Backpack & Budget : The Y’s and Wherefores of Lodging

The YMCA network known as Y’s Way offers economical accommodations to students and young travelers at 27 centers in the United States and Canada and at 13 locations in Bangkok; Barcelona; Christchurch, New Zealand; Jerusalem; Hong Kong; London and Paris.

Don’t let the original name (Young Men’s Christian Assn.) mislead you; there are no religious restrictions and most facilities will accommodate both men and women.

A bonus for guests is that they can also use the recreation facilities. This might include gyms, swimming pools and fitness equipment.

You can make a reservation at any of the participating locations in North America or abroad by calling Y’s Way Worldwide Reservations System at (212) 308-2899. A fee of $3 for rooms in the United States and Canada, and $5 for rooms in Hawaii and overseas is charged to defray the cost of telephone and telex.

The Y’s Way also offers economical do-it-yourself tour packages for visiting New York City and New Orleans.

New York City packages range from two to seven nights. Accommodations are provided at either the Vanderbilt or West Side YMCA (both have recently been through major renovations, totaling $6 million).

The two-night package includes accommodation in a single or twin room, breakfasts, a two-hour city tour on the New York Double Decker Tour Bus (it follows a circular route that passes popular sites and you can get off and on as you choose), a tour to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and dinner in a Chinatown or Y restaurant. The price is $123 single or $97 per person in a twin room.

Two- and three-night packages for New Orleans include single or double accommodations at the International Center YMCA, breakfasts, a plantation tour, city tour, a historic Mississippi River cruise and a tour of the Louisiana Superdome. The three-night package also includes a tour of the historic Gallier House. The cost for the two-night package is $130 single, $125 per person, double. The three-night program is $160 single and $155 per person, double.

For a brochure, contact Y’s Way International at 224 East 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Supertramp, the travel agency of the Austrian Youth Hostel Assn., has arranged economical do-it-yourself packages for individuals this summer who want to visit Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck.

The Vienna packages range from two to five nights. You can choose accommodations ranging from dormitory beds in the youth hostel to private rooms in two-star hotels. Each package also includes breakfasts, a city information packet and a ticket for public transportation for three to six days. The two-night package costs $42.80. Vienna packages go until Sept. 30.

Salzburg packages range from two to five nights. Accommodations are provided in the youth hostel and guests are given one-day passes for local bus transportation. You can choose between versions that include just breakfast, or breakfast and dinner. The bed and breakfast version ranges from $35.25 for two nights to $80.85 for five nights. The bed, breakfast and dinner version ranges from two nights for $49.90 to $119.50 for five nights. Packages are available until Sept. 30.

Innsbruck (where the local tourist office arranges free guided hiking tours daily in the summer) packages are available, which include bed and breakfast at the youth hostel, city information and a public transportation ticket for two or three days. The two-night version costs $44.75 and the three-night version is $61.90. These packages go until Oct. 31.

You can contact Supertramp at Helferstorferstrasse 4, 1010, Vienna, Austria; telephone 011-43- 1-533-51-37.