Itineraries include guided sightseeing in Europe's prime tourist cities, as well as free time. Some trips feature AESU's own resorts - Club Alpina in the Austrian Alps and Club Aegean on the Greek island of Poros. Cheap sleeps Europe's more than 5,000 youth hostels affiliated with Hostelling International welcome young wayfarers on a shoestring budget. Accommodations range from rooms for two or four to dormitories with 20-plus beds. The trend is toward smaller rooms.
Many hostels require guests to bring or rent sheets or a sheet sleeping sack.
No two hostels are alike. They may range from a castle in Luxembourg to a converted schoolhouse in the Netherlands. Big-city hostels are likely to be open 24 hours a day, while others are closed in the middle of the day and impose curfews at night. Some hostels offer amenities such as a library exchange, darts, pool, air hockey and table tennis. Romancing the rails For vagabonds who plan to cover a lot of ground by train, a pass for unlimited second-class rail travel is just the ticket.