European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                One of budget travellers cheap thrill by Brent Stinski staff writer perhaps you be been there the door opens to a dim Light an aging sink in the Corner a catwalk Between the furniture clinging to the Wall and the Small bed in the Center. Still you smile. The room costs $4. Such is the pleasure of budget travel. No Shell shaped soap. No paper capped glasses around an ice bucket. Only the satisfaction that those entrepreneurs constantly tugging for tourists dollars did t get yours. Yearly thousands of people crowd Europe s rails and highways in search of that feeling. Many of them will need to know Only Jour. Letters i vhf. The More than 5,300 budget priced hostels of the International youth Hostel federation speckle maps of Europe like stars in a Clear sky with As Many As seven i vhf hostels clustering around highlight cities such As London Dublin Berlin and Vienna. A night in an i vhf Hostel can run from 35 cents to $20, most prices floating around $1 2. You will have to pay extra or in some cases sleep elsewhere if you Don t a amps Ken George a group of canadians unpacks in a four bed room. A amps Ken George a Hostel employee gives a Young traveler directions. Have the $15 i vhf membership card sold at All youth  Don t be fooled by the  although their rooms usually fill with teen travellers most i vhf hostels accept those Over 20 for a slight addition to their Cut rate fees. Families can stay in private rooms with two to four bunk Beds. Although cheap i vhf is not Ideal. Brimming hostels in. The july August travel season often must shut their doors to guests who Don t have reservations. And for those who Doland a bed the heat smell and noise created by As Many As nine roommates can turn the bargain to bust. Most i vhf hostels also have a Midnight curfew and daytime lockouts some beginning As Early As 9 . Weekenders looking Tor a crash site after a night of drinking might not wan Rio look to i vhf. The alternatives Independent hostels and cheap hotels the former provide All of the i vhf Perks without the membership Price or the tourist pack. The latter offer a private Roor at the Hostel dorm Price. But without an organization to distribute booklets with directions Many Independent hostels Are hard to find. Travellers wishing to bypass the i vhf tourist Highway will need a budget travel boo such As let s go Frommer s or Fodore a budget guide a to find the alleyway independents. These hostels can Merit the trouble. Somie independents offer free use of washing machines i room sinks and private rooms a rarities in the i vhf circuit. Although most of the rooms Cost Mccre than their i vhf rivals patient travellers with a budget guide can phone their Way into an equally inexpensive or cheaper room or dorm. If you want to avoid the search try the train or bus station where local residents hoping to turn their Home into a hotel often fling Roo offers at tourists. These rooms Are usually in a residential Quarter of town and their owners often will bargain to the cheapest prices. But Here risks of a rip olt soar. If you decide on a residential room get precise directions and find your own Way there. Don t be Temple if your Quot hosts offer continued on Page 4 a amps Ken George the youth Hostel in Frankfurt Germany in addition to the customary bunks and showers has a sundeck and other facilities that make it one of the Best in Europe. August 8, 1991 stripes Magazine 3