Silverton Inn and Hostel

The answer to this question is becoming more and more difficult to define as hostels are changing all the time. Up until a decade ago hostels offered a unique form of accommodation where rooms were dormitory style with bunk beds, where you may well have had the pleasure of sharing bathroom facilities with up to 30 fellow guests, where you had to be in by midnight or face the prospect of sleeping in the street and where the noise of fellow room mates almost guaranteed many sleepless nights - you probably get the picture. The good news for any of you who might have reservations about taking a shower in the company of strangers or sharing a bunk with someone whose personal hygiene leaves quite a bit to be desired is that hostels have changed a great deal for the better. Today, many hostels are not unlike budget hotels where the only significant difference is the price. For example, many of the hostels listed on this site offer private rooms with en suite facilities, smaller dorms for groups of between two and eight or larger dorms where you could share with up to twenty others. As well as the rooms themselves, they offer bars and restaurants, 24-hour opening, self-catering kitchens, Internet cafes and many more added facilities. Despite this, many hostels have remained old school and you do need to maintain an open mind when choosing this form of accommodation. Don't expect luxury because in all but a few cases, you won't get it.

WHAT IS HOSTELLING?

Hostelling is, in part, the act of traveling and staying in hostels. Referred to as "backpacking" in many parts of the world, it's perhaps best described as traveling cheaply with an adventurous spirit. The terms hosteller and backpacker are basically synonymous. Backpackers tend to travel for longer periods than the typical tourist. In many countries, especially Australia and New Zealand, it's customary for students and recent graduates to take trips of up to a year or more! While hostelling, you see the world from a perspective that the average tourist will never see. You meet local people, learn customs, eat local food and often have opportunities to do things you never imagined. Trips are usually only roughly planned without itineraries to allow for last minute changes when something unexpected and exciting presents itself. Basically, backpackers stay longer, see more, and do more for less money!

WHO STAYS AT HOSTELS?

People from all walks of life and every corner of the world stay in hostels. Many are misled into thinking that this form of accommodation only appeals to the younger generation of travelers but here at Hostels.com we have booked people as old as 80 and as young as 6 months into hostel accommodation. Hostels provide a great way to meet new people and experience new things which is why they appeal to such a diverse range.

DO YOU HAVE TO BE BELOW A CERTAIN AGE TO STAY IN HOSTELS?

While most hostels do not impose an age restriction, this is not always the case, particularly in establishments which have a bar on the premises. Again, it is recommended that you check the hostel's details to find out whether or not there is an age restriction. The Silverton Hostel does not allow children under 16.

DO YOU NEED TO A HOSTEL MEMBERSHIP CARD TO STAY IN HOSTELS?

There are no membership requirements for any hostels listed on Hostels.com. Some hostels do offer discounts for various card-holding members but even if you are not a member, you will receive a guest membership card so you should not experience any difficulties.

CAN I STAY IN HOSTELS IN MY OWN COUNTRY?

Yes but you should have proof that you, like the other guests, are traveling. Hostels will generally not let you stay if you are a local resident of the area. The logic behind this rule is that if hostels allowed local residents to stay it would not have space to provide accommodation for budget travelers visiting the area. Some hostels require guests be an international traveler and have a passport. If you plan to travel in your home country and stay in hostels you might want to invest in a passport to prove you are indeed an international traveler.

HOW DID HOSTELS GET STARTED?

Hostels have probably been around for over a thousand years as a low cost place for a traveler to stay for the night. The hostel movement as most people know it, however, was started by a German school teacher named Richard Schirrmann back in the Summer of 1907. It was at this time that Nette School began providing overnight accommodation to young travelers. Each night the classrooms were cleared of desks and chairs and thin straw sacks were placed on the floor for the travelers. As was the custom, each hosteller in the morning helped to put the school back together and sweep the straw from the floor. The philosophy as stated by Mr. Schirrmann was this: "Suppose that the thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other! That could and must be the role of our youth hostels, not only in Germany, but throughout the world, building a bridge of peace from nation to nation!" (From American Youth Hostels' "First Fifty Years: Young at Any Age")

WHAT DO HOSTELS LOOK LIKE?

They come in all shapes and sizes. There are hostels in castles, in teepees and in railroad carriages. They are in sleepy towns, sprawling metropolises and everything in between. Some hostels are huge, providing beds for hundreds; others consist of a single room in a friendly family home. Some are mountain huts that require extensive hiking to get to while others are in urban jungles of towering skyscrapers. And this is what makes the entire experience so appealing to backpackers, you really don't know what you're going to get from one hostel to the next.

WHAT IS THE ATMOSPHERE IN HOSTELS LIKE?

There are as many different atmospheres as there are hostels. Each one has a different scene. Part of the adventure of hostelling is experiencing the variety. Sometimes you will find yourself in bed by 9 pm and up at 6 am with the chickens gathering eggs. In others you may party until all hours in a world-class cosmopolitan city and sleep until three the next afternoon.

WHAT IS A TYPICAL DORMITORY LIKE?

Dormitories are often, but not always, separated by sex. There will be between 2 and 10 people sharing a room with bunk beds. Sometimes, particularly during peak seasons, large rooms sleeping as many as 30 people are made available but are not commonplace. As well as this, quite a lot of hostels now offer private rooms. For example a hostel will have smaller dorms (4-6 beds) which can be booked by an entire group so that you have the room to yourself. And, as mentioned in the first answer on this page, many are not unlike hotels offering private single, twin and double rooms with en suite facilities. For the Silverton Hostel we have one room with 5 beds and most others are 2 twins that offer more privacy

ARE HOSTELS AND/OR DORMITORIES NOISY?

In all hostels, although the custom is to remain as quiet as possible at night, you should expect a small amount of noise from your fellow hostel occupants. A lot depends on the location of the hostel. If you are visiting a major city you should expect noise in the form of traffic, street cleaning trucks, and people - all the usual stuff. Many hostels in the country, however, are so quiet you can hear your heart beat. As always, if you are concerned about such things it's best to ask other travelers that have been there.

ARE HOSTELS CLEAN?

By and large, hostels are fairly clean places. With the numbers of people coming through them they pretty much have to be. Now this doesn't mean the floors are waxed and the silverware is polished, but the basics have been done. Cleaning is a constant process at most hostels but every once in a while you may find a hostel that has mildly or severely failed in the cleaning department. The hostel custom, however, is that all guests clean up after themselves. You will make things a lot more pleasant for other guests if you simply wash your own dishes, pick up your rubbish and generally leave things like you found them.

DO HOSTELS HAVE KITCHENS?

Yes, most do. Self-catering kitchens are another way that hostels can save you money. They are usually equipped with basic cooking utensils including pots, pans, and dishes. Hostel kitchens also serve another really popular purpose however. They are a great meeting place where you can sit around and talk with fellow guests for hours on end comparing tavel notes.