Welcome!
This is a very special year for hostelling! 2009 marks the 75th Anniversary of HI-USA and the 100th Anniversary of the worldwide hostelling movement. HI-USA will be celebrating all year long across the country. You are invited to join in the fun! Check back often for updates on what’s happening near you.
Photo and Video Contests!
August 1st – September 30th
Give Us Your Best Shot and we just might send you packing… On a hostelling adventure that is! Click here to enter.
Open Hostel Week: August 23rd – 30th
Hostels all across the world will be opening their doors to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the hostelling movement. Click here for details about HI-USA Hostel Open Houses. Check back for updates.
Great Things Said About Us!
Hostelling is a time-honored tradition and an important part of the travel landscape. HI-USA has received some wonderful comments from travel authors and professionals honoring our organization in our anniversary year. Click here to see what they’re saying about us.
Tell Us Your Story!
Got a great story to share about a hostelling experience? Whether it is one of romance, adventure, or just sharing a cup of tea with new friends, share it with HI-USA as part of our Anniversary Story Collection. Your tale may be published or included in a time capsule to be opened in 2034 – when we turn 100! Send your hostelling tale to . Click here to see some recent submissions.
Relive Your Hostel Travels and Reconnect with HI-USA
Calling all past hostellers and HI members! Come relive your travels with other hostellers at one of our Anniversary Alumni Celebrations this year. HI-USA Councils across the US will be hosting special events to reconnect alumni with the organization and each other. Click here to find an Anniversary Celebration near you.
Honoring Our Roots!
Join us in Northfield, MA on Sunday, August 23rd, where we will join the town in dedicating an historic marker to commemorate the birth of hostelling in the United States. Isabel and Monroe Smith will be remembered as the founders of American Youth Hostels on the site of the first USA hostel on Main Street in Northfield. Festivities start at 2:00 pm EDT.
Girl Scout Anniversary Contest Winners Announced!
Girl Scouts around the United States were invited to write about how hostelling has helped (or could help) them gain a greater understanding of the world and its people. Click here to read the winning entries.
