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. Anyone under 26 years old qualifies for the Eurail Youthpass, honored on the national railroads of 17 countries. A one-month pass pays for itself with a trip from Amsterdam to Rome to Madrid to Paris. For those who plan to space out train travel, the Eurail Youth Flexipass makes sense. The Europass, good only in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, works for wanderers with less ambitious plans.