Cheap Road Trip

[jhj12]

I'm hoping to drive from Syracuse NY to Sante Fe NM to get a look at the country in between. I'm on an extreme budget, not well-traveled within the states and I'm not sure where to begin my research. Anyone have any suggestions? Any major sites that I should definitely see on my way southwest?

[Joany K]

I have briefly looked through this site and have not found anything on people staying in hostels, why not? Aren't they cheaper? Also I was wondering if anyone had any advice on roof top carriers? Are they really hard on gas milage or are they worth it for organization. Any advice would help.

[Mark Sedenquist]

While we do have some <a href = "http://www.roadtripamerica.com/links/international.htm">information about hostels<a/> , the American version of this venerable institution has not translated very well (in my view) to North America.

I am sure that someone must have had a good experience using this system here, but we have never received much positive feedback which is why we generally are mum about the subject.

[Transplanted Midwesterner]

I've only stayed at 2 Hostels in the U.S. but the ones I've been at (in San Diego and Chicago) have been nice, inexpensive, and in very good locations (particularly in San Diego where it's in the heart of gaslamp country). I would have no problem staying in another Hostel in the U.S., and I don't think the facilities that are available here are all that much different from the ones I've stayed at in Europe.

But Here's the problem with American Hostles and why I don't think they've caught on:

1 - There aren't very many of them, and the once that are there are only in very urban areas.

2 - Because most of them are in urban areas, they typically have little to no parking available. Which makes them somewhat of a hassle for roadtrippers.

3 - While they are cheap for single travelers at $25 or so a night, if you are traveling with 2 or more people, its often cheaper to split the cost of a motel 6.

4 - Finally, Most americans simply aren't familiar with the concept of Hostels. The times I have stayed in U.S. hostles, my fellow guests have been almost exclusively foreign travelers.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I am not sure your post would qualify as a ringing endorsement of hostels, but I would certainly agree with your thesis.

One of our senior roadtrippers (Moderator Bob) had some personal items stolen when he was staying at the hostel in San Francisco.

My major complaint would be the lack of privacy -- not very interested in dorm-like sleeping arrangements no matter how much money one can save.

Thanks again for the post

[Robert Schaller]

And I'm STILL grouchy about it... :)

[Quebec Gen]

Midwesterner,

I completely agree with all your statements! The last time I went in a hostel, there was a group of irrespectful people who partied all night... I would have paid a 5 or 10$ extra just to get some sleep in a decent motel room, this dormitory thing is just not for me I guess. And if you want a private room, you often pay twice as much as you would pay for a Motel 6 room. A private room in a Boston youth hostel for instance can be as high as 60-80$US per person! Of course, it's not always like that, some places are very ccheap and very nice, I met some nice people there too.