other two from Norway. No problem...this hostel I stayed at in London was highly rated and when I got there, I could see why...their stuff was IN ORDER!!! I'd do it again and I am a bit older as I am "pushing" at 40's door in a few years.
I am looking forward to a hostel experience in the states but you have to be from out of state and have a passport from many of the places I've called.
NYC is not a typical American city. In Houston, you can get a decent hotel room with $55 using priceline bidding. If you travel with a friend, the cost per person could be less than $30 by sharing a hotel room. Hostels don't necessarily save you a lot of money.
The hassle of sharing a bedroom with a few complete strangers far outweights the benefit of meeting cool people.
A private room with private bathroom = privacy and peace of mind
Many times I travel solo therefore it absolutely saves me money staying in a hostel. Plus it's a great way to meet people who are usually around my age. I don't know if I would hostel if I were over 30.
Different strokes for different folks. There is absolutely no hassle when I do the hostel thing but some people aren't comfortable with that and that's fine. Personally I love hostels. Bathroom privacy really isn't a big deal for me. I go in, lock the door, do what I need to do then leave. Simple.
Many times I travel solo therefore it absolutely saves me money staying in a hostel. Plus it's a great way to meet people who are usually around my age. I don't know if I would hostel if I were over 30.
Different strokes for different folks. There is absolutely no hassle when I do the hostel thing but some people aren't comfortable with that and that's fine. Personally I love hostels. Bathroom privacy really isn't a big deal for me. I go in, lock the door, do what I need to do then leave. Simple.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amroacje
... Personally I love hostels. Bathroom privacy really isn't a big deal for me. I go in, lock the door, do what I need to do then leave. Simple.
It was the broken locks on the co-ed showers in France that ended hosteling for our young family. Kids loved it, but mom had a few 'reservations'...
NO MORE staying in "Foster homes for college kids", party over.
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