To stay in most hostels, you’ll need a membership card. (A few hostels do accept nonmembers, but they will be charged a higher rate and, is space is tight, members get priority.) The card costs $25 and is valid for one year from the date of issue. If you purchase your card in the United States, you’ll receive a free copy of Hostelling North America, a complete listing of hostels in the United States and Canada, including addresses, phone numbers, and facilities. The book will also indicate which hostels accept advance reservations. For those traveling abroad, the same information is available in Budget Accommodations. Updated yearly, volume one covers Europe and the Mediterranean, while volume two covers the rest of the world. In addition, some national hosteling associations produce their own country specific hostel guides.

Hostels are not for everyone. Most offer spartan accommodations and little if any, privacy. Although many hostels are centrally located, others are in more remote areas. Most hostels impose a curfew, and some have a lockout policy during the day. During peak season, most hostels have a maximum-stay rule.

Don’t exclude the many other low-budget options available locally. In France, try a pension, in Italy a convent. In Ireland check out a bed-and-breakfast, in Israel a kibbutz guest house. In Japan head or ryokan, or traditional inn.

If you’ll be visiting university towns, you should know that many universities, both in the United States and abroad, offer their housing facilities to travelers while school is not in session. If you’d like to stay with families while you’re abroad, consider joining U.S. Servas. For an annual membership fee of $55, you’ll get the organization’s membership list of all host families who have agreed to welcome fellow members into their homes for a short stay, usually no more than three days. Contact U.S. Servas at 11 John Street, New York, NY 10038. Tel (212) 267-0252.