Is it mandatory?

[Cozaar]

Hi guyz,almost finalised itin. on my Spring Germany tour:
1)Franfurt(1st April,Tue)-->Alsfeld(1 nite)
2)--->Kassel(2nd,3rd April,2 nite)
3)--->Hannovrsh-Munden(4th April,1 nite)
4)--->Hameln(5Th April,1 nite)
5)---->Hildesheim(6th ,7thApril,2 nite)
6)---->Goslar(8th,9th April,2 nite)
7)----->Bamberg(10th April,1 nite)
8)----->dinkelsbuhkl(11th April,1 nite)
9)------>Rottenburg(12th,13th April,2 nite)
10)---->Wurzburg(14th,15th April,2 nite)
11)---->Franfurt(16th april,l nite)
l 'm planning to stay in HI DJH Hostels throughout my trip.
1)Should l make reservation for all/some of the DJH hostels to secure my dorm bed?Is it usual for school groups to book out the whole hostel in April?
2)Or l need not because April 1st to 17th is relatively off-peak?Is it sufficient just to call 1or 2 days ahead to check /reserve hostel room availability for my next destination?
3)l was thinking of more flexibility to stay longer in towns which l like if l did not make reservation beforehand.Are there any cancellation/penalty charges if l change my arrival dates?
4)What's the likelihood of turning up
at the tourist office and able to get a dorm bed during April 1st to 17th?
5)Any recommendations for lodging in all these towns around 15 Euro?
Thank you very much

[nitsansh]

In general, I would not be worried about reservations.
Keep your plans as flexible as possible.
I suggest that you check DJH website and look for details of their cancellation procedures. Or even better, make reservation without pre-payment if that's possible.
I all my travel around Europe, only once I booked hostel bed in advance and I later regretted it.
The best strategy IMO is to call the hostel 2-3 days in advance. If the hostel is full, you still have time to change plans.
Also look for alternative hostels near those towns, which you can use in case the 1st choice hostel is full.
Because some towns in your itinerary are close, you can rearange your itinerary without much trouble.
Let's assume that you find the hostel in Hildesheim is full on Apr 6-7, but there's vacancy on Apr 8-9. You can travel first to Goslar on Apr 6-7 and later go to Hildesheim... what difference it makes?

[Cozaar]

Thank you so much for your advice.
l would of course want to be more flexible and make changes as and when necessary.
But l also just learned that :
School Vacations:
State of Bavaria April 14-26
State of Hesse April 7-21.
The concern is DHJ hostels being wholly book-out by these school holidays kids.
but l suppose one dorm bed is not too difficult
l would probably book the 1st few hostels just to be sure.What's your opinion?
Have a nice day!

[Kim]

Out of curiousity, why are you limiting yourself to HI hostels? There are some wonderful independent hostels out there.

While HI hostels are often fine, they tend to be pretty much the time across the board and can be a little on the sterile side.

While I'm not saying switch completely to independent hostels, but you may want to leave open as an option as it will open up more accommodation possibilities.

Plus, school groups (which can be EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY annoying) rarely stay in independent hostels.

Kim

[nitsansh]

Kim
Do you know of independent hostels in these places?

I didn't find any...

[Kim]

The only one I can think of off the top of my head is the Stay and Learn Residence in Frankfurt, they offer dorms, 8 person I think.

Will look into it and post back when I have more time.

Kim

[nitsansh]

Oh, I forgot to check Frankfurt...
A big city like that is likely to have private hostel... but in all the small towns on the list I didn't find any... I checked BUG Europe and LP guide...
In LP I found a warning that Goslar YH is popular for school groups, probably because of its proximity to the Harz mountains, a popular hiking region...
You can check availibility of hostels on DJH site... in a random check of one place I found 2 dates in April already sold out...
Flexibility is the solution for you... be prepared to modify your plans and itinerary...