A Night in the Young-at-Heart Hostel

Forget about the “youth” in youth hostel. Last weekend I spent a night in an HI hostel in the 1000 Islands region of upstate New York, and to my surprise, all my dorm-mates were septuagenarians, in town for a local festival. The next 24 hours were an exercise in expectation reassessment. For example, instead of going to bed at 9 p.m., my roomies sat up until all hours in the kitchen, swapping tales about their hosteling adventures from the past several decades.

When I offered up my bottom bunk, I was waved away: “First come, first served, honey, that’s how hostels work.”

For the duration of my stay, the old-timers clambered in and out of their bunk beds, waited in line for toilets, and took turns boiling water for tea, with fewer complaints and a better attitude than many young backpacker types I’ve encountered.

It was a powerful reminder that successful travel is so often about mindset.

If I’m lucky, I won’t have to stay in budget hostels by the time I’m in my 70s—but I’d also be lucky to have the adaptability and spirit of my dorm-mates this past weekend.

 

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