100 years of Swiss Youth Hostels: Intrepid traveller Iris has been visiting youth hostels for 67 years

Iris Gauckler caught the youth hostel bug when she was 17 years old. The adventurous young woman wanted to travel to Stockholm on her own. Despite her mother’s reservations, she was able to quench her thirst for discovery on one condition: Iris had to become a member of the Swiss Youth Hostels and was only allowed to stay overnight in hostels that were part of the Hostelling International network. Back then, almost 70 years ago, these hostels were considered to be particularly safe and guests had to be back in their accommodation by 10 p.m. 

From then on, the adventurous Iris can’t stop travelling. To this day, she has explored numerous countries from India, Australia and New Zealand to Nepal and Uzbekistan. Even now, she stays overnight in a multi-bed room in youth hostels whenever possible, where she connects with people from all over the world.  

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The Vespa Club in search of the Easter bunny 

I meet a diverse group of people when I visit Vespa Club Nidwalden at Bern Youth Hostel. Twelve of the 33 members are present. A roar of laughter, lots of joking around, a good mood overall. No wonder the club has been around for 73 years with such an exuberant and cheerful atmosphere.

For more than a decade, Vespa fans have been drawn to a youth hostel for a weekend outing at Easter. As some of the members start families and have children, most hotels suddenly become too small to accommodate 50+ people. Initial scepticism quickly turns into enthusiasm: The spacious recreation and games rooms for the children, the laid-back atmosphere, the delicious food and the friendly staff ensure that Vespa Club Nidwalden is a regular guest in the youth hostels from now on. 

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