Hostel Group Launches Advance Booking Service : Budget travelers can now reserve beds at 40 lodgings in 15 countries.

Arriving in a foreign country jet-lagged from an overnight flight can be very trying, especially if you don’t understand what language is being spoken. Even if you are traveling on a limited budget, it is wise to have a reservation for the first night or two. To help budget travelers, the International Youth Hostel Federation has started a service that offers assistance with advance bookings.

The federation represents about 5,000 hostels in more than 60 countries. The hostels have a mandate to offer clean and safe low-- cost lodgings. Often the price is low because travelers share rooms. Although the word youth appears in the name, very few of the locations impose age restrictions.

Last summer, the federation introduced IBN, an international booking network. The pilot project now links 40 youth hostels in 15 countries. It means that budget travelers can contact any participating hostel and make a reservation for a bed at any other hostel in the system. A booking fee equal to $2 is charged. In addition, travelers must pay the overnight fee in local currency at the location where the booking is made.

If the traveler then changes the itinerary, he or she can get his or her money back, less $1, by taking the booking receipt back to a participating hostel at least one week before the date of its scheduled use.

Reservations may be made in person or by telephone.

In the United States, participating hostels are members of American Youth Hostels, and are located in Boston (617-536-9455), New York (212-932-2300), San Francisco (415-711-7277), Santa Monica (310-393-9913), Seattle (206- 622-5443) and Washington, D.C. (202-737-2333).

In Canada, participating hostels are members of the Canadian Hostelling Assn. and are in Banff (403-762-4122), Montreal (514- 843-3317), Ottawa (613-235-2595), Quebec (418-694-0755) and Van couver (604-224-3208).

Cities with participating hostels in other countries include: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; Vienna and Salzburg, Austria; Brussels and Brugge, Belgium; London, York, Stratford-upon-Avon, England; Paris and Rennes, France; Strasbourg, Munich and Dusseldorf, Germany; Dublin and Belfast, Ireland; Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, Japan; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Auckland, New Zealand; Glasgow and Stirling, Scotland, and Zurich, Switzerland.

As you travel, you’ll discover that budget accommodations can range from a hostel in a castle in the Netherlands to a monastery on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Other lodgings include YMCAs, school residences during holiday periods, and private homes.

Your best sources for leads are guidebooks, other travelers (ask for recommendations and note them in a journal) and tourist information offices.

For example, the Swiss National Tourist Office recently announced new budget accommodations available in Interlaken, one of Switzerland’s most exclusive Alpine resorts.

The Alplodge offers no-frills double and quadruple rooms. Rates range from about $11 to $28 per person, per night. The price includes continental breakfast plus all taxes and gratuities. For more information or reservations, contact Alplodge, Hotel Bellevue Park Plaza, 3800 Interlaken, Switzerland, telephone 011-41-36-22- 44-31, or fax 011-36-22-92-50.

Travelers should also be aware that accommodation booking services are in many railway stations and airports.

Always try to inspect a room in a budget hotel before you register and hand over any money. Keep in mind that in many budget hotels, the washroom is shared among several rooms. You should inspect it, too.

If you don’t speak the local language, pick up matches or letterhead with the name and address of your hotel on it before you head out. Should you get lost, you’ll be able to show the address to someone who may be able to get you steered in the right direction.