Youth Hostel information: AYH Box 37613 Washington, DC 20013 202-783-6161 In Houston, call 713-661-2050
This card is available to everyone, and not to just students; the price for non-students will be a little bit higher, but not much. This card allows members to stay in dormatories for a small fee.
Golden Eagle Pass information:
This pass allows members to get into any NATIONAL park without paying the entrance fee. (Pass is good for non-business member's vehicle and everyone in the vehicle to enter the park without paying entrance fee.) This pass is not valid for local and state parks, just national parks. The $50 pass can be purchased at any national park which charges an entrance fee; however, not all parks may have passes in stock. Check out the homepage above for more information.
Entertainment Card / Half Price Hotel Card: 800-548-1116
This card allows members to stay at over 4000 hotels and motels around the United States for 1/2 the published room rate. There are some restrictions at some hotels, such as seasons and holidays. Just make reservations one day in advance. The Half Price Hotel Card is a personalized card which costs $35, whereas the Entertainment Card comes inside an Entertainment book.
Tourist sites:
What I've recently found out during this roadtrip is that the tourist information for the city and state will have motel and hotel rates of most of the places to stay- including youth hostels and bed and breakfasts.. This is very useful for finding places with reasonable rates, allow pets, continental breakfast, etc. In Canada, tourist sites have information for both the local city as well as the provinces. Other useful information include tourist attractions, as the name implies. Also, at these tourist information locations there will be friendly receptionists, pay phones, and clean restrooms.