Washington -- Hostels Offer Budget Deals For Most Any Age

To stay in a youth hostel, travelers need only be young at heart - not young in years.

And for anyone looking for a budget-priced getaway in the Northwest, it's hard to beat hostels' prices

For about $10 to $17 a night in Washington state, travelers get a bunk in a women's or men's dorm (with a bathroom down the hall) and use of a kitchen. Some hostels also have private rooms for couples or families. Most take reservations.

Hostels' accommodations are basic, but they're usually friendly places where travelers can get to know each other. Even travelers who can afford much fancier accommodations sometimes stay in hostels for the companionship.

Hostels often have good locations, too, including state parks and the heart of cities.

Washington state has seven hostels that are affiliated with Hostelling International, the major hostel organization of about 5,000 hostels worldwide. It's a membership organization; non-members usually pay a few dollars more per night.

In Washington, the Hostelling International hostels range from historic army barracks at Ford Worden State Park near Port Townsend to the Seattle hostel in a restored building by Pike Place Market or a cottage-like hostel in Bellingham's Fairhaven district. Or there's a hostel with a teepee on Vashon Island.

A few other hostels in the state are operated independently, including the Rain Forest Hostel near Forks on the Olympic Peninsula.

British Columbia has about two dozen hostels scattered through the province while Oregon has about a half-dozen, including one in Ashland just a few blocks from the theaters of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. ----------------------------------------------------------------- More information

-- For information on hostels, contact the Washington state branch of Hostelling International / American Youth Hostels in Seattle, 206-281-7306. Or check the computer Web site: http://www.hiayh.org Annual membership for an adult is $25; there are discounted rates for youths, families and seniors.

-- "At Home in Hostel Territory" is a guidebook that describes more than 80 hostels in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, the Yukon, Alaska and Northern California. Most are affiliated with Hostelling International, although privately-run hostels are listed, too. The book (by Janet Thomas, Alaska Northwest Books, $14.95) also gives tips on what to expect in hostels, from shared chores to the etiquette of sharing a kitchen and dorm room.