YMCAs Offer Special Packages in Several Cities

Young travelers on tight budgets who prefer avoiding the restrictive hours and lack of privacy usually associated with youth hostels can investigate the YMCA’s international network of budget lodgings.

This year the association has added new, low-cost “do-it-yourself” tour packages for Washington, D.C., and a newly affiliated hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

Details about accommodation prices and facilities at Ys in North America, Western Europe, the Far East and the South Pacific are available through a special “Ys Way” brochure produced by the YMCA of Greater New York.

The 103 facilities listed include Ys and affiliated budget accommodations. Most provide lodgings for men and women at an average rate of $24 per person a night for single or twin rooms.

One of the advantages of the “Ys Way” program is that you can reserve budget accommodations before you go.

Not all of the locations listed are YMCAs. In some areas the association has made arrangements to include suitable alternative lodging, such as hotels that cater to a young clientele.

Near Swiss Ski Areas

In Switzerland, for example, the “Ys Way” program lists various S.S.R. Hotels operated by Switzerland’s National Student Travel Service. Most are within easy reach of popular ski areas, and some offer accommodations during the summer.

A recent addition to the international network is the Collins House International Y at 27 S. Sathorn Road in Bangkok. It offers 147 rooms at $25 U.S. single or $30 twin a night. The hotel also has a fitness center, jogging track, swimming pool, restaurant, bar and massage room.

In addition to accommodations, the program offers travel packages in New York City, New Orleans, Los Angeles (including Hollywood), Seattle and Washington, D.C. for independent travelers.

Packages are two to five nights and include accommodations in single or twin rooms, breakfasts, several other meals and tickets for local tours.

Smithsonian Museums

The new Washington packages are from two to four nights and offer accommodations at the Hotel Harrington four blocks from the White House. It is also within walking distance of the free Smithsonian museums and just one block from the subway.

A three-night program includes accommodations, three breakfasts, one dinner, a Washington-by-night tour (viewing Capitol Hill, the Kennedy Center and Georgetown) and a day tour that includes visits to the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. Cost for a single is $175; for twin accommodations it’s $155 per person.

The “Ys Way” program also operates a special student courtesy desk in the arrivals hall at Kennedy Airport in New York City. The staff provides transportation and reservation information for foreign visitors.

Free copies of the “Ys Way” catalogue, which lists international facilities, youth travel services and reservation information, are available by contacting The Ys Way International, 359 West 34th St., New York 10001, or call (212) 760-5869. Include a self-addressed, stamped (65 cents postage) envelope.