Look at this: https://www.youthhostel.ch/en
Sent from one of the Youth Hostels mentioned.
Budget Accomodation..I am 67 recently retired and wish to travel around Europe..typically between multi day hiking destinations. I am an experienced hiker India Nepal New Zealand plus Europe etc when young. Wondering about the state of play regarding budget accomodation whilst on the move. Is YHA still a thing? Happy to hostel it as long as it is appropriate..single room in such or even dorm as long as its with like minded folk..definately dont want to be that creepy old guy in some mixed dorm lol. Any one out there have info have done it that way themselves?? Thanks in advance..
Look at this: https://www.youthhostel.ch/en
Sent from one of the Youth Hostels mentioned.
I did 6 months on the continent and 3 months in the UK in the last year and a half on my bicycle, as well as 5 months in SE Asia. I camped and/or stayed in hostels in Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, England and Wales. Never once did I once feel unwelcome or anything. Some are mixed sex and but as I recall most were same sex. I met lots of geezers and geezerettes as well as spring chickens in their 40's and 50's. I met many very interesting people of all ages from all over the world. I can't wait to go back.
In the UK, it's the Youth Hostel Association (YHA), they fill up quickly on the weekends. Info for Germany: https://www.jugendherberge.de/en/membership/ with some info on joining. If you're in the US Hostel International is a part of the international hosteling scene. But only rarely was I asked for my membership but it's pretty cheap and sometimes it is good for a discount.
France (as is my understanding) is the only place where a Youth Hostel is only for young people. But they have many other hostels that are all ages; e.g. The People Hostel in Caen, Normandie. HostelWorld is a good app to find and book accommodations. IME most hostels have private rooms as well as dorms. Good luck and have fun
signed, Older Than OP :-)
Hostels are fine. I think I've only ever seen two have a posted age limit and they were both in the US oddly. Stay away from any "party hostels" and you'll be fine. Check out the site : www.hostelworld.com for booking any hostels.
IYHA is still a thing, but private hostels are on the rise. Private hostels often offer better service at lower prices. Official IYHA hostels have gotten expensive, at around 30 EUR per night plus the membership fee they are no longer a bargain. Considering that for around 40 EUR you may be able to find a private room in either a private hostel, a pension or budget hotel, many choose to stay elsewhere. If you plan on visiting the Alps, join the DAV (Alpenverein). There was a German family who went hiking in the Alps, got lost and needed to get rescued. They had to pay the costs of the search and the helicopter flight. DAV membership fees include insurance against such an event. The huts in the Alps are mostly mixed dorm. You will not be the only senior there who is hiking and staying in huts. Creepiness is not limited to old age. Some of the worst incidents in dorms that I experienced were all younger men. Simply keep your eyes to yourself and don't bother others and nobody will care that you are an older dude. That said, if you lost your patience for shared dorms somewhere in Nepal, pitching a tent can be a decent alternative.
Thanks for your reassuring and informative post!
I just want to wish you congratulations on your retirement!
I visited Europe in my 40s. Some were geared towards younger folks but most were fine being mixed.
hostels are definitely still a thing, and plenty of them attract older travelers too. I'd look for private rooms in hostels theyre affordable, social, and you can still use common areas without worrying about being odd one out in a dorm
That sounds like a lovely adventure to start! By the way, congratulations on your retirement!
You can also look into renting a room through Airbnb. There will be listings where private individuals offer a room in their apartment. A much cheaper option compared to the entire apartment. Also, you might be surprised how affordable some small guesthouses are in Europe through booking.com
I've been staying in shared rooms in Europe a lot. I'm still younger and never minded older people in the same room. You can easily find good and cheaper accomodations around Europe.
For the hiking legs you often don't need hostels at all, the trail networks have their own cheap beds. If you're doing the Alps, join an alpine club. DAV in Germany, OeAV in Austria, CAI in Italy, SAC in Switzerland. They have a reciprocity agreement, so one membership gets you member rates in all of the others' huts, which is roughly half price, and the mattress dorms (Matratzenlager) are the cheapest bed in the building. Most sections have a discounted senior category too. Sektion Edelweiss handles memberships in English for people who don't live in Austria, which is the usual route in. Book ahead though, huts fill up and most of them now take reservations through alpsonline. France has gites d'etape and refuges strung along the GR routes, usually half board so dinner and breakfast are sorted. Spain has the albergues on the Camino routes, the municipal ones are normally under 10 euros. Scotland has the MBA bothies, free and unstaffed. Norway has the DNT huts, membership knocks the price right down and the self service ones you let yourself into with the DNT standard key. And wild camping is legal in Norway, Sweden and Scotland, so if you're carrying a tent between hikes anyway, some of those nights cost you nothing. On the dorm worry, don't overthink it. Hut dorms are all ages by nature and everyone is asleep by nine because breakfast is at six.