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Germany hostels are becoming more popular every year, especially as the bigger cities become increasingly popular tourist destinations for backpackers and graduated teens traveling across the continent. But what was once for traveling youth and their friends, is becoming a way for old and young travelers alike to stay in a city on a budget, meet new people and get more from their trip.

Germany is the birthplace of youth hostels, invented one night in 1909 while teacher Richard Schirrmann was lying awake after having been caught in a thunderstorm. People need inexpensive, safe places to stay, he thought, and wrote the idea down. Initially proposed as a way to house schoolchildren on class outings, Schirrmann's idea started a movement in the lodging industry that has risen in popularity every tourist season since.

Hostels are becoming more of a part of every travelers life as they begin to add more private bedrooms with shared bathrooms. Travelers get the security and safety of their own room with a locking door, but get to meet fellow travelers and don't have to pay the extra money for housekeeping to come into their room with a feather duster.

As more and more hostels pop up around Germany, the benefits multiply for travelers. Competition keeps prices low and many hostels in Germany are now offering perks for travelers like discounted pub crawls with a stay in the hostel and tours and activities organized and departing from the hostel itself.

The two most popular tourist destinations in Germany are Berlin and Munich, and those two cities have a high concentration of hostels, especially around the train stations. In Berlin, hostels are clumped around Alexanderplatz, one of the city's central squares and a burgeoning area for bars, clubs and nightlife.

If you're looking for nightlife, however, the Reeperbahn, in Hamburg puts both Berlin and Munich to shame. Nearly every building on the block is a bar, club or hostel, although because the street is located in the city's red-light district the line between hostel and brothel may sometimes get fuzzy.

If you're looking for a quieter alternative to the downtown hostel, rural accommodations can be a rewarding change of pace from the bright lights of Berlin or Munich or Stuttgart. While urban hostels are becoming more and more like hotels, a rural room will give you a traditional experience and a quieter stay than you might have had otherwise. In return for staying at a hostel in the country, you might be expected to do chores, help with a task, or contribute somehow to the upkeep of the building. Some city-hostels expect that too, but as hostels become more profitable it is becoming less common.

Germany hostel bookings can be made in advance at most locations and this is highly recommended when big events come through town like Germany's Love Parade or Oktoberfest. If you do book a room, however, staying in a youth hostel for one of these events could be the most interesting lodging in town.