Spring Break is Back!

The New York Times is reporting that resorts are wooing students to drum up more business. In a good economy, the spring break crowd has been increasingly considered more trouble than they are worth. Panama Beach City, FL, is going to be hosting MTV once again in a week of drunken reality shows and inane hilarity.

Students can get some good deals by sharing rooms through STA Travel, a popular student travel network. For non-spring breakers, I recently saw a deal from Jetblue offering what I believe was $69 flights from Boston to Cancun (courtesy of Travel Zoo). That was very tempting in this sub-20 degree weather.

Czech Inn: Hostel Web Cam

While many hostels have pictures of their accomodations on their website, the CZECH INN Hostel (curious name) has a link to a web cam right on their home page. While the video isn't great, it does give you a warm, fuzzy feeling of seeing the hostel live. The web cam page refreshes the video every few seconds to give a live streaming view of the hostel. Located in Prague, it has some pretty good ratings on hostelz.com.

Toilets for a Quid

A BBC article just announced that Ryanair CEO, Michael O'Leary, was considering charging a pound to use the airplane restrooms. Available after depositing money through a "coin slot on the toilet door", the restrooms may become a new revenue stream for the airline. More likely a PR stunt to get the airline in the papers, the PR chief down-played the idea. A more palatable money saver the airline just announced is the plan to close down all of its airline check-in desks by the end of the year.

While Ryanair has certainly led the budget airline market in Europe, it sure would be nice if some of the prices they offer were available in the US. I am not sure if these techniques are what makes the low prices possible. A more vibrant traveling culture in the US would certainly help to stimulate the economy. President Obama should look at how budget travel can stimulate the economy and lead to richer life-style for Americans.

Steve Ricks: Euro-nerd video

Rick Steves recently posted to his blog this amusing spoof video:

Hostel Review: Santa Cruz HI

The Santa Cruz HI Hostel is a set of bungalows conveniently located in downtown Santa Cruz near the beach and boardwalk. The hostel is a mixed bag with pros and cons that should be weighed before you check-in. The hostel is quaint, nicely furnished, and located on a quiet street. The hostel offers free wifi, a good sized kitchen, and a computer available for $1/10 minutes. The downside to this hostel are the restrictive lock-out and curfew rules, and the cadre of older men staying here. The lock-out rule seems minor, considering on a nice warm day you would probably want to go down to the beach. However, during my stay it mostly rained and number of guests were wondering where to go for 6 hours (11am - 5 pm). Additionally, check-in can only occur after 5 pm, an inconvenient restriction when you just want to drop off your stuff and relax for a little during the day. The 11 pm curfew also seems unnecessary, especially, for travelers wanting to go out for a late night on the weekend. Finally, the most annoying part of this hostel is the older guests who seem creepy, annoying, and snore all night. I had an interesting conversation where a guy thought the electromagnetic field was causing a buzzing in his head.

Rental car prices

I looked up rental car prices a few days before my trip on hotels.com. Many budget rental services offered cars for $25/day. When I checked the prices on the day of my trip, they jumped to $60. The only company that was in the previous price range was Payless that offered a sedan for $26 on orbitz.com. The rental company was off the airport premises, had it's office in the foyer of an Econolodge. When I arrived the Payless customer rep. wasn't there, and the Econolodge suggested I check the Payless website in the mean time to see if I could get a better deal. I thought it was funny the Econolodge guy was trying to get me a better deal, and he offered 20% off a room, also. I wasn't sticking around, so I didn't take him up on the offer. While the Payless website certainly looks professional, the Oakland dealer seemed more like amateur hour. The car I rented had about 50K miles on it, but I guess I can't complain about the price.

Website Review: Hotels.com

I booked my first night in Oakland at the La Quinta near the Oakland Airport. This is my first time to use the site eventhough I have been visually barraged at the airport by people w/ the name on their boarding pass envelope. I didn't have much trouble booking a room, and the price was the same as the price on the La Quinta website before taxes. I was happy with the experience and glad it didn't make me spend a lot of time creating a customer account. I could book it and be done.

Marin Headlands HI Hostel

The Marin Headlands HI hostel is located in the beautiful Marin Headlands, a part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The hostel is a converted hospital on a former military base built to fortify the San Francisco bay. The park contains plenty of paths for hiking and is a quiet respite from San Francisco. The following picture shows the beach a short walk from the hostel and visitor center.



The hostel has a huge sitting area, which was nicely furnished and surprisingly modern for such an old building. The hostel felt nearly empty, and offered an atmosphere of a slower pace to life than my stay in downtown San Francisco. Another couple staying in the hostel were enjoying their "staycation" the weekend after New Years. The hostel was also conveniently located near Sausalito and Muir Woods, both beautiful spots.

The staff were very friendly, and the hostel is in a great natural location, but you probably want a car to get there.

HI San Francisco: Downtown

I stayed at the San Francisco: Downtown hostel over new years, and had mixed feelings about the hostel. The foyer just inside the entrance has a cool changing map displayed on the wall, and the map zooms in and out on the San Francisco area. There are a few couches in the foyer, but it isn't a large area. The people at the front desk will check visitors for reservations, but I found it lax when there are a large number of people waiting to check-in. The hostel has an old elevator, left over from when the building was a hotel. The hostel still displays the "Hotel Virginia" sign, which is kind of odd. [See here]

My room was in the front of the building and contained two bunk beds and an attached bathroom. I rarely used the bathroom since the window didn't seem to close properly and it could get quite cold. Below you can see my room, a little dishevelled.


There were two bathrooms across the hall in the interior of the building which were perfectly usable, but one night I think someone slept in one of the bathrooms and locked the door. The room was kind of noisy due to it being right on the street, but it was nice to have so few people in my room. The hostel offered a very simple continental breakfast consisting mostly of toast, bagels, and coffee. I believe the hostel had wifi, but I don't really remember using it all that much.

Boston HI Hostel

I had a bit of sticker shock staying at the Boston HI hostel, which
charges $40/night. They provide flip-flops for you to keep, but I
think I'd rather keep a few bucks instead. The receptionist did
mention a cool restaurant close by, "the otherside cafe" that offered
20% off on food w/ an HI card. It has a cool grungy vibe that reminds
me of Austin.

Sent from my iPhone

Cheap Ride With Car Share

I recently bought a round-trip bus ticket from Boston to Montreal, and I was astounded how expensive it was. Greyhound charged $180 to Montreal and back. While perusing Craigslist "Ride Share" page I noticed a number of people offering the same ride for less than half that price. I will definitely check Craigslist before I charge a Greyhound ticket again.

Ryanair CEO Video: Transatlantic Flights for $13

First class will alternatively pay more to get "beds and blowj*bs".

Ryanair Transatlantic Flights for $13

13 might not be a lucky number, but Ryanair has turned that silly superstition on its head by leaking information about transatlantic flights for $13. Suggested US departure points include New York, Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. With cheap flights all over Europe available from Britain and Ireland, you might soon be able to reach anywhere in Europe for $50! More to come...

[from Boston.com]

Hit the Hay in Germany

I thought I was a pretty seasoned budget traveler, until I heard about German Haylofts. The idea was introduced to me in a podcast by Rick Steves when he interviewed a guy known for Vagabonding. The idea was pretty foreign to me (no pun intended), but certainly intriguing. Fortunately, the NYTimes recently had an article about these Heuhotels. It doesn't take much to provide overnight lodging to the extremely cost-conscious traveler, so a farm with an empty barn and some bales of hay can provide a few dozen accomodations. I don't particularly like the smell of hay or barnyard animals, so I think I would be hesitant to swap a hostel for these. However, if they they had a great location, I would check it out. They seem to usually run about 10-20 Euros for adults, and possibly less for children. Two Hayloft listing sites mentioned by the Times are www.heuhotels.de, www.heuhotelferien.de

Globe Trekker TV

Globe Trekker TV is the first main stream travel show I have seen where they really capture the back packer lifestyle. The show's host stays in hostels, meets the locals, and travels the world. The host is Australian, an appropriate choice since they are known for taking long trips around the world. The show is shown in Boston on the PBS channel, WGBH (44). This episode chronicles the hosts trip around Australia, and includes a visit to an Opal mine, herding camels in the desert, and a visit to the Indian Ocean. Upcoming shows next month include Tibet and New Zealand, two places I would love to visit. The Pilot Guides channel on Youtube also has some great videos.

Book Review: Travels

Travels by Michael Crichton is a little known auto-biography composed of stories about medicine, travel, and pseudo-science. Mr. Crichton started life as a medical student, but quit medicine to pursue his writing/producing career in Hollywood. As his career peaks, he decides that he needs to make some changes in his life. These changes encompass expanding his world-view in terms of people, places, and ideas. He starts to travel to remote parts of the globe including Africa, Nepal, Jamaica, etc. Like many travelers, Mr. Crichton's adventures challenge him in new ways that he couldn't experience at home.

While the pseudo-science chapters often seem kind of silly, I respect Mr. Crichton for approaching new ideas head-on. He channels spirits, meets Tarot card readers, and sleeps in the desert with a cactus. He clearly takes these alternative views seriously, but it is hard to come to the same conclusions he does. See a Q&A with Mr. Crichton on his website, here.

Book Review: Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story

Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story is the auto-biographical story of Tony and Maureen Wheeler's rise to the top of the travel industry from their first cross-continent trip from England to Australia. It is an amazing story of how they turned a simple guide about this trip into a publishing phenomenon that is known around the world as the guidebook of choice for any traveler. It was clearly a long road for these inveterate travelers, and you have to root for their success as they overcome the highs and lows of traveling, business, and relationships. The names and places can be overwhelming when describing countries that few readers have traveled to, but the book is really about their experiences.

After reading about the Wheeler's adventures, you feel ready to travel anywhere, the more obscure the better. It seems like there is no limit to your travels, and I find it encouraging to overcome fears of the unknown and just go.

Check out Rick Steves' podcast for an interview with Tony Wheeler about the book:
Apple: link
Windows: link
Other: http://podcasts.ricksteves.com/ricksteves.xml

Hostel Review: HI Conway Hostel [Conway, NH]

With the leaves in New England turning the forest into a painted canvas, my parents and I headed upto New Hampshire for a weekend of leaf-peeping. The HI Conway hostel is ideally located near the White Mountains, we headed north in a rented mini-van. We stopped along the way at the Weather Vane restaurant for a couple of lobsters and a lobster roll. Instead of taking the more traditional route of 93N and 112E to Conway along the Kancamagus highway, we drove 95N to Portsmouth, and then took 16N. We passed the Redhook Ale brewery in Portsmouth, but we didn't have a chance to stop. Maybe next time. Concord Coach also offers a bus service to Conway for about $65 r/t from Boston, so there is an option for those with out a car.


We arrived after dark and were first informed that the only rule at the hostel is no shoes in the hostel. The hostel provides a large assortment of cubby-holes to hold your shoes as you walk around in your socks or bare-foot. I found this rule strange, and I more than once looked around the room wondering where my shoes were. However, I got used to it, and chalked it up to an easy way to keep the hostel clean. I had suggested my parents get a room, and I stay in the dorms, but they instead reserved a "family room". I expected the room to include at least one double bed, but instead we had 2 bunk-beds for 4 people. The room included a mini-fridge, but we had to use the bathrooms down the hall. The first night we arrived I cooked a salmon in the well-kept kitchen, and my parents baked an instant lasagna. The common area was full of hostellers, and most were watching one of the Lord of the Rings movies.

That night our room was plenty warm, but it did seem to oscillate between hot and cold a few times. The showers had abundant hot water and good water pressure. I found the hostel a good experience, but I think my parents were disappointed they didn't get a continental breakfast, which was mentioned in their Frommer's guide. The hostel guests were pretty evenly split between respectful foreign travelers and middle-age/older Americans, so I wouldn't call it a party hostel. We were only there Thursday and Friday night, but I suspect it was busier Saturday night. The hostel room cost $48 + $10 (extra person) for the three of us per night. We paid $89 in Woodstock for a normal hotel room with 2 double beds, bathroom, and TV on Saturday.

We had a car, and it wasn't clear how far you could get from the Hostel w/o a car. The local attractions are the outlet malls, the Conway train, and the White Mountains Park, which aren't exactly close to the hostel. I will have to explore the public transportation the next time I go.

Airport Transfer Deals and Directions

An important connection during any trip including an airline flight will be the transfer to and from the airport. Many airports naturally herd tourists to expensive cabs or shuttle buses, but often there are cheap alternatives that require a little work to recognize or discover. Arthur Frommer recently blogged that the reason most airports offer a budget option is that the workers at the airport need an inexpensive option to travel to and from the airport, everyday. I personally like to research this leg of the trip before I leave, so I am not stuck with a huge cab bill. A cab from the airport in Boston today costs me $60, compared to less than $2 on the subway/bus system. An important consideration when using public transportation can be opening and closing times, such that flights may leave or arrive when the trains/buses aren't running.

Hostels generally include directions to travel by public transportation to and from the hostel. The Barcelona Dream Hostel offers directions through a Photo Guide, a handy idiot-proof guide to reaching the hostel. (mentioned on the hostelmanagment.com forums) This photo-based guide is a remarkable improvement over the simple text directions found on many hostel sites. The future of travel directions may be short videos that can be uploaded to Youtube for easy dispersal. Another option for quickly traveling to a destination could include using mobile phones or other devices, but I haven't found these quite as effective yet for public transportation. I think preparing directions before you go is crucial, and you can augment this with a device when the original directions are not sufficient for arriving at your destination.

Work at a Hostel

The Student Travel Blog mentioned a few days ago that opportunities to work at a hostel are available, you just have to ask. A site like hostelmanagement.com hosts some job listings, or you could contact hostels directly. In exchange for a room and some spending money, hostels may also hire you on the spot to clean, perform maintenance, or any number of needed chores. The Martha's Vineyard hostel on Cape Cod, among others, used to expect backpackers to help with chores at the hostel, but those days are long gone. Hostels generally are professionally run, which requires a staff of people to clean and maintain the hostel.

The Hobo Traveler seems to have made a living of exchanging room and board for a mention on this website, hobotraveler.com.