What Is a Hostel?

• Hostels are low-cost overnight accommodations typically costing $15.00 - $30.00 per night worldwide.

• Hostels provide dormitory-style sleeping areas and most have private family rooms and fully-equipped, self-serve kitchens. Some have laundry facilities, libraries, hot tubs, and other amenities.
  

• There are 110 hostels around the United States and 4,000 hostels in 60 countries worldwide.
  

• Hostels are for people of all ages.
  

• Hostelling encourages travelers to meet one another and to explore the surroundings in unique ways not readily available to more traditional travelers.

• Hostels provide opportunities for friendships through intercultural exchange.

• HI Memberships are valid at hostels worldwide.

Why is Hostelling Beneficial?

Hostelling Seeks to:

• Promote global awareness — Through a network of welcoming, comfortable and affordable hostels that encourage exploration and nurture cross-cultural communication, and through programs that interpret culture principally through interaction among hostellers and community members.

• Encourage educational travel — Through information, activities and service that facilitate safe, affordable, and cultural-sensitive hostel travel for all ages.

• Interpret our environment — Through activities that promote meaningful, low-impact travel using hostels and that focus on the conservation and interpretation of the built and natural environment.

• Broaden community participation — Through involvement of all members of the community in hostel travel, council programs, and volunteer participation.

Desired outcome:

Hostellers become caring world citizens who are catalysts for intercultural exchange and understanding, and stewards of the earth.

What is the History of Hostelling?

History of Hostelling International USA (formerly American Youth Hostels)

In the summer of 1933, Monroe and Isabel Smith, a Boy Scout executive and art teacher from Rochester, New York, were leading a group of boy and girls scouts in Germany. The trip was originally planned to be a study of youth organizations throughout Europe on which Monroe would base his dissertation for his Ph.D. Plans were changed and now the group was engaged in simple touring of Europe. While in Germany they met Richard Schirrmann, the founder of the hosteling movement, and began their course to establish hostels in the United States.

From the beginning, youth hostels have been open to people regardless of gender, race or religious persuasion. Supervision by a "houseparent", the common cooking, eating and conversational areas, as well as the customs and chores have also been part of hosteling from the start. Considering the social mores of the early 1900s, it is a wonder that such concept as youth hosteling has survived.

Hosteling spread rapidly to Switzerland, Poland, Holland, France and England. The first International Youth Hostel conference was held in Amsterdam in 1932. The Smiths attended the 1933 conference looking for ideas on what kind of system would work in America. The Smiths incorporated American Youth Hostels in March of 1934 and set up the first headquarters in Vernon, Connecticut. Hosteling in America was just a dream, however. No hostels had yet been established.

The program began with a planned trip to Europe in the summer of 1934. Trippers included a young man from St. Louis, two others from Kansas and an African American. That fall the first AYH hostel was opened in a castle in Northfield, Massachusetts and the headquarters were moved to this site. The first Annual Report stated that 35 hostels had been established, 4,500 overnights spent, 162 hostelers traveled in Europe, and 1,750 persons were AYH members. The Smiths were absorbing most of the financial burden of the organization. Some of the youth that became involved with AYH through hosteling began to work as staff for the organization. The Smith's charisma attracted dedicated persons for very little wages. This dedication was the most important resource that kept AYH alive through its early days. It is the true spirit of hosteling on which the organization still relies.

In 1937 Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt became honorary presidents but controversy surrounding their involvement with AYH caused them to withdraw. FBI and Naval Intelligence have investigated AYH several times, the latest occurring in 1952, but could only determine that "hostelers seemed different from ordinary people" and suggested that they might be subject to Communist infiltration. The Knapsack was published for the first time in 1937.

In 1939, the National Council meeting was established and by 1940, 227 chartered hostels were listed in the Annual Report. Twelve sponsored trips in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America were offered. Membership was 12,646.

After World War II, the hosteling movement began to recover. Work parties from the United States helped out. In 1947, John D. Rockefeller, III agreed to serve as president of AYH. Rockefeller felt strongly that business management and centralized planning should be incorporated in the organization. AYH was incorporated, the headquarters moved to New York City and an executive director was hired. During that meeting, the strength of AYH was determined to be in its local councils. A new executive director who had been active at the local level was named.

Smith had resigned in early 1949 to devote his time to Youth Argosy, Inc. This organization sought to create a program of hostels on ships to Europe and air travel of youth around the world. Initially, Youth Argosy did quite well but unfortunate circumstances caused the organization to go bankrupt in 1951.

By 1955, membership had recovered to the 12,500 mark it had established in 1941. Membership had reached 14,000 in 1946. The organization was self supporting by this time and consideration was given to dropping the word youth from the name of the organization. Discussion about the "true" AYH program began to arise. Was AYH to be a hostel based or an activities based organization. The national organization purchased its first hostel in Pennsylvania.

Despite the ongoing debate, the development of AYH continued with some significant events bringing national attention. In 1967 Loretta Young became primary fund-raiser for a program for underprivileged youth in large cities. AYH began to market itself to other youth groups and use of domestic hostels by Americans as well as foreigners was established. AYH owned its first hostel in Washington, D.C. in 1967.

During the 1970s hostel clubs were increasing and an idea to create a national AYH Campus to train members of the organization was approved by the National Board. The campus was selected and the national office moved its headquarters to Delaplane, Virginia to begin implementing the program. The recession of 1973 forced AYH to abandon these plans, however.

By the early 80s calm, consistent progress was again being made. The national office was moved to Washington, D.C. A greater connection with the International Youth Hostel Federation has been established, travel and educational programs are well developed, and financial stability is being achieved. Strategic planning put in place a focus and a direction for the national organization. American Youth Hostels is a viable movement with a genuine mission "to help all people, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hosteling."

History of the Gateway Council

Once AYH headquarters had been established in Northfield, Massachusetts, many volunteers from around the country worked a various jobs in the headquarters building. One of these volunteers came from a socially prominent family in St. Louis. Returning home he began to spread the word. The Midwestern Field Director, working out of Chicago and Detroit, and later Monroe and Isabel Smith themselves visited the area to promote the organization. The council actually grew out of an alliance between two women who were operating a tea room on a farm in DeSoto, Missouri and some of their customers. The first office of The Greater St. Louis Council of AYH was in a city courthouse clerk's office. The Cedar Brown Farm Youth Hostel opened in DeSoto. Soon a loop of hostels formed through the Missouri Ozarks. The first Gateway to the Ozarks came off the hobby press of Miss Alice T. Peck, owner of the farm. It included linoleum block illustrations.

In the early 40s the Council had a monthly activity schedule consisting of bicycle/train trips to the youth hostel in DeSoto and to social events in St. Louis including folk dancing, progressive bicycle and hiking dinners, folk singing and neighborhood hikes. Communication was via telephone and postcards. The Cedar Brown Farm Youth Hostel remained in operation until the houseparents' age forced it to close.

The Outing Club of Washington University became a club affiliate of the local council. Over the years members of the Outing Club had a strong influence on the operation of the Council. The Council office was located on the second floor of the Downtown YMCA. When the council left the YMCA it existed in the basements and dining rooms of officers and members. The newsletter became a mimeographed bulletin but activities began to develop with a variety of leaders. The office moved to a post office box, then to rented quarters in Maplewood. From there the office moved to Southwest and Macklind in St. Louis then into the Huckleberry Finn Youth Hostel at 1908 S. 12th Street and in May of 1989 the office was moved to a location at 7187 Manchester in Maplewood. As of 2003, the office is located at 1021 Big Bend in Richmond Heights.

The name changed to Ozark Region Hosteling Association but due to conflicts with existing national names was changed to Ozark Area Council. In 1994, the council again changed its name to the Gateway Council.

The Council has been actively involved in regional and national business. Members have served and continue to serve on the national and regional level including a past national president (Dick Leary), a national board member (Darwin Portman), and a current Regional secretary (Jim Jeske). Dick Leary resigned from his board position in the fall of 1995 having served the council in every imaginable post for more than fifty years. He was the recipient of every national and local award possible. Under Mr. Leary's leadership the Council newsletter grew from a mimeographed bulletin to a newsletter to the tabloid format used today. It has been the standard by which other council newsletters have been judged for many years. The "Dick Leary Award" is presented annually to councils to recognize excellence in newsletter production. Mr. Leary was the editor of the Gateway to the Ozarks for many years. Natalie G. Kekeisen, active and vibrant on the bicycling committee for many years, was honored with the Isabel and Monroe Smith Award in 1988, the highest honor a volunteer can receive.

Work to reach out to the community began in the 1960s. Professional staff was first used at the original Maplewood office. Current staff is limited to an executive director.

Recent history has seen the Gateway Council take its place as a leader among councils in the United States. Outdoor recreational programming has been and continues to be the strength of the local council. This strength lends recognition and vitality to the organization that now begins the task of adding a strong hostel and travel component to the mix.

Locally, nationally and internationally, the Gateway Council has a proud tradition, fulfilling its mission by presenting opportunities for wholesome outdoor recreational activities and inexpensive travel to people from all walks of life.