Eight of the best secluded and affordable places to stay in Andalucía, Spain
From B&Bs and cabins to fincas and family hotels, these rural boltholes make ideal bases for exploring the region’s mountains, trails and historic towns and villages
March 2026
Can an Austrian hostel give a luxury ski chalet a run for its money?
Ski accommodation can be prohibitively expensive, but a cosy youth hostel puts the Montafon resort and its glorious runs within reach for those on a budget
January 2026
‘Mingling is part of the adventure’: a family trip to Wales shows why hostels are booming
Forget draughty bunk rooms and awkward social encounters, hostels now provide home comforts and a sense of community private rentals will never match
June 2025
Brief letters
Jim Royle’s take on Tracey Emin ‘masterpiece’
Brief letters: Art review | ‘Worser’ in Shakespeare | Youth hostelling | Driverless taxis | Egregious Americanism | Outage outrage
Brief letters
A knock at the door of a snowy hostel
Brief letters: Working in hostels | Gym clothes | Smug 80s | Best wedding gift | Special or specious?
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a youth hostel to give their parents a break
Nell Frizzell
Forget luxury escapes: it’s more fun to share time and space with people of all ages and from all walks of life, says journalist and author Nell Frizzell
October 2024
Castles to barn conversions: 12 of the best UK holiday pads for large groups
We pick gorgeous country pads, from Pembrokeshire to the Peak District, that make perfect bases for groups of friends and family get-togethers
Very cheap and incredibly cheerful: we hired an entire hostel in Wales
In winter, the YHA hires out whole hostels for exclusive use by large groups of family and friends – and they are in some of the loveliest parts of the UK
Readers' travel tips
‘We loved pub trips, wild swimming and sing-songs’: readers’ favourite UK hostels
From the Surrey Hills to the Hebrides, hostels offer affordable lodgings in some of the UK’s most beautiful landscapes. Here are our readers’ top picks
September 2024
Money hacks
How to cut the cost of travelling on your own
Ditch package holidays for group tours, use credit card rewards, and make sure it’s all by public transport
August 2023
Brief letters
Hoping Soft Machine are in for the long haul
Youth hostel sell-off is a blow to egalitarian ideals
July 2023
Youth hostels are a muddy, joyful miracle. Losing them to Brexit and the cost of living would be a tragedy
John Harris
‘The magical places’: readers on their youth hostel memories
June 2023
Cost of living crisis prompts YHA to sell off 20 of its 150 hostels
Share your memories of staying in YHA hostels in England and Wales
April 2023
Visitor tax will make it harder to afford a holiday
Letter: Such a tax is regressive and will hit those on low incomes, say Jill Hughes and Neil Martinson, who run a hostel in Snowdonia
January 2023
10 of the best group trips for solo travellers
From wild camping in the Sahara and the Lakes to culinary adventures and tours of Europe, these holidays are also a fun way to meet new people
Interrail at 50
My life in budget holidays has been a priceless experience
From chance encounters to thrilling train rides, holidays on a shoestring have been some of my best
10 of the best ways to find bargain places to stay in the UK
From priories to Wetherspoon’s, Oxford colleges to seaside cottages, we share ideas for low-cost breaks around the country
