Hostelling International USA (HI USA) Offers Much More than a Cheap Bed
Written for Hostelling International USA
“I didn’t know hostels existed in the U.S. until after I stayed in them in Europe.” Cheryl-Anne Boccadoro says as we settle onto the bench of a picnic table on a bluff over the sparkling Pacific Ocean. I’m attending a Gardening for Peace event put on by the HI Point Montara Lighthouse hostel, and Cheryl-Anne, a new staff member, is telling me why she chose to work at a hostel after graduating from a hospitality program.
“I was pushed toward the glamorous jobs at high end hotels, but I fell in love with hostelling in Europe and I realized what a special role hostels play in dissolving borders. They are also more eco-friendly than large hotels.”
“Nothing makes me more happy than seeing the international understanding that happens here just from people of different cultures cooking a meal together.”
She says, reminding me of my eye-opening experiences when I hosteled at age 19.
Hostelling International USA (HI USA) is an organization that offers more than fifty hostels around the country, some in urban centers and others in locations known for natural beauty, such as state or national parks, and historic lighthouses. Their mission is “to provide a community of global citizens who have the wisdom and humanity to make the world a better place.” In conjunction with United Nation’s International Day of Peace, the HI hostels have created “Sleep for Peace” events, two of which I’m attending on this sunny Saturday on California’s coast.
As Cheryl-Anne and I talk, the soft sounds of peace songs waft toward us. A group of septuagenarians sing from a seated a circle in the garden. People of all ages are writing messages on peace flags and on rocks, and Chris Bauman, who manages the hostel with his wife Janice Pratt, pulls a yellow cart filled with plants into the garden. With many helping hands, a brown patch of the garden soon is refreshed and colorful with new plants.
Janice’s enthusiasm for hostelling is clear as she tells me about arriving as a guest at HI Point Montara at age 26.
“You don’t know how a hostel will change your life when you walk in the door.”
Janice met her husband Chris that day, who was the staff person at the hostel. “I went from knowing nothing about hostels to them becoming my whole life. Our children were born into this life style.”
“Hostelling is for everyone of every age, but I’d like to see more youth leadership groups taking part in hostel experiences,” Janice says. “If young people, age 12, or 13, see that travel is possible, and that they have something to give to it, they may be inspired to make the world a better place.”
Janice, like Cheryl-Anne, emphasizes that hostels are more than a cheap bed, or a beautiful location. “Our ideal guests know they are participating in a greater philosophy.”
HI Point Montara began welcoming travelers in 1980. In an earlier incarnation the buildings that now contain the guest quarters were occupied by the coast guard. The main house, built in 1863 for the lighthouse keeper, is now occupied by the staff of the hostel.
The sturdy cast iron lighthouse here has quite a history. It’s the only known lighthouse to have guided ships on two different coasts. It originally stood watch over a harbor in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. After it was decommissioned in 1922 it was moved to San Francisco Bay—no one knows why—and in 1928 the dramatic Point Montara became its new home.
The next hostel I visit is 28 miles down the coast. At Pigeon Point there is another historic lighthouse and HI USA hostel. The event here is Stargazing for Peace. Jeff Parry, the hostel’s manager, who is also a member of the Santa Cruz Astronomy Club, conceived of the event after learning of the Star Peace Project—a United Nations international event that, “allows all the people of the world to look at the sky free of political, religious, national and racial tendencies and without any differences.”
On the rugged and windy Pigeon Point, the tall brick lighthouse dwarfs the adorable cottage that used to be for candle oil storage and carpentry. Like at HI Point Montara, guests sleep in former Coast Guard quarters. Nearby is the largest mainland elephant seal breeding colony in the world, and from December to May it is easy to spot gray whales from the hostel’s decks.
Jeff, who has been working for HI USA for 19 years, tells me, as he makes a large thermos of mint tea for the event, that his favorite part of his job is seeing the positive outcomes of the interactions of people from different cultures.
“There was an Israeli guy here, and the other guys in his dorm room were from Palestine. He came back to the front desk and said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ We didn’t have anything else available. We told him that we’re about peace here, and we urged him to give it a try. He made friends with them and his preconceptions were dissolved.”
As day light fades, the Santa Cruz Astronomy Club members turn their large telescopes to the sky and I feel I’m in a movie with the action mounting each minute. First there are calls of “I’ve got Venus” and “I’ve got Mars” and visitors begin to move among the telescopes.
“Saturn! Anyone want to see Saturn?” John Pierce, the club vice president calls.
“Sure!” I say. As I sit on his stool, I realize I’ve never looked through a telescope of this calibre.
Saturn is perfect, improbable, mesmerizing. I’m seeing it with my naked eye for the first time. It looks just like it does in photographs and I realize now, maybe I never believed the photos. But there it is, tipped slightly to the side, a perfect white sphere, with a perfect white ring.
“The ring is so flat, so precise, how…?” I begin, and quickly John jumps in with explanations that I try to follow. He takes me on a verbal tour through the universe, moving from Saturn to how the sun formed.
How the sun formed? I hadn’t thought about it. My mind grasps at each of his sentences, as if they are rungs on a ladder that will lead me to a whole new library of knowledge that I’ve never entered.
As I thank him, someone calls out “Albireo!” and I trot over to another massive telescope and meet Bill Seiler, also of the astronomy club. I climb a little ladder as he tells me, “It’s a double star. They orbit each other.”
“Like a dance?”
“Yes, like a do-si-do.”
It’s as if I’m looking at the crown jewels. One is gold, the other, blue. “They’re so pretty!” I say inadequately. “How long does it take for them to do-si-do?
“Thousands of years. The blue one is the hottest. Like when you strike a match, the blue part of the flame is hottest.”
“It’s a disk and our solar system is about 26,000 light years from the center.” Jeff says, but I have no tools for imagining such a distance.
Viewing the galaxies causes us to transcend race, nationality, and culture, and helps us to be respectful of one another and of our tiny home in this immense and spectacular universe.
The Sleep for Peace events are free and open to the public. They happen yearly at HI USA hostels between September 21st, and September 27th.
Please note that it is always cold and windy at Pigeon Point at night, even if the day has been hot. To enjoy Star Gazing Peace it’s imperative to have lots of warm layers.
For more information on these events: https://www.hiusa.org/about-us/hiusa-news/will-you-sleepforpeace
To volunteer with the 2017 Sleep for Peace email: volunteer@hiusa.org
For a map of all HI hostels in the USA and to make a reservation: https://www.hiusa.org/hostels
To learn about membership: https://www.hiusa.org/membership/member-benefits
Disclaimer: I was hired to cover these events, but this article reflects my own personal experience.
Hostel in states aren’t the same as Asia and Europe for sure, but they are indeed there and still more budget than nicer hotels! I usually love HI!
Glad you’ve had positive experiences with them!
Hostels get such a bad rap, but if you look at reviews before you book you get a good idea about each place. US hostels are different but still a great way to save money and meet people.
I haven’t been in cirlces where hostels get a bad rap. But I have heard that some are considered a “party” hostel. These that I talk about in this article want people to have a good time but they are careful not have a “party” focus. They do hope that their guests understand the ideals, “to provide a community of global citizens who have the wisdom and humanity to make the world a better place.”
I had my days of staying at hostels and they can be so much fun. You can actually make friends for life there and travel partners. I think it is especially great to stay at hostels when you are a solo traveler as you can find company for all the exploration you want to do and suddenly you are not that solo anymore. I definitely agree with that it knocks down borders.
Alessandra
Yes, and they no longer are only for “youth.” The ones I’ve stayed at in California have had guests of all ages, and so solo travelers who are “older” can find company at hostels too.
I have not had any hostel experience yet. Reading about Janice, how hostels have become a part of her life and her children born to this environ I think it is definitely worth a try. Great info.
Great concept on an old travel standby. Sure beats the militaristic prison hotels run by junior Nazis in Germany. Great anecdote about the Palestinians and Israeli. I take it not many Republicans stay in these places?
Ha ha, since these hostels focus on tolerance I’m sure they’d welcome Republicans with open arms. 😉
My brother suggested I might like this blog. He was entirely right.
This post truly made my day. You can not imagine just
how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
I’ve always gravitated towards hostels as they are usually at a price point that suits the budget traveller.
The US is an exception to that rule, as we found them to be ridiculously priced (many in the $40-$50 bracket) and as such we were forced to use AirBnb.
It is also the only country I’ve experienced age and gender discrimination, where some hostels would not allow male guests over 31 years of age (for women there was no age restriction)!
These two hostels on the California coast cost between $27 and $33 a night for a dorm bed. If someone wanted to stay in these areas of California, they’d be looking at a B&B that costs over $250 a night, or there may be AirBnb, but AirBnB is not less than $27 to $33 a night and you’re less likely to meet other travelers at Airbnb. I certainly like both AirBnB and regular B&Bs too. If I am traveling alone, or I’m looking for an international social experience, a hostel (particularly a HI USA one) is a great option.
Now that is a fun hostel to stay in. Glad you shared it with all. In general, hostels do not seem to have a great reputation. Happy to find that this one is unique.
Hi Ami,
Some hostels are considered to have more of a party style, or perhaps don’t have much of a mission other than a cheap place to sleep. But HI USA has this mission of world tolerance and they do hope that travelers to their hostels “get” that. If you are traveling in the US, you might want to google HI USA and try one out. 🙂
Sleep for peace is such a meaningful and beautiful event, I would love to attend one! I can also relate to great experiences staying in a hostel. I worked in one giving out hot chocolate pudding in New Zealand once, the sense of community is just so heartwarming.
Hi Mar,
It is so nice that you are relating to the meaning and signifance of what HI USA is intending with these events. 🙂
These hostels go a long way in fostering universal brotherhood. You are right, they dissolve borders and people relate to each other as real people and not through the tinted glasses of countries, races and communities.
Thanks for your nice comment Vyjay!
Even though hostel obviously not the most glamorous way to travel, I LOVE THEM! You meet so many amazing people!