I'm 19 years old and i'm a little concerned I might be rejected to hotels and hostels because of my age. In my state they don't like giving rooms to people under 21. Do you think i'll have issues from your experience?
I'm 19 years old and i'm a little concerned I might be rejected to hotels and hostels because of my age. In my state they don't like giving rooms to people under 21. Do you think i'll have issues from your experience?
“Almost heaven, West VirginiaBlue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah riverLife is old there, older than the treesYounger than the mountains, grown’ like a breeze”
- John Denver
If you have a credit card in good standing there should not be a problem with a motel. Hostels will most likely be fine as well. Maybe a pre-paid card ?
There are wonders out there, now to find them.
I have seen many 18-19 year olds in Hostels. The Hostels I have been in accept either cash or credit. Now, a hotel might be a different story, but then you should just set it up that your newest BFF's on the A.T. are the ones to pay for it, and you give money toward the cost!
Most of the hotels you will be real **** holes and they won't care. You should also know that unless on the rare instance your trailname becomes "Lone Wolf" you will be part of a team within a week and as you get further North your team will become your hiker family and you won't be going to the hotel alone. You will share rooms, just like shelters with your trailmoms, traildads, trailbrothers and sisters. It will be a shared cost. 3 or 4 of you might be all sleeping in the same room. A 60 dollar rooms might be 15 for your share.
In the south hotels will want to see a marriage license or other proof of marital status if more than one person occupies the room.
> In the south hotels will want to see a marriage license or other proof of marital status if more than one person occupies the room
When we got married 34 years ago, my wife kept her birth name. I've thus spent decades living with the fact that we have different last names, a fact that STILL confuses some people. However, it's kind of nice that, when I get a call asking me if I'm "Mr. Jones" (let's say my wife's name and title are "Mary Jones PhD"), I get to respond (truthfully), "There's no Mr Jones living here; you must have gotten a wrong number."
ANYWAY, out of fear that the manager of some place, somewhere would deny us lodging because s/he thought we weren't married, we carry a copy of our marriage certificate when we go traveling.
I can tell you the EXACT number of times we've had to show a marriage license in order for both of us to occupy a room: because it's ZERO. This includes DOZENS of times we've stayed at lodging south of the Mason-Dixon Line -- starting with our wedding night and continuing to last spring.
I don't know the basis upon which you made the above statement, but it's COMPLETELY contrary to our decades of experience.
"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." Louis L’Amour
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 01-27-2017 at 08:59.
Back on topic here. Hotels if you venture a little bit from the trail like to DC, NY...you MAY have issues with a hotel but most people when heading to the BIG cities, go with a crowd so it would be easy to pitch in on a room with those folks.
Just gunna chalk the marriage license comment up to mistaken humor... If it wasn't then well...get hitched by neels?..
Trail Miles: 4,992.0
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
I live in a small town in South Carolina and the local two bit motel will rent you a room (by the hour) and the only document you will need is green with a dead president on it.
I may never get to thru hike but I'll never get through hiking.
If you're willing to pay $10 and go by Papa de Giorgio no problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRTbPZz0UMI
I have never been carded for a hotel room. You usually just need a credit card.
I would think the work around would be to make a reservation before going into a hotel or call someone to make the reservation for you.
''Tennessee Viking'
Mountains to Sea Trail Hiker & Maintainer
Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer
I was 18 when I hiked the AT in 15. It's true most hotels in general won't let you rent under the age of 21, but the ones along the AT are accustomed to hikers and won't give you a hard time about it. I've never been turned down for one, on the AT or PCT, and I'm still only 20.
- Young Blood | AT2015 | PCT2016 | CDT2017