European Hostels Trump US Hostels

By Nick July 12, 2006

I just found a news story dealing with hostels, and it seemed pretty interesting. It’s a CNN article titled ” U.S. hostels struggle to live up to European counterparts”

It points out the many reasons why US hostels are not successful and desirable like European hostels. One being that Europe has a better public transportation system, so travelers can travel to almost anywhere from one city; where in the US, public transportation is a lot harder to find. It points out that there is not even a train connection between Houston and Dallas.
New York Hostel, from Hostel Internationl New York
Another reason US hostels are not very popular is because of the choices available to travelers. If you are anywhere other than New York City or LA, the choices of hostels are usually limited, if there are any at all.
Personally, I love the concept of hostels, but I do not see them thriving in the US any time soon. The US is too big, has too little, affordable, public transportion, and doesn’t seem to have the old world charm that Europe has to offer its travelers. So I wouldn’t expect backpacking through America to become popular in the near future.