Apr 9th, 2012 at 4:00PM: Don't get me wrong. I love hostels. Even if someone offered me the choice between a free luxurious hotel room or a basic hostel dorm, I would choose the hostel simply based on the social factor. That being said, it's not always easy sharing a room with 10 other people. Here are some of the most annoying experiences I've encountered in hostels.
Sex in the Dorms
Now, I completely understand ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
hostels posts
When Hostels Are Terrible
Apr 9th, 2012 at 4:00PM: Don't get me wrong. I love hostels. Even if someone offered me the choice between a free luxurious hotel room or a basic hostel dorm, I would choose the hostel simply based on the social factor. That being said, it's not always easy sharing a room with 10 other people. Here are some of the most annoying experiences I've encountered in hostels.
Sex in the Dorms
Now, I completely understand ...10 historical hostels with unique pasts
Feb 25th, 2012 at 10:00AM: Former prisons, renovated brothels, converted convents; sometimes, you get more than just a cheap bed when choosing a hostel. In fact, with a little research you can find yourself relaxing in the same room a king once did, or dining in a kitchen where soldiers from WWII slept during the war. To help make your next trip a bit more historical, here are ten hostels from around the world with unique ...10 hidden travel expenses backpackers often overlook
Jan 13th, 2012 at 4:00PM: When planning for a backpacking trip, most people try to create a budget of how much they think they are going to spend. While the flight, accommodations, and daily meals are often factored in, there are still many others expenses that still need to be covered. Here is a list of some of the expenses I've encountered in my travels that can add extra dollars to your budget.
Laundry
When ...10 tips for planning your next trip on a budget
Dec 24th, 2011 at 10:00AM: As someone who is constantly traveling, my friends are always asking me how I can afford to go on trips so often. Traveling doesn't have to mean spending a fortune, and if you're willing to forgo the 5-star hotels and Michelin starred restaurants, it can be pretty simple to have a full travel experience without going broke. Here are tips that I use to get the most out of my travels while spending ...Stay at a former military prison turned art hostel in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dec 22nd, 2011 at 1:00PM: Recently, Gadling's Meg Nesterov talked about 10 reasons to travel to Ljubljana in Slovenia. The country has a lot to offer to visitors, and for those looking for an affordable and historical place to stay, a unique hostel experience, as well.
Hostel Celica, currently an artsy youth hostel, was once a military prison within the military barracks of Metelkova Street, dating back to 1882. Once ...Tips for choosing the right hostel
Nov 18th, 2011 at 11:00AM: Hostels are well-known for being budget-friendly and filled with backpackers. However, not all hostels are created equal, and choosing the wrong one could put a damper on your trip. Before booking, read this list of tips to help you decide which hostel is your perfect fit.
Create an itinerary
In the city you're visiting, what are the must-see attractions on your to-do list? Are there any ...Tips for traveling Cuzco, Peru, on a budget
Oct 13th, 2011 at 5:30PM: When traveling in Cuzco, Peru, it can be easy to spend more money than you budgeted for, especially with the myriad tour agencies offering treks and sightseeing adventures as well as the many restaurants offering overpriced comfort food. Luckily, there are still ways to save money on food, activities, and accommodation while traveling through this popular city.
Eating on a Budget
One thing ...Blogger Jessica Festa
Sep 28th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Introducing another new blogger at Gadling, Jessica Festa...
Where was your photo taken:
On Manganari Beach in Ios, Greece
Where do you live now:
Long Island, New York, but planning to move into the city by the end of the year
Scariest airline flown:
To be honest, I have never been scared to fly, even on really turbulent flights. If you asked me what my scariest plane ride was, ...In Transit TV on the hostel's demographic
Jul 16th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Every budget traveler has been there before, the tired, dusty hostel, the new group of road weary travelers and the parallels, the parallels the parallels. Suffering from the shockingly high hotel prices in Moscow years back, Gadling Labs ended up at a hostel that just wasn't stirring our kettle. No surprise, a tenacious young Australian wooing Japanese girls with his guitar, a few drunken Western ...
Sydney's Darlinghurst neighborhood: charm, croissants, and cocktails
May 27th, 2011 at 2:00PM: In a city chock-full of charming, Sydney's Darlinghurst neighborhood is a tough contender. Not that it's an easy choice. If it's parks, quirky boutiques and specialty food shops, cafes, cheap ethnic or fine dining restaurants, bars, lattice-bedecked row houses, cliff-top beach paths, or Harbour views you want, there's no shortage of neighborhoods that deliver.
Me, I'll take Darlinghurst. This ...Latin America on a budget: Quito, Ecuador
Apr 26th, 2011 at 11:00AM: Old cities are at their most pure and honest in the early morning. Before the crowds draw out to transform the peace with the trappings of modern existence, an old city seems frozen in time. Wandering through Quito in the morning feels like visiting an old stranger's house with no one home. I inspect the pictures and look in rooms, attempting to solve the riddles my mind creates. It is lonely and ...The best hostels in the world gain "Hoscar" recognition from Hostelworld.com
Feb 23rd, 2011 at 9:30AM: Gaining a Hoscar might not sound like a big feat - unless, of course, you know what a Hoscar is. The award, now nine years in the running, is the top honor granted to hostels worldwide. Given by Hostelworld.com, the "Oscars of the Hostel World" chooses the best properties from among 25,000 hostels in more than 180 countries.
Hoscar winners are chosen based on their overall score in six ...Ten real budget travel tips
Nov 29th, 2010 at 9:30AM: Do you continually feel wanderlust's pull but fear that you don't have enough money to see the world?
Your fears, thankfully, are misplaced. Despite the mainstream travel media's concerted, ongoing effort to make you think that travel is solely the domain of the rich, it is actually possible to travel well for surprisingly little money--and not just in those places where good deals are ...Top ten hostels in Europe
Oct 25th, 2010 at 5:00PM:
Staying in a hostel in Europe is a rite of passage for budget-conscious travelers making their way around the continent. This is particularly the case for budget-conscious younger travelers. Here are ten hostels across Europe that either receive particularly high user-review grades or are notorious enough in one or another way to be noteworthy.
St. Christopher's at the Winston, Amsterdam, ...Top ten traits of an excellent hostel
Aug 9th, 2010 at 11:00AM: I've spent nights in hostels that were probably just fronts for drug operations, and hostels that I wish I could live in. What makes a hostel good is fairly basic: cleanliness is the biggest issue, followed by orderliness and friendliness.
But a few traits separate the good from the excellent when it comes to hostels. Here's what I've determined are the factors:
1. Good ventilation: It is so ...Sydney hostel more than budget accomodation: Wake Up! backpackers reviewed
Jun 14th, 2010 at 1:30PM: While I don't expect anyone to ooze sympathy for the plight of travel writers, the fact is, when we're not getting hooked up at swanky hotels, we're often left to sleep on airport floors and bus seats. I actually enjoy those experiences; it's the eponymous "youth" hostel I've grown weary of. I should add that despite their name, hostels (also known as backpackers) aren't only used by young'un's. ...Befriend the book swap - International travel tip
Feb 15th, 2010 at 9:07AM: Instead of carrying enough books to last the length of your trip, seek out a hostel, bed-and-breakfast, or local cafe's book swap. Sometimes they're listed among a facility's amenities in guidebooks. Other times, only asking -- or (better yet) exploring -- finds one!
Using book swaps keeps your luggage light, an imperative with new airline luggage weight restrictions. Also, perhaps, you'll get ...7 alternative European accommodation options
Jan 29th, 2010 at 8:00PM: If you love to travel but are having difficulty finding a way to pay for that trip to Europe, consider some alternative lodging options. Not only will these unconventional options save you a few bucks, but you're bound to end up with some amazing stories in the process, since everyone else stays at hotels ... but YOU were far more resourceful.
Convents and Monasteries
tweetmeme_url = ...Gadlinks for Friday, 1.8.2010
Jan 8th, 2010 at 5:30PM:
Happy Friday, faithful Gadling readers! Here are a few more travel tidbits to send you on your way to the weekend.
Finally, someone gets it right. ABC News talks about Miami Airport's efforts at "profiling passengers by actions, not ethnicity." [via ABC News]
Stuck at the airport? Check out this list of airport bars where you can "drink your delays away." [via Cheapoair]
...British backpackers spreading sexually transmitted diseases
Oct 23rd, 2009 at 10:30AM: "No sex please, we're British." That old joke has been proven wrong by a new medical study that found British backpackers in Australia are picking up more than just short-term partners; they're picking up infections that they spread around Australia and back home. A survey of 1,008 backpackers at youth hostels in Sydney and Cairns revealed that 24 percent of British backpackers had unprotected sex ...
