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Old 12-14-2005, 09:27 AM   #1
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sorry if this is a re-post, but right now i dont have time to search the forums.

first off, im an american, traveling in the USA.

and the more i read and hear about hostels in america, the more i see them shutting their doors on anyone except international travelers.

is it going to be rough for me to find a hostel to stay at because of this little stigma?
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Old 12-14-2005, 10:02 AM   #2
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I have heard that as well, but never really from an accurate source. I've check on some US based hostel pages and it never said you must be international. Anyone else?
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Old 12-14-2005, 10:30 AM   #3
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I used to work in a hostel in California, that catered to "international travellers" However that being said, there was always circumstances that allowed Americans to stay there. For instance, there were many times that people from other states stayed there, and the reasoning behind that was that they WERE traveling and they were far enough from their homes to be allowed to stay at the hostel. It's more like a guideline in most cases, they don't want people that aren't traveling to use the hostel as a "crash pad"

My best advice would be to call the hostels you are interested in staying in directly and ask what their particular rules are. Most times if you explain that you are traveling and live (wherever) it will be ok.

Hope this helps. Good luck though and have an awesome time.
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Old 12-14-2005, 11:16 AM   #4
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Yeah, i recall this being an issue for the Vegas meetup because the hostels in Vegas only cater to international folks, and the same can be said for some hostels in LA - the more touristy/desired a location is, the more picky they can be with their clientele.

However, like Benna said, they do make exceptions. Some limit the hostel to out-of-staters, whereas some limit you to being from outside of the general metropolitan area. I've encountered this in other countries as well - some places just don't want locals coming and using it as a cheap place to live or, worse, pick up on young travelers.

If you do run into one of these rules, they're usually cool if you explain yourself. I stayed at one in LA - even while I was living in LA - because a bunch of my foreign friends were staying there.
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Old 12-14-2005, 11:17 AM   #5
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The Banana Bungalow is California almost didn't let me stay but I had a reservation.

Apparently they only allow americans who have a passport and made reservations. So might want to keep that in mind.
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Old 12-14-2005, 11:48 AM   #6
 
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Usually, they ask for a passport (US or other country). Although it goes unsaid, I think mainly such rules are designed to keep out undesirables...locals who would use the hostel as a cheap place to live, cheaper than even an extended-stay hotel.
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Old 12-14-2005, 06:14 PM   #7
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It must depend on the hostel or the organization, because I stayed in one in San Francisco without any problems. And the two hostels here in Seattle don't have any policies against Americans, you just have to be from outside the metropolitan area.
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Old 12-14-2005, 06:56 PM   #8
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I know of at least one hostel in NYC that allows Americans to stay long-term. I think if you called them and let them know ahead of time it shouldn't be a big deal.
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Old 01-03-2006, 11:22 PM   #9
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Seems like many hostels Ive stayed at have had someone from that country staying there. I was able to stay at one of the Vegas hostels while being an American, although I was out of state. Most hostels seem to have pretty lax criteria for thier guests, in my experience anyway.
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Old 01-04-2006, 04:09 AM   #10
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i was able to stay at a Chicago Hostel this past week end with no problems and that is only 3 hours away
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Old 01-09-2006, 01:45 PM   #11
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just say your from alaska
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