Not many people know this, but the traveller on a budget can get a place to sleep for as low as Dh30 a night in the UAE.
If five-star luxury hotels are not your scene, then for a nominal payment of Dh100 a year you can become a member of the UAE Youth Hostel Association and get a clean, comfortable bed in Sharjah, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah or Khor Fokkan. The only hitch is that you are only allowed to stay for six days in one hostel at a time.
But then the daily charge could go as low as Dh15 and as high as Dh80, depending on the emirate and the services provided. Book well in advance because the hostels are full almost year-round, except for the hot and humid days of summer, when tourists give this region a pass.
Cultural exploration
The UAE has six hostels around the emirates and back-packing European tourists are not the only ones using the cheap bed space, but also families, members of sports clubs, Iranian students and even businessmen from the other Gulf states. Hostels are no more a large room, which backpackers had to share with over-grown boy scouts. Today, people of all ages use hostels as their gateway to cultural exploration.
The UAE Association was set up in 1980 as a non-profit organisation. It is part of the General Authority for Youth Welfare and Sport, and is a member of the Arab Union of Youth Hostel Association.
According to Secretary Khalifa Sultan bin Sulaiman, the UAE Association is affiliated to Hostel-ling International (HI), which offers cheap accommodation in 86 countries with its 6,000 hostels.
Fahmi Hussain Bafadel, manager of the Sharjah Hostel, says except for summer, the hostels are booked full most of the year. "The Europeans who want to come here call three months in advance and tell us exactly when they are arriving. The Arab guests call one day before their arrival and say they want space," he says with a laugh.
The UAE Association card will get you a cheap roof over your head anywhere in the Arab world or in Europe and North America, says Bafadel.
For some reason the only place the card is not valid is Oman. The manager himself has used the card for his yearly holidays in Germany. The Sharjah Youth Hostel is nestled in the quiet residential area on Mirag Street.
New location
It has been here since the past six years. But plans are on to move on to a new location. "People fax and ask what facilities you have," says the manager, who notes that beside bed and board there is nothing else to offer in this rented building.
"We want to move to our own place with a swimming pool," he says. The hostel is a big draw for German tourists, Egyptians, and Saudis.
"The Dubai hostel (near Al Mulla Plaza) is like a four-star hotel," he says. For families, the membership is Dh300 and for groups (of more than 25 people) the yearly charge is Dh1,000.
If you are a UAE resident visa holder, all you need is a letter from the sponsor and your photograph, plus the fee of Dh100, and the association card will open up a world of good quality budget accommodation where you can meet like-minded people.
If you are a group of more than 10 people, then breakfast is also offered at Dh10 and lunch and supper for Dh15. The Sharjah Hostel has nine rooms and 34 beds.
When Gulf News visited the hostel, everyone was out enjoying the Ramadan nights in the emirate. Only the Filipino watchman was there watching the telly.
Many people from within the emirates also use the facilities. "People come from Abu Dhabi and if their work in Sharjah is not completed, they stay with us," says Bafadel.
Eid, shopping festivals, international conferences and expos also draw large crowds to Sharjah, the emirates and to the hostels.
One of the main aims of the Youth Hostel Association is to foster an appreciation of UAE culture and heritage. While its doing that, it also helps promote understanding and respect of other cultures. The UAE Association supports Unesco and the UN 'Decade for a Culture of Peace'. It also helps protect the environment through its educational and recreational programmers, say the association members.
SLEEP EASY
A roof over your head Hostelling International currently provides 35 million overnight stays a year worldwide.
Advance reservations can be made on the Web.
Bedding is usually provided, though you may need to bring or hire sheets or a sleeping bag in some hostels. Towels are not provided.
Most rooms are fitted with bunk beds, and sleep two or four people larger dormitory rooms are becoming less common. (The Sharjah rooms sleep five). There are shower facilities at Sharjah.
You cannot do your own cooking in UAE hostels. In some hostels you can book a private room.
Youth Hostels are open to everyone. However, age limits may apply for children in some places. Many hostels have special 'family rooms'.
International affiliate
Its international affiliate, Hostelling International (HI), offers many discounts and savings. It publishes a directory which gives you an idea of the city transport, street plans, country information and travel advice and offers tips for budget meals and top attractions.
HI hostels are for people who are fed up with bland motels and impersonal hotels, says its website, www. Iyhf.org.
Helping to fulfil aspirations of young
DubaiRichard Schirrmann, a German school teacher, apparently thought of the idea of hostelling in 1909 when on an excursion with his pupils.
It was started to help young people of limited means to experience the countryside and cities of the world. Today, hostellers contribute up to $1.4 billion to tourist revenues world-wide every year. It is today one of the world's biggest international membership organisations for youth, with over three million members.
Mission: To promote education of all young people of all nations, especially youngsters of limited means, by encouraging in them a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside and an appreciation of the cultural values of towns and cities of the world.
Hostelling has changed dramatically during the last century, says the HI webiste. The hostel movement has expanded from Europe to the rest of the world. It is helping fulfil expectations of today's young people who have more money, more free time and greater mobility than ever before.
Gulf News
