Hostel

Yes, most of the hostels cater to all ages.

"While stationed in Germany many moons ago we hosteled our way to France." When will you be doing this? There've been a lot of changes. German hostels (DJH) have had to become more financially independent. Now more than ever they market to families and to school groups. There has been an extensive remodeling program that focuses on small 4-bed rooms with private bath. You can also get singles in some hostels. The school groups bring in the €s but they are a pain in the backside. They tend to overrun the DJH hostels in a sort of prepubescent free-for-all that involves an incredible amount of noise at nearly any hour in the hallways and common areas. If you're going after mid-July, when school is out in most places (varies by state), the monkeys are mostly at home with mom and dad, and you'll have some peace and quiet in the hostels since most parents who take their kids to hostels for vacations have more control than a teacher or two over 20+ kids. You will probably run into a handful of independent travelers too - hostels tend to be popular with bicyclists. From September on, there's a greater risk the monsters will return

You will be perfectly comfortable in any HI/YHA youth hostel; http://www.hihostels.com/web/index.en.htm There are also many, many "independent" hostels that you can google search for. They vary from large and impersonal to as small as a 3-bedroom apartment. A few - maybe 10% or less - do have an age cut-off of 30yrs or so. But you should find hosteling easy and pleasant.

Brian, I have stayed in two different hostels in Italy (one in Rome and one on Lago Trasimeno). Both experiences were enjoyable. Great way to meet fellow travelers of ALL ages. I try to choose a hostel based on location and whether or not noise will be a big issue. A hostel located above, below or around a bar is not acceptable. All in all, a very wonderful experience. I am in my 50's. You'll have a great time. Linda

Brian, First of all, sorry to hear about the problems you're experiencing. I do know what that's like. NO, you're definitely NOT too old! I'm 60+ and still use Hostels on a regular basis while travelling. On one occasion in a Hostel in England, one of the guests was over 70, so age certainly isn't a problem. As Randy mentioned, the HI Hostels are a good start as the facilities are fairly consistent from one location to another, they're well run and they're not "party Hostels". However, also as mentioned these can be popular with school groups at times, but I've never found that to be a problem. They usually provide a good breakfast. With HI Hostels, it's better to have a Membership, as that provides better rates and preferred booking over non-members. The Membership is not expensive (I just renewed mine for this year). You can get the Membership online. There are also some excellent independent Hostels, but some of those tend to fall more into the "party" category. The Hostels in Bavaria used to have an age-specific rule, but I'm not sure if that's still the case? Happy travels!

Hi, First of all, unless it's policy at that particular "independent" hostel where the age limit of 35 is imposed, you have no reason not to be able to stay. I've run into these types in Munich and esp., in London. No age limit applies in the DJH hostels (HI/HYA)in Germany, not even in Bavaria. I'm in my early 60s, stayed in hostels 30-40 years ago, and still do so depending on the hostel. As long as you don't mind staying in a dorm room with 20 somethings (the cheapest way to do it) in an "independent" hostel, you'll have no problems. There is a much greater choice of hostels nowadays than when you used them 30 years ago. It's great to have six weeks.

Great, most of my reading didnt indicate ages, but i did run across one that did and that started my worries of age or "age related" issues. Thanx to all of you for the quick responses. Russ, I am booking air this week for 5/16 - 6/28/2012 and I have no illusions to the excellent picture you painted. Another change is the huge increase in the number that are out there. Maybe economy or the info highway, IDK. Linda dittos my concern of location and noise pollution. Ken seconds Randy on HIH membership and site. Thank you Ken - I love the energy of our youth and experienced alike. Most entertaining kids Ive met were two 74 yo twin brothers backpacking the JMT in CA taking their time while most of us were doing the sprint. So, I get to use the hostels. Really pumped about my hasty adventure. If age spec, it will probably be noted in the booking or research. My unplanned plan is to give a 1/3 of the pie to Hotels/motel, Overnights on Transportation and Hostels/camping. Maybe less Hotels and more camping... Its been 3 long days since the idea was formed. Two books and enough from the web to know how much i dont know about my unplanned adventure. The iron curtain opportunities and fun ahead is still too unimaginable. This escape is something that deserves respect in planning and normally would be a far plan. That is were the adventure begins as I dont have that luxury. Reading the vast sincere comments in this forum gives me hope with a huge advantage and when i have an outline I hope to hear from more of you as I put something together. Thanks again.

When considering which hostels to stay at, check the reviews at a website like hostelworld.com and see what others have to say about the location, cleanliness, amenities and noise levels before you book. If you see the same complaints about something (like noise) or comments like "great bar downstairs in the lobby" you may want to think twice before booking a bed. You still may want to pack a pair of earplugs and a sleep mask if you are a light sleeper. The HI Hostels are ok - fairly clean, usually quiet. But I've often found the independent hostels have better amenities or perks. The annual membership for HI, while not a budget breaker and good for a year, is really only good if you plan to stay almost exclusively at HI affiliated hostels. If you are going to mix it up and stay at some of the independent hostels, you can still stay at HI hostels without a membership and the price difference for a bed as a non-member is generally only a few Euro more per night. While you aren't too old to stay at a hostel, you will find the average hosteler is still typically in their 20s-30s with a small number in the 40+ range. You may also want to consider couch surfing for part of your trip. By joining, you can search for other members who live in the towns/cities you are going to visit and even if you decide you aren't going to stay in their home, many of the local members are open to meeting up with other members to show them around or have a quick drink or meal. And if you want your own room, look into university housing. Many schools rent single bedded dorm rooms to tourists in the summer and the prices are often better than a budget hotel or B&B and you can generally get nice perks on campus like coin-op laundry, breakfast or use of a communal kitchen, and WiFi.

Thank you for the insight Ceidleh. That info give me more to work with and covers a lot of my concerns. Let the cookn begin.

Another very good site for unbiased hostel reviews is hostelz.com. My wife and I are both over 60. We love hostels!