Eastern Europe is the most exciting destination to open up for independent travel in years. The food is tasty, the people are friendly, and the variety is breathtaking. Poland and the Czech Republic may seem like extensions of their Western neighbors, but they are extensions that were frozen in time for fifty years before the Iron Curtain finally fell some twenty years ago. Communism did nothing if not stop the clock; and what you find now are perfect specimens of old Europe, the one with the stunning architecture and the exotic city centers. Places like Russia and Romania are something else entirely, of course, and Turkey is one of the most popular destinations in the world. Best of all, prices are cheaper than in the West. The coming out and rapid maturity of Eastern Europe as a travel destination may be one of the most exciting developments in many years for all travelers, but hostels are the biggest thing that has occurred in decades for budget travel. Typically viewed as a luxury, international travel is now possible for almost anybody and everybody with the desire and the disposition, thanks to the explosion of hostels in the last few years. Hostels have long been around, of course, at least in Europe, but those were youth hostels. These are hostels for backpackers, and flashpackers, too, their more upscale urban cousins. Best of all, they aren't just for youth anymore. C U in Tallinn, or Istanbul, or Krakow, or Sarajevo, or...?

North Europe may be the birthplace and historic heartland of hostelling, but South Europe has greater numbers nowadays, and the quality is as good, if not better. South Europe may just have the greatest number of hostels in the world, in fact, but the distribution of them might surprise you. For, while France may be the Number One tourist destination in the world, it's not at the top of the hostel list. No, the greatest number of hostels in the world is in the Iberian Peninsula, in modern-day Spain and Portugal. The quality in Spain and Portugal is very good, too, in fact, exactly the paradigm of what a modern 'flashpacker' hostel should be. There are almost 500 of them here in this book, complete with specs and details. But that's not all. Italy and the expensive Alpine countries of Austria and Switzerland are here, too, now affordable with the sudden wide spread of hostels. And Greece is here, of course, with its fabulous sun-soaked islands, timeless culture, and... self-contained party compounds. The smart money is on East Europe, though, with (almost) everything you can find in the West, and all at half the price. The Cold War is but a memory, too, with borders little more than formalities, if even that. In none of the countries listed in this book is a visa required of a Westerner. You can simply hop on the plane, or train, or bus, and go. C U in Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome, or... Belgrade?

If you like hostels, then you're going to love Australia and New Zealand, for here is the greatest concentration of backpackers' hostels in the world, on both coasts and everywhere in between. These are some of the nicest people and the nicest landscapes in the world, too, something of a cross between America and Europe, and maybe the best of both, loads of spectacular nature and some of the most refined cities, ranging in latitudes and altitudes from tropical to Antarctic, from beaches and nightclubs to glaciers and fireplaces. The attitudes are almost universally warm. The Pacific Islands are something else entirely, of course, and one of the most unique areas of the world, all tropical, true, but there the similarity ends, because there is a diversity that runs the gamut from the modern mega-cities of Jakarta and Manila to the remote outback tribalism of Borneo and Papua New Guinea. There are surprises, too, like thousands of islands, and thousands of miles of beach, but few cruise ships; like a third of the surface area of the planet, but few people. For, outside of heavily populated Indonesia and the Philippines, remote sparely-populated islands define the landscape. But there are hostels. Fiji has a beach hostel scene to rival Greece, and even the remote archipelagos of Tonga and Samoa, Vanuatu and Timor are represented, also. And they're good ones, too. C U in Nadi, or Apia, or Dunedin, or Sydney, or... you decide.

The British Isles and Germany are the historic heartland of the hostel movement, and they're the heart of this book, too, with over 600 hostels-lodgings with shared rooms-between them. They have private rooms, too, of course. And the Benelux countries and Scandinavia are no slouches, either. Then there's East Europe-Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and the Baltic countries-a new frontier just waiting to be explored further. Do you already know how to travel? Do you just want to know where the hostels are, so that you can plan a hostel-based trip along the highways and byways of North Europe, in the major cities, smaller towns and remote villages, too? Then this is the book for you. This is the most comprehensive hostel guide ever written, encompassing the old youth hostel movement and the modern phenomenal spread of backpackers' hostels around the globe as well. That ranges from the dozens of the most modern 'flash-packers' hostels in the urban centers of London and Berlin to remote wilderness hostels in Ireland and surfers' camps in Sweden. Sound good? Are you afraid that maybe you're too old for a hostel? Don't worry; most hostels have no age restrictions. And they all have English-speaking staff and internet capabilities. Most even have kitchens. Some even have bars. All have cool people as guests. The 1000 hostels listed here are to be found in over 250 cities and places in north Europe from Dublin to Moscow, and Oslo to Munich. C U there.

Have you heard of hostels, and always thought you'd like to try one, but didn't know where to start? This book's for you. And it not only tells you where to start and how to start and when to start, but where to stay in 100 cities of Western Europe, all the major ones in all 25 countries, each with its own language and culture... but not so many currencies. That includes the beaches in Spain, the mountains of Switzerland, the fashion centers of France, the pub culture of England, and the forests of Germany; cities like Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, and Amsterdam, and they've all got one thing in common, besides the Euro currency, and that is: hostels. And these are modern hostels, all ages welcome (usually) and no curfew. What they DO have are kitchens, and computers, and WiFi, and lots of other people-just like you. Sound good? You haven't even heard about the low low prices yet. Accommodations ARE the most expensive part of travel, after all. Hostels have long been around, of course, at least in Europe, but those were youth hostels. These are hostels for backpackers and flashpackers, their upscale urban cousins. There's a world of difference. It's not just Europe now, either, or just youth. It includes the whole world, and it's a way of life. If it's a cool place to visit, then there will probably be a hostel there by now, in local neighborhoods and staffed by local people, all with at least a working knowledge of the English language. You can easily organize a trip and stay in budget hostels the whole way the whole time now. This book will help, with complete specs and contact info for more than 500 locations, carefully selected for their quality and standards. It will also tell you the history and major attractions of each town, city and country. C U in Helsinki, or Inverness, or Rimini, or Lisbon, or... you name it.

In his mid-fifties Hardie Karges suddenly finds himself at a crossroads in his life, career, and relationship, so decides to do (again) the one thing that he does better than anything else-travel. That means cashing in some frequent-flyer miles and heading to South America, specifically the four southernmost countries that he has yet to visit. 'Ah, that felt good.' So two months later, that crossroads is still there, but there is no obvious path, indeed more like a half-dozen of them, one for each continent. So he decides to finally put into action a plan he's had for some time, to go to every country in the world. The result some two years later is a hundred countries visited for a personal total of 139, almost three-fourths of the world total. These are the tales of Karges's travels in that intense period of "hyper-travel," a combination guide and narrative, with only one qualification-he doesn't tell how to do it. That's your job. He tells how it's done, by someone who's done it for most of his life. This is a guide for people who hate travel guides. This is the one-stop guide that will give you both glimpse and insight into half the world's countries, all recently visited, all applied to the same criteria of critique. This is the guide that tells you the cultural, geo-political and historical context of a country, not where to eat or where to stay. This is the guide that tells you which countries just plain suck. The happy ending is right around the next corner.

Included in the book are chapters on how to travel, when to travel, why to travel and where to travel, in general and in North America in particular. There are also introductions to all cities with hostels, with historical and geographical background information and personal vignettes from the author's experience. Mostly, though, there are comprehensive listings of all the quality hostels in North America, with complete specs and contact info. Now, when advance booking isn't possible, you can book right up to the last minute. Or maybe you've never stayed in a hostel. Then you really need this book. Hostels aren't just for youth any more, nor for budget travel. They're for all ages and budgets. Have you been to Europe before, staying in hostels all over, and wondered why there were so few in the US, and so hard to find? Well, you've come to the right place, and I'm happy to report that American hostels are alive and well, and on the verge of breaking big any day now. Already the two coasts have quite a few and the interior is gradually filling up in places like Chicago and New Orleans. The surprising thing is that the quality is actually quite good, up to modern 'flashpacker' standards, so it's just a matter of time before any place worth its name will have a good hostel or two, or ten or a hundred. Canada's got a head-start, with European-like hostel numbers and quality already in places like Montreal and Vancouver, and some wilderness-based hostels that remind you just where the term 'backpacker' came from in the first place. Very few countries have the nature to compete with that. So what about good ol' Mexico? Well, I've saved the best for last. Greece has got nothing on Mexico's Caribbean coast, and Mexico City has more hostels than any other city in North America, followed closely by Oaxaca and long-time backpack fave San Cristobal de las Casas. You heard it here first. Now not only will you have WiFi and kitchens and fellow travelers where you stay, but you'll have a safe haven and a home-away-from-home and a language you understand. Vamos a la playa.