| Hostels all over Europe have changed greatly in the | | | | and brightly colored sofas in reception halls. Even |
| past years. Years ago hostels were mostly used by | | | | though most rooms only offer only beds and a bath, |
| hikers and walkers in the countryside, but today youth | | | | hostels today have bars, Internet cafes, live music and |
| hostel organizations have found out that hostels in big | | | | kitchens in which you can prepare your own meals. |
| cities attract people who don't want to stay at a hotel. | | | | More and more travelers want to stay at a hostel |
| Most travelers spend nights at hostels because of the | | | | because of the atmosphere. It is easier to meet |
| low rates. Group rooms with 4 beds and a shared | | | | people, make friends and do things together. Hostels |
| bath for the whole floor can be as low as 15 a | | | | often help you get organized in a big city. They help |
| night. A single room with a private bath can cost up to | | | | guests rent bikes, organize city tours or arrange cheap |
| 50. Some modern hostels even offer penthouses. It | | | | theater tickets. |
| may sound strange, but the economic recession that | | | | The first hostels were founded about a hundred years |
| started in 2008 has meant more business for hostels. | | | | ago. People wanted to leave the cities and travel to |
| Many travelers cannot afford expensive hotels any | | | | the countryside for rest and fresh air. In the early |
| more. | | | | 1900s a German teacher opened up the first hostel in |
| The managers of hostels say that the kind of guests | | | | the Rhine valley. It still exists today. In 1932 the |
| they get has also changed. Student backpackers mix | | | | International Youth Hostel Federation was founded. |
| with young urban professionals, families with children on | | | | Since then hostelling has become a popular form of |
| holidays, business travelers and even older tourists. | | | | travel, especially in Europe, the continent that has the |
| In the past youth hostels had were famous for their big | | | | highest hostel density. |
| rooms that looked like dormitories. Young people didn't | | | | More and more Americans who come to Europe also |
| care about sleeping with others in the same room, as | | | | stay at hostels, partly because the value of the |
| long as it was cheap. Today, travelers are looking for | | | | American dollar has gone down compared to the Euro. |
| single and double rooms. | | | | A decade ago a stronger dollar made vacationing in |
| In big cities modern hostels are stylish with sliding doors | | | | Europe cheaper than today. |