30+ Staying at Hostel in US?

[Scatterbunn]

I am a runner and a cyclist with a (lifetime) goal to complete at least one event in all 50 states, (kind of as an "excuse" to travel). Originally I was planning on depending on hotels, but changes in circumstances mean that I will need to board at least one of my dogs on my trips (LOOOOONG story but taking her with is not an option, even if pet friendly facilities were available). So I am looking at other places to trim costs including camping and hostels. I am a little leery of camping as a lone female and some places/times of year it wouldn't be practical. 

 

Has anyone over 30 stayed in hostels in the US? I was just kind of skimming different sites and it seems like a lot of them require student IDs or have other age limits. I am currently 33 and while I have started doing minor some traveling, the "serious" stuff will have to wait for at least a year until my house is paid off, most of the time when I travel I am only in the hotel to shower and change clothes so I don't need fancy.  I'm Just looking for recommendations from the over 30s if there are any. Thank you

[juliebarkley]

This sounded weird to me, so I googled it. According to the internet, most hostels don't have an age limit, and the ones that do are often "party hostels", not ones for getting a good night's sleep. Most of the age limit ones cut off at 40 as well. I don't think any of the HI hostels in the US have age limits, and any hostel with age limits is going to be on shaky ground as they might get reported for age discrimination. Did you contact any of the hostels you were looking at to make sure that they would turn you away for being in your 30s?

 

I only hostelled in Europe and it was back when I was in university, but if I wanted to travel again, I would definitely look into hostels. Age limits wouldn't even have occurred to me.

[Scatterbunn]

Its not so much i would be turned away specifically due to age, its more the way they word things. "Dorms only for foreign nationals and out of state students (passport/student ID required)" type wording. Two of the hostels i found in new orleans word their "requirements" this way, stating no age limit/ student id requirements on single rooms (and at $200/night, i can stay at a hotel WAY  cheaper). So they will rent to "older people"  just not the dorms (or they will allow in female only which are booked for the dates i will be there).

 

So far I have only checked out San Antonio and New orleans since those are the two cities i will be traveling to this year. Neither city currently has an HI hostel, the one in San Antonio appears to have been shut down (reviews said it was pretty scuzzy) and there is one in New orleans but it wont open until spring of next year. 

[Scatterbunn]

I should also add that staying in a "dorm" period is out of my comfort zone, i definitely would not want to stay in a mixed dorm. Its just kind of silly for me to keep paying 60-100/ night for a room where i basically sleep and change clothes (if its just an overnight for an event i may not even use the shower).

[Raincloak]

Try Airbnb!  It's classier than hostels and slightly more expensive, but usually cheaper than a motel.  You'll sleep in a real house or apartment.  You can look at the listings, read reviews of the host, and check the map before you decide to book anything.  The host sets the price, when you apply to stay with them your money is held in escrow, and the host will look at your info and decide whether they want you to stay with them.

 

As another solo female traveler, I've used it a few times and had no complaints, the hosts were all quite nice and they even gave me things like souvenirs, discounts for feeding their pets, info about local sights, etc.  

 

Dorms are pretty safe, even the mixed kind, but you do have to watch your valuables, be able to tolerate noise, and if you sleep late, you'll have to wait in line for the bathroom.  (If you get up early you can have the bathroom to yourself, unless everyone else there is going to some event that starts early.)  The worst that I got in a hostel was some guy in the next bunk randomly grabbing my foot for some reason.  I cussed him out and he left me alone after that.  Don't travel with too many valuables, and keep them on your person at all times.

 

A very cheap option is to "camp" in your vehicle.  It's easier if you have a van or a truck with an enclosed bed, in which you can spread an inflatable mattress and rest flat.  Park someplace well traveled (Wal-Mart allows overnight parking in its lots, I believe) and you should be fine, if anyone bugs you just lean on the horn (unless it's a cop, then sudden noises are a bad idea).  Get a membership to a national gym chain (YMCA is cheapest) and you'll have access to showers in most cities.  I have actually considered this as a lifestyle, but I'd really miss having a kitchen.

 

One friend of mine is really into Couchsurfers, which I haven't tried but might be worth a look.

[Scatterbunn]

@Raincloak  Thanks for the Airbnb recommendation, i had looked there once before (just very brief general basic search) and everything i saw was at least as expensive as a hotel, i went back and looked (figured out how to sort by price) and found several possibilities for New Orleans. 

 

While i am very open to "backseat camping" unfortunately my current car is not easily compatible with this. The back seats don't fold down flat enough to sleep with my feet in the trunk and the middle seat in the back is a significant "hump" that would need to be leveled some how before i could sleep comfortably, even with an air matress (i speak from experience having tried to nap in the back once on a road trip.) I am also fairly tall at 5' 10'' so im not sure how well sleeping in the backseat would work even if i took the time to level things out.  Sleep ability will definitely be something to look for in my next car, however i am at least 5 years from being able to justify a "new" vehicle. There is also the issue of leaving my bike exposed while i sleep, i would need some way of securing it so i don't wake up to find it gone (when hosteling, etc i can lock it in the back seat with a sheet over it for concealment.

[SymphonicDan]

Hostels are great and you usually have quite a mix of people there. Some are more "party" hostels but even in those you can get a good night's sleep because to be honest, even if partying like crazy sounds cool, real people need a lot of chill-out time in their travels and so they're rarely anywhere like what the descriptions say.

 

It varies by city and maybe by time of year though. Some locations attract weekend party trips and those travellers tend to be less considerate (talking at 4am in the dorm etc.) but in the past year I've slept in 24 hostels in 7 countries and had minimal problems.

 

In Europe and Central America the dorms are pretty safe. I expect that travellers' hostels are like this all around the world, but maybe hostels that attract local workers are different -- I don't know.

 

I've used Hostel World and can't remember ever seeing an age limit (I'm 26 so more likely to fall into their age range anyway) and I've met people who are much older than us (one solo female in Matagalpa was 59, and it's not uncommon to find people over 30 everywhere. On Hostel World you can also see reviews - and the reviews also give you a hint about the demographics staying in the hostel (age, gender and nationality) although it doesn't vary that much.

 

AirBnB is good but awkward for last-minute planning. Better for longer stays.

 

Couchsurfing sounds great (I'm yet to try it!) but remember that its purpose is not to provide free accommodation (although it does) but to allow you to meet people when you're travelling. You'll be unpopular using it like a hotel. If you're up for hanging out with the host (assuming they're free) or cooking a shared meal or exchanging skills, then my naïve guess is that you'll get a lot out of that environment.