Join HI-USA for worldwide benefits

I'm a huge fan of hostelling. It's how we travel. It's who we are.

Before you dismiss the concept, consider that private rooms with double beds and private bathrooms are available at many hostels worldwide.

What's the difference between that and an expensive hotel? The room is not your getaway; it's only a place to sleep during your getaway.

For me, staying at a less expensive hostel is a no-brainer. I can spend $500US a night at a London hotel - London is one of the most expensive cities in the world - or I can spend $140US a night at a hostel, enjoying a private "en-suite" room and a delicious breakfast, plus a premier location that would often be too expensive for me to even consider.

I'm not after what I call a "Wall-E vacation," where I get fat sitting in a lounge chair. I have places to go, people to see and things to do. Time = money.

Staying at a more affordable hotel, by contrast, typically means staying farther away from the places you want to see. Traveling there takes time, besides the money involved in the ticket to get there. Your time is already limited, especially if you live in the U.S. where vacation time is almost non-existent.

Most non-U.S. hostels recognize U.S. membership to HI-USA (the U.S. hostel organization) through something called "reciprocity."

Welsh and English hostels, through Youth Hostel Association (YHA), offer annual membership at 20GBP, or $25US using current conversion rates. Members currently enjoy 10 percent off the cost of a stay.

U.S. hostels, through HI-USA (Hostelling International-USA), offer annual membership at $18. That's $7 less than a YHA membership, but HI-USA members still enjoy 10 percent off the cost of a stay.

A hostelling membership, then, pays for itself in very little time, and this adds to already-low hostel costs which offer the same amenities at a fraction of the cost that most hotels offer them.

As an example, we reserved a "private en-suite" hostel room for five nights, including breakfast, in London and right by one of the major train stations, with a discount of about $77US because we had an HI-USA membership of $18US. That saved us so much that we were able to book another night at a hostel south of there - again, a private en-suite room including breakfast - with a discount of about $10US.

Insiders' tip - if you are parents or grandparents (or cool aunts, uncles, friends or whatever), let the kids stay in a nearby dorm, with bunk beds and an en-suite arrangement or one restroom per floor, while you stay in a private room. They, having iron-clad bladders that don't need to be close to a restroom, may have no problem with this arrangement, which may let them get to know people from around the world (depending on how small the dorm is and how many children you're housing) even as all of you get a break from each other. If you have enough children to book a room just for your own family, I recommend an en-suite room (with private bathroom), and it becomes their own apartment. How perfect! Safety, independence and, very likely, a level of responsibility from them that will impress everyone in their circle of people.