Get the most out of trip

BOOKING A BUNK: The nonprofit International Youth Hostel Federation (also known as Hostelling International, 011-44-17-07-32-4170, www.hihostels.com) is a worldwide umbrella organization. Membership with the American affiliate, Hostelling International-USA (301-495-1240, www.hiusa.org), is free for those under 18, $28 a year for ages 18 to 54, and $18 for ages 55 and older. A lifetime membership is $250, regardless of age. Membership includes access to 4,000-plus overseas hostels and roughly 100 domestic ones, plus travel discounts and basic travel insurance. Nonmembers can stay in HI hostels but must pay a supplement, which varies by hostel.

Overseas HI hostels can be booked online (www.hihostels.com) for a small fee and 5 percent deposit, both nonrefundable (there's a 10 percent deposit, but no fee, when booking in person at HI centers, which are listed on the Web site under "Book a Hostel"). The balance must be paid to the hostel in the local currency. Contact information for domestic locations is available online (www.hiusa.org); booking for many must be done directly through the hostel. Prices and types of hostels vary: Six dollars will get you a bed and breakfast at the intimate 32-bed Thanh Van Hostel in Hoi An, Vietnam, for example, while the 220-bed Stayokay Hostel in The Hague offers dorm beds with breakfast for about $28 and up.

Private hostels are often cheaper than HI hostels in the same cities, and there are no membership fees. Guidebooks, Web sites and word-of-mouth are the best ways to find good independent hostels.

Want the camaraderie without the communal sleeping? As with HI hostels, many facilities offer double or single rooms in addition to dorm rooms. Also, prices, facilities and rules — regarding age limits, lockouts, length of stays, coed accommodations, left luggage, etc. — vary depending on location.

WHAT TO TAKE: Dollar stores are a great resource for many of the items below. Initially, everything you pack should fit into your backpack — no clipping items on the outside. (Hanging wet laundry and shoes off your pack is resourceful on the road but not when checking luggage.) Include a day pack so you can leave most of your cheap but worldly goods in the hostel while you're out exploring. Pack everything you think you'll need, then unpack and ditch a third of it. Chances are you won't miss it, and your back will thank you for it.

— Bring zip-lock bags or large, spill-proof Eagle Creek Pack-It Sacs (800-874-1048, www.eaglecreek.com; $12) for wet or dirty stuff, but leave the plastic grocery bags at home; nothing ticks off those in a communal room more than plastic rustling as you leave for your bus at 5 a.m.