Historical Background
The first Youth Hostels were born in 1909 ; the movement was initiated by Richard Schirmann who then thought that the german youth needed entertainment during summer holidays. He had this idea of using schools buildings as dormitories and then made it possible for the youth to go for foottrips through the german countryside.
From the 20's till the 30's a lot Youth Hostels appeared around the world. That's why an international federation was created in 1932. Marc Sangnier set the first french Youth Hostel in France in 1930.
There were in up to 400 Youth Hostel in France. Today only 200 have remained.
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Membership
Youth Hostels are non profit associations. Therefore you need to get a membership which is delivered by the federation of your country or by any Youth Hostel of the country you plan to visit.
Memberships are usually valid for 1 year and give access to any Youth Hostel in France and worldwide.
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The Lodging
Traditionnaly, Youth Hostels offer accomodation mainly in dormitories. But you'll find bedrooms for families or individuals as well in many of them.
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Restauration
In every Youth Hostel there's a self catering. There you'll find kitchen utensiles, basic ingredients to prepare your own meals.
Many Youth Hostels serve breakfasts and / or meals.
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Sheets
Some of the Youth Hostels provide sheets (rare)
Some of them have sheets for rent (compulsory)
In a lot of them you are allowed to bring in your own sheets or sleeping bag ; sheets can be rented as well.
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Users' Little Help
Users are generally asked to keep the premises clean, especially the self catering.
Before leaving, you're asked to fold your blanket, hoover your sleeping space, empty the bin, bring the sheets back to the reception.
That's a very important feature of the Youth Hostel system. Everyone needs to participate to keep things going smoothly...
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The Youth Hostel of Ile de Batz
This Hostel is one of the few that stays open continuously all day long. Most of the hostels prevent access to bedrooms from 10 am to 5 pm. The self catering use is also restricted.
This feeling of freedom you'll find when staying at the Hostel of Ile de Batz sets a very friendly environment that enables users from different countries to meet and share their experiences, culture.
As a consequence, people really have the feeling of being at home and therefore they participate far more than in any other establishment in the housework and the different tasks one would naturally do if they were at home.
The average stay in the Youth Hostel of Ile de Batz is around 4 days which is quite long given that Youth Hostels are usually places you just spend a couple of nights in.
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