Hostels for an older solo traveler

"Are there good resources for hosteling for travelers who are not the college backpacker crowd, but still independent and adventurous? "

Rick Steves!

I am even older than you and I travel solo and stay in hostels. I do so for the simple reason that hostels are cheaper than hotels. I travel for weeks at a time, and I simply cannot afford a hotel room for 60 to 70 nights, but 60 or 70 nights of hostels I can afford. When I need a break, I stay in a hotel for a night or two or three.

And there are many of us so called older people in hostels. Remember, they have dropped the term "youth" from hostel.

I looked at www.hostelworld.com and read all the reviews travelers made. You can get a great idea on what kind of people they cater to. There are great hostels out there, but there are also lots of duds. Trip Advisor has lots of listings as well. I like the smaller privately owned ones the best.

STEVE.. I fell off my chair laughing..

"Older solo traveler"

Er,,, I was thinking you'd be at least 20 years older then what you are..

I think you will find many in your age group travel around nowadays,, and many hostels do not have age limits on them ,, ( there are some that still list themselves as being only for 18-26 yr olds, true "youth" hostels,, but there are many more now for all ages, even families have been known to use some. Have you checked out the Hostelling forums online? Have a nice evening with my best friend mr. Google.. LOL
Also,, take a peek over at Lonely Planets forums.

Solo Steve,

As the others have mentioned, there are LOTS of "good resources" for Hostels. To begin with, have a look at the HI Hostels website. They have properties in many places in Europe and as they're a "chain", I've found the facilities fairly consistent from one location to another.

There are also independent Hostels in many cities, and some of these are excellent while others are a bit "dodgy". The Hostels in Bavaria used to have an age limit of 29 years, however I believe this has been removed.

You might find it worthwhile to take a drive up to Edmonds and have a look at Rick's Library of Guidebooks, as they contain many listings not only for Hostels but also budget Hotels that are not much different in price.

Don't be too concerned with your age. I'm in my late '50s and stay in Hostel dorm rooms (I usually mix Hostels and budget Hotels as it's nice to have a night of privacy once in a while). I've found that there's a good "mix" of ages in Hostels these days. Lots of the Hostel crowd is younger, but I've encountered people in their mid-'70s as well. Some Hostels are co-ed as well.

As it's been a while since you were in Europe, you might enjoy reading Europe Through The Back Door. Which locations in England/France/Spain are you considering?

Good luck with your planning!

Here is the link for the UK Youth Hostel Association (YHA). Has a variety of accommodation in a wide range of locations in town and country. All ages welcome these days.

http://www.yha.org.uk/

This truly older hosteler recommends www.hostelz.com. It's an excellent site with unbiased reviews.

Older????????????? LOL
I am 68 and my daughter and I primarly use hostels when we travel together on a self-guided tour.

You will have no problems.

BugEurope and Hostelz.com provides reviews of hostels.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions and even the ribbing from the "older solo travelers" than me. Some great links and leads. Much appreciated.

Steve

Solo Steve,

I stayed in a few hostels only in Italy and I did my research on hostels.com and hostelworld.com
Both sites provide some good info about each hostel, amny of them age requiremets. I only noticed maximum age limit on a few hostels in Italy. Some hostels might have a web site, if not you can google the hostel name and maybe you get their web site this way and email them.Wow. late 30's ...that's not old or older. If you feel like staying in hostel, you are still young.:)
HI is a good hostel. I think they charge a small fee per year, but if their prices are lower than others, it's worth it.

Holy cow, I missed the whole deal. Thought you were hosteling in the early 1920's. Striped my brain gears trying to do the math.

Please Steve... do not call late 30s "older" ... you are scaring me. I expected to read that you were about 70!
btw, "still independent and adventurous" ... is that suggesting that older people generally are not?? :-)