<p>Do you recommend hostels when visiting colleges, especially if all you're going to be doing is using it as a source of bed when you sleep? I'm planning to go with one of my friends, the only problem is that im 17. do you think that they'll let me stay at a hostel? By the way hostels are dormlike hotels where theres like 4-10 beds in one room and you pay like really cheap compared to staying in your own private at say like at a 5 star hotel. I'm in los angeles planning to go to new york, and its crazy the la hostels go for like 20 a night and they are in good areas like venice and santa monica. <a href="http://www.hostels.com%5B/url%5D">www.hostels.com</a></p>
<p>so has anyone used them, what was your experience like which one do you recommend in ny?</p>
<p>My daughter has stayed in hostels several times in Paris and London, and likes the social atmosphere. Her age was not an issue--she first stayed in a hostel at 16. They are safe and quite cheap. HOWEVER, they also have a tendency to be like college dorms in that they can be very noisy, there may be restrictions on when you can be there, and you can run into a pack of drunks. Lonelyplanet.com has a travel bulletin board with a lot of hostel information.</p>
<p>i dunno particularly about NYC but I did stay in the Hostelling International in Boston to visit the colleges. It was fantastic. Cheap+Clean+Downtown Location. About the age issue, I used a credit card and they didn't ask my age...(i do look a bit older)..uh...
Hostelling International generally is one of the best out there so far..I've stayed in couple of them and they are neat, usually not the cheapest among the hostels but very good overall.
Their website:
<a href="http://www.hiayh.org%5B/url%5D">http://www.hiayh.org</a></p>
<p>Hostelling is a wonderful idea for college visiting. The fact that you are 17 doesn't matter, unless you hostel somewhere that has a bar. You would have to check the hostel info in advance to know if there are restrictions because of a bar....which is rare. Usually, the hostels with bars are found overseas and the drinking age of those countries is younger than here in the US anyway. My son hostelled at 16 and 17 (once in a hostel with a bar - Europe).</p>
<p>Make sure you understand the specifics of the hostels you are considering - such as lockout and what you need to bring (sleepsheets-two sheets sewn together like a sleeping bag). Understanding if they have lockout is especially important becuase it can impact your ability to check in at specific times (lockout is when the hostel closes during the day and everyone must leave). Lockout is rare in the US and larger cities overseas.....more common in rural areas internaltionally. </p>
<p>If this is your introduction to hostelling and you end up liking the experience, you should consider hostelling abroad this summer. It's quite and experience and you'll meet others your age from all over the world. </p>
<p>Specific to NYC, there are a few hostels that are popular with students....one close to Columbia and one closer to NYU. The Columbia area hostel (sorry, don't know the names) is supposed to be nicer....but people worry about the area (which always seems to be a worry when people from small towns/suburbia visit large cities - not a big deal to me).</p>
<p>( when they went to DC they stayed at George Washington U which was being remodeled)
AMTRAK often gives discounts to students who are visiting schools and the schools also usually have lists of where to stay.
Some schools also have hosted dorms for prospective students so that you get more of a feel of what it is like to attend school there.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the information. To tell you the truth I never knew hostels existed, I didn't even know what they were, but now that I do I want to travel more. I'm so happy. :)</p>