BootsnAll Travel Community

So I bought a HI Canada discount card, $35+tax. I'm having some regrets about the purchase. Most info in the booklet is about discounts in Canada. Will I really get discounts oversease too? What do you guys think? Will it actually save me money, or did I just flush $40 down the drain? Also, do any of you know if HI and YHA is the same thing.
P.S Going to OZ, NZ, Bali, Bankok and Nepal.

Yes, HI and YHA are the same thing (the international organization is HI, and some national organizations affiliated with it still go by the older YHA name).

Whether you save money or not depends on what country you're going to and for how long. In some countries, HI hostels are essentially all that's available, and you will save money. This is certainly the case in Canada. I haven't been to any of the countries you're going to, but when I went to Ireland, I ended up not saving a penny, since there are maybe 3 HI hostels in the whole country. However, I did save a fair bit on guide books (probably about $12), since I can get a decent discount at The Travel Shop in Edmonton.

Hmm.... I was going to buyone of those HI cards soon for my RTW travels, but if they might not be useful.... har. I hope it's not a waste, teh website made it sound like they were utterly essential.

I have a HI card that I used in Australia to great effect. I actually missed out because I only got it at the end of my trip. However, I immediately made the cost back on discounts. If you like more expensive activities (skydiving, abseiling, etc) a YHA discount of 10-15% suddenly becomes worthwhile. Also, there are a lot of very nice YHAs in New Zealand.

Cheers,
Cheech

Thanks for the insight! I'm feeling a bit better about the purchase now!

I think you can buy the memberships on the spot as well. At least you could in Argentina, and the cost was lower there (around $15) and I'd imagine they are good worldwide no matter where you buy them, but I could be wrong.

There are some great AYH/HI hostels in Argentina and the card will save you a couple of bucks a night.

I've got both YHA and VIP cards which I've used loads - a lot of hostels take one or the other. It only gets you a dollar or so knocked off the price of a hostel room but it all adds up!! Also they can get you discounts on trips (if that's you bag) and things like Greyhound bus tickets. Worthwhile for me at least!

Is it better to buy your card before you leave?
Should I buy mine here in Canada or wait until I get to Scotland?

Think that you can buy abroad but I bought my YHA (HI) from the British YHA (sent it me in the post) and the VIP from STA travel. I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I think that coming from Canada to the UK most things will be cheaper for you at home (have met A LOT of Canadians who complained about the weak dollar compared to the pound!!). Worth looking into. My YHA for a year was 15pounds and the VIP was about 15pounds. Both have already paid for themsleves.

It costs nearly 40 bucks for a HI membership in Canada. According to the hostel I e-mailed in Scotland I can purchase an Internation Membership for 6 Pounds (about 15 dollars). So, it appears way cheaper to buy there. The thing is, will that be good for my stays in England?

Not sure I'm afraid - the YHA website for the uk is www.yha.org.uk. Maybe check on there for the different hostels available.