You’re Eurailing across Europe and are wondering about accommodation. Hostels are an affordable option. Here is some information about hostels.

•  A youth hostel is not limited to young people. The average hosteller is 18–26, but every year there are more seniors and families hostelling.
• Hostels provide ‘no frills’ accommodation in clean dormitories. At official hostels, the sexes are segregated, with 4–20 people packed in a room full of bunk beds. Many independent hostels have both segregated and mixed dorms.
• Bedding can cost extra. Pillows and blankets are provided. Sometimes sheets are included in the cost, but often you have to pay extra to rent them (about $4).
• Many hostels offer meals and meeting places. Hearty, super-cheap meals are served, often in family-style settings (usually cost extra, though the price is cheap).
• The self-service kitchen, complete with utensils, pots, and pans, is a great budget aid that comes with most hostels. Larger hostels even have a small grocery store. International friendships rise with the bread in hostel kitchens.
• The hostel's recreation and living rooms are my favorite. People gather, play games, tell stories, share information, marvel at American foreign policy, read, write, and team up for future travels. 
• Get to know your host. The people who live in and run hostels (known as "wardens" in Britain) do their best to strictly enforce rules, quiet hours, and other regulations.
• Hostels have drawbacks. Many hostels — especially official ones — have strict rules. Some lock up during the day (usually from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and many have a curfew at night (10 p.m., 11 p.m., or midnight), when the doors are locked.
• Hostel rooms can be large and packed.
• Theft is a problem in hostels, but the answer is simple: Wear your money belt (even while sleeping) and don't leave valuables lying around. Use the storage lockers that are available in most hostels.
• Getting a hostel bed in peak tourist season can be tricky. The most popular hostels fill up every day. Most hostels will take telephone or e-mail reservations. Try to call or e-mail ahead to try to reserve and at least check on the availability of beds.