Jun 1, 2009 7:53 pm US/Eastern
Travelling On A Budget? Try A Local Hostel
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Hostelling International USA in Boston.
WBZ
This year, many people will be looking for ways to save on their summer vacations.
There is a way to stay on Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, or in downtown Boston for fraction of what you might expect to pay.
You just have to trade a pricey hotel for an affordable hostel.
"The hostel is simple accommodations, really designed to bring people together," explains Deborah Ruhe of
Hostelling International USA.
She also says that this type of lodging is different than you might think.
"It's evolved because young people today expect and want more. So we have housekeeping staffs who do the laundry and clean the facilities. We provide them with linens and towels. We are no longer closed at night."
Those types of changes now attract visitors of all ages.
Rose Dana, visiting from California, believes that's an added benefit.
"I really like all the different kinds of people that I am meeting from all over the world, and all different ages."
She added that she has seen teenagers as well as baby boomers.
Rose says the cost savings have been fantastic.
"I wouldn't have been able to stay in a downtown Boston hotel otherwise because it's atrociously expensive to stay in a hotel."
She paid $40 a night to stay in the 208-bed hostel in Back Bay.
There are also four hostels on Cape Cod which are now opening up for the season.
They too are open to anyone.
Ruhe said, "One of the things that we are most proud of is being able to provide access to some of these really wonderful locations."
For example, the Nantucket facility is a historic building on Surfside Beach.
Rates there are as low as $35 a night and you can walk to the beach.
Another option is the hostel in West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard.
Ruhe said it's right on bike paths which makes it easy to get around the island.
In Truro, the hostel is actually part of the National Seashore.
Ruhe said, "These are like gems for people who many not think they can afford a vacation."
Even though the hostel concept has been updated, it still isn't for everyone.
Ruhe says it's not for introverted people who want a ton of privacy.
"It's really for somebody who wants an adventure."
To learn more about these hostels, as well as others, you can check out the following links:
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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