24 New Youth Hostels Open Around the U.S.

Young travelers on tight budgets will find new low-cost lodging facilities in Honolulu, Gettysburg, Pa., and Fairbanks, Alaska, among other places, this year.

American Youth Hostels Inc., has added 24 new youth hostel locations to its network of 244 youth hostels in 42 states.

In the United States, youth hostel facilities range from dormitory lodgings in a Pullman train car in Massachusetts to renovated lighthouses in California. The word youth may be misleading; no age restrictions are imposed. If you are a member of the International Youth Hostel Federation, rates average between $4 and $12 per night, depending on standards.

Trial Memberships

Non-members may stay at the hostels but must buy a temporary membership card. In the northeastern United States you can buy a two-night trial membership for $5. In most U.S. hostels outside of the Northeast, non-members can buy a one-night trial membership for $2 to $3.

A youth hostel can be a real asset to visitors to large cities. San Francisco has operated a terrific hostel for a number of years. Now Chicago has taken the plunge. Its first official youth hostel is located near Loyola University and can accommodate up to 100 visitors at $8.75 a night. You’ll find it at 3712 N. Clark St.

Details on locations and facilities of hostels and how to make reservations are covered in the American Youth Hostels 1986/87 Handbook. Copies are provided free with AYH membership or you can order a copy for $6.25 (postal money order) from American Youth Hostels Inc., P.O. Box 37613, Dept. 950, Washington, D.C. 20013-7613.

Prepare Own Meals

Most offer a kitchen where you can prepare your own meals, lounge and dormitory-style lodgings, with separate sleeping and bathroom facilities for men and women. Most hostels also provide blankets but require you to bring or rent a sheet sleeping bag.

One of the few youth hostels where you will still need a regular sleeping bag is the Fairbanks International Youth Hostel. This new location doesn’t offer kitchen facilities or electricity, and it brings the total number of youth hostels in Alaska to 11.

Most American youth hostels are closed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and have lights-out curfews ranging from 10:30 p.m. to midnight. If you are making a stopover in Hawaii you’ll find the new Hale Aloha hostel’s registration office is open 9-11 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. Phone at (808) 946-0591. The new hostel is located two blocks from Waikiki Beach at 2417 Prince Edward St. The rate is $8.50 per night. Public transportation goes to and from Honolulu airport but you are not allowed to carry luggage on board so take the Gray Line bus to the closest stop, the Moana Hotel.

Another new hostel location is a renovated Civil War era hotel in historic Gettysburg. This facility at 27 Chambersburg will accommodate 60 visitors at a rate of $6 per night.

Two youth hostels not included in the handbook will be operating this year. The Aspen, Colo., hostel will operate at the Highlands Inn; phone (303) 925-5050. Summer rate is $9. The Beaver Valley hostel will operate in Cooperstown, N.Y., at $5 a night.

Regional Office

For further details and membership information contact the regional AYH Inc. office at 1502 Palos Verdes Drive N., Harbor City, Calif. 90710; (213) 831-8846.

About half a million students participate in exchange and educational programs annually. Until recently there were no set standards for the organization of overseas adventures. A group of 17 educational and student-exchange organizations is trying to change this. They have joined together, established a set of standards and now call themselves the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET).

Organizations participating in CSIET include: National Federation of State High School Assns., National School Boards Assn., the American Assn. for School Administrators, American Institute for Foreign Study and the Experiment in International Living.

The areas that concern CSIET include the proper screening of host families, insurance, educational perspectives and adherence to government regulations. CSIET has issued a booklet outlining the various programs operated by member organizations who meet the standards and who have agreed to an annual review. Copies can be obtained for $2 from CSIET, 1906 Association Drive, Reston, Va. 22091.