A Knowledge Of "Youth Hotel"

　　 ■ Name: Wang Hongjiang ■ Occupation: Director of Environmental Art Design, Jiaotong University ■ Age: 32 Europe Youth hostels in various countries have deep experience and understanding, and have designed the "Captain" on Fuzhou Road Youth Hotel ”

　　 Tip 1: Find a special one hotel , start with the name

Many times, I choose hotels by name. In Paris, France, I found a youth hotel called "Three Ducks", because this childlike name gave me an irresistible curiosity. I like the "Little Flying Pig" Hotel in Amsterdam very much. The little pig with a propeller on its head is really cute. The one in Munich is called "4you", which makes me feel that it is specially prepared for me and close to the railway station, so I also stayed there.

The second factor is the location of the hotel. Because living in the center of the city or far away from the city directly determines the time you see the scenic spots. Generally speaking, hotels close to railway stations or famous scenic spots are the best. Of course, in peak seasons like summer, you should book half a month in advance.

The youth hostels in Europe are basically small-scale. I have stayed all the way from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Austria and Italy, and almost never met a Hostel with a similar style. For example, their lobbies are generally messy and warm. There are travel magazines and postcards that can be picked up and read at random in the corners. The message board is full of notes written in various languages by former residents. Next to it is a small bar.

Don't expect to get off the train station, walk into a hotel, sign your name, and then check in. First of all, how many young people are backpacking around the world. The place you want to go may be full! Second, it is not your hometown. It is not easy to find a small street of sesame size in a map of foreign letters in Nuoda. Without a map, no phone, no address, you may not have a place to spend the night!

Branch 2: Be mentally prepared for "getting lost" and "full of customers"

Finding hotels online is the simplest and most direct way. Enter the "city name" and "Hostel" in Google, and you will find several pages of results once you return to the car. However, some youth hotels do not accept online bookings or telephone bookings. You must have an international credit card and fund to enter your account. It depends on your luck when you arrive.

I remember that it was 9 o'clock in the evening from Florence to Rome. At that time, I had the phone number of three youth hotels, one was the "Little Bee" I planned to stay in, and two were standby. I thought it was very safe. Somehow there were so many Romans and three hotels

All are full! I couldn't do anything at the phone booth. Fortunately, the phone number and address of another youth hotel were stored in the computer. When I called, they still had a small number of empty seats, so they were safe.

The first thing I did when I went to any place was to try to get a map. At first, I bought a map. Later, I found that many tourist service points at railway stations were free of charge. However, even if there is a map, it is not safe. I had a lot of trouble finding "three ducks" in Paris. First, I felt dizzy in the subway. Fortunately, I met a Chinese compatriot who helped me. He even gave me five subway tickets. When I got out of the subway, I knew the hotel was nearby, but I still didn't know how to get there. I asked several Parisians who didn't speak English, including one from the tourist service center! It took me half an hour to find the exact location of the "three ducks" on the dense map.

For many people, staying in youth hostels is more about "experience" than "saving money". You can't predict what a magical encounter will be under the sign of Hostel: you may enter the hotel alone, but the next day you will go on the road together with your roommate, and the third day they will go their separate ways; You may have a beer at the bar of the hotel and know a girl from Czech. You can meet her as a guide when you visit Czech next year; Or, you can have fun by watching how Asians, Europeans and Americans talk, eat and play in this relatively open private space.

Third, "dormitory" and quietness

The youth hostel is a short-term "collective dormitory". At least 4-6 people live together, and at most 12 people live in one room. There are night owls who come back at 1 or 2 in the middle of the night, and early bird who gets up at 6 in the morning. This is also my biggest headache. I remember at the "4youmunich" hotel in Munich, opposite me was such a strange guy. For three consecutive days, he slept alone in the hotel during the day, but at night he went out in high spirits. I remember once in Vienna, a Libyan lived in his room, about 40 years old. Late one night, I heard the floor of the room thumping hazily. When I opened my eyes, it was the Libyan who was devoutly praying, chanting words, and then kneeling on the floor toward Mecca, so that I could go to bed several times.

If I live in too many "collective dormitories", I will want to be quiet for a few days, make up for my sleep, and sort out my travel diary. At this time, I will spend a little more money to stay in a single youth hotel for a few days. I still remember the "staircase" I lived on the side of the Venice Canal. It was very small and dilapidated, but it was very practical. Every morning I watched the boats coming and going on the canal outside my window, so that I couldn't leave for three days in a row. The wallpaper in that stairwell is very interesting, filled with all kinds of messages. Before leaving, I took a pen and added the only Chinese message to this wallpaper - "How beautiful Venice is!"

When I first saw Hostel, I mistakenly thought that the author misspelled Hotel. After all, the word was very strange two years ago. Now, the European tour has been busy for two months, and the African tour is about to open, so the topic of youth hostels or star hotels has become more realistic.

Sometimes, age is a big problem. As the most energetic young people, they are the backbone of long-distance travel and the "big fish" in the international tourism market. According to the survey, the number of people who join the International Youth Hotel is 4 million every year, and the number of stays is 330 million. The National Youth Hotel is one of the largest hotel chains in the world today. Personally, I really want to experience the "youth hostels" with different architectural styles around the world: the cave hotels in Iceland are warm in winter and cool in summer, the farmhouse hotels in Holland are built near the water, and the Swedes also transform old ships into "ship" hotels. Isn't this more attractive than the stereotyped star hotels?

　　 In addition to youth hotels, I know there are travel companies dedicated to young people in the world. In terms of Contiki, the world's largest tourism organization serving people aged 18 to 35, it sets a strict limit on the age of its members, and those who exceed this limit are "rejected". Not only the team members, but also their drivers, team managers, guides and chefs are young people, so you don't have to worry about the situation that "I want to climb the Alps, while others want to say that they will return to the hotel to rest when tired".