What to Expect

The Hostelling Experience

Remember how you felt the first time you traveled abroad or journeyed to a different part of the U.S? You were probably excited. Energized. Maybe a little bit scared. The fact is, when we're exposed to new people and cultures different from our own, we change in ways that impact us for the rest of our lives. Hostelling is a special kind of travel. Unlike hotels that tend to be isolating and often generic in what they offer, hostels foster meaningful, affordable travel. At Hostelling International-USA (HI-USA) we give people the chance to have life-changing experiences through travel using our hostels and programs.

Our Mission

Our mission is "to help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling." Expect to meet, converse and interact with people from all over the world, with diverse backgrounds and cultures.

What are hostels?

Hostels provide friendly, inexpensive overnight accommodations for travelers. Hostelling International hostels assure travelers the utmost in quality standards including cleanliness, security and service. Hostels offer dormitory-style rooms with separate quarters for men and women. Some hostels also have private family and couples rooms or cabins. All Cape and Islands hostels provide a blanket, sheets and pillow. Your group may bring their own linens and towels, but please, no sleeping bags. All our hostels offer fully equipped self-service kitchens, dining areas, and common rooms for relaxing and socializing with other travelers. Most of our hostels have BBQ's, travel libraries and concierge service. There are a few that even have an ocean at its front door. Click here for frequently asked questions about hostels.

Facilities

Rooms: Our Hostel have male-only, female-only and coed dorm rooms and cabins, and a few hostels have private and family rooms. Groups will be asked to pay a modest fee of $2 or to bring their own linens. Please bring your own towels.

Bathrooms: Like most hostels, our bathrooms are in the hall, or in the case of MidCape, in the main building. Some of the hostels have enclosed outdoor showers in addition to regular shower facilities. We pride ourselves in the cleanliness throughout the hostel.

Kitchen: We offer a very inexpensive make-your-own pancake breakfast. We have refrigerators, stoves/ovens (the staff love brownies...), a microwave, and all the dishes and kitchen supplies you'll need. We have a few barbecues out in the summer, too.

SLC: The Hostel is a Sustainable Living Center, so we have lots of recycle and compost bins and in keeping with our efforts to be environmentally friendly, we ask that you not bring paper plates and plastic utensils - thank you.

Common Rooms: We have a living room and dining room with comfortable furniture and a cozy library with Internet access. In the summer you can eat outside on our picnic tables or at Nantucket or Truro sit on the beach and watch the sunset. We have no TV which makes for lots of interesting conversation from around the globe.

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