Hi all,
Very simple question for most of you I'm sure but in order to use Youth Hostels do I need to become a member of something? Also I'm 35, does that cause any problems using them?
thanks a lot,
Simon
Youth Hostels
Nope, you just book your room like an ordinary/regular hotel.. there are more than 20000 youth hostel worldwide so I think it wouldn't be that difficult to locate some of them.. which place are you going anyways?
There is no age restriction in hostels these days and you won't have to be a member. you can buy a yearly membership for certain chains such as YHA/HI which will get you a slight discount on accommodation but membership is optional.
As bex mentioned, some chains have optional membership. Typically if you are not a member, you pay about 3 dollars a day more. A membership card costs around 30 if I'm not mistaken, so it can be smart to have one if you end up spending a lot of time in hostels that are members of these chains.
About signing up for one- it also depends on where you're going. Somewhere like Africa you'll get very little use out of it. In Australia, I thought most HI hostels were actually really boring- clean and safe, but hardly fun. Lot of people with a HI card felt a bit obligated to stay in them, whilst the rest of us opted for the more "cool" hostels.
Then again, somewhere like South America a lot of little hostels give you discounts (including the cool ones 
), as well as other good deals- I got one there and saved quite a bit of money, but I'm glad I didn't go for one in Australia.
Thanks a lot guys. I'm going to Oz and then onto Thailand about September time. Recently single so will be travelling on my own...and cant wait.
Cheers!
If you're looking at joining up with YHA, then membership with the Scottish one (SYHA) is cheaper than the England/Wales one. No need to be resident in Scotland to join!