People travel for all kinds of reasons, to have some time alone, or with a partner away from the stresses of every day life, for business, or simply because they enjoy traveling to experience different cultures, new things and enjoy meeting people.

The current global economy hasn’t stopped people from pulling on their travelling boots, it has just led them to look for alternative options that are affordable. As the public realize more and more that hostels and youth hostels are a viable means of accommodation to travel the globe, travel trends are changing and youth hostelling is becoming more popular with travelers of all ages.

Hostels are generally a good place to make friends, to meet people from different cultures and swap information on destinations, clubs, museums and shows. They are unquestionably the place for socializing and as guests in hostels are independent travelers there are ample chances to get to know other vacationers.

Despite their budget price and low reputation, there are lots of hostels that offer a high standard of accommodation and provide good amenities. Also as competition in the travel industry increases and hostels widen their target market, thousands of customers each year are opting for discounted, economical accommodation, and in turn this is causing the standard and reputation of these places to get better.

Most of the leading hostel booking companies have a rating structure that can assist the traveler in finding accommodation to suit their needs, it also encourages the hostel owners to keep standards high as their ratings influence the amount of business generated from the site. 

There are plenty of budget hotel chains such as Travelodge, Ibis and Jury’s Inns and Hotel 81 chains, however many travelers still prefer to stay in hostels due to factors such as atmosphere, fun and the social experience of meeting other backpackers.

There are all kinds of hostels these days, city hostels are inclined to focus on the social characteristics of city life, and are a great source of information on city life. They are certain to be a lot noisier than a hostel in the country as they remain open 24 hours a day. A city hostel is perfect if you are travelling alone and looking for some company. 

Country hostels are a totally different thing; mostly they are frequented by people who are there to do some serious walking or hiking. This means people are getting up early and sleeping early too, and enjoy the peace and quiet at nighttime. 

Some hostels still maintain an age limit and give priority to younger travelers, in particular official youth hostels in Europe, but mostly these days’ hostels welcome guests of any age and some will even provide accommodation for families with young children.

The main difference in most hostels is the type of accommodation on offer. There are many that still offer accommodation in dormitories, or shared rooms. Dorms can be any size and for males or females only or mixed. There are normally private rooms also available and many hostels now provide private rooms with en-suite facilities.

The atmosphere in a hostel is completely different to your typical hotel. Whereas hotels only tend to provide their customers a comfortable place to spend the night, hostels have a social atmosphere which is often gained from sharing sleeping arrangements, dining areas and populating the on-site bar. 

Hostellers are generally more interested in meeting other people than your average tourist, so you can quite easily find yourself with a new group of friends to explore the city together with. For many people who travel alone the majority of the time this can be one of the most enjoyable parts of traveling.

If you are searching for a hostel in Europe or a budget hotel then look online where you will find an extensive coverage of hotels, budget youth hostels, and bed and breakfasts.  A youth hostel review will soon let you see that they have a lot more to offer than your average hotel.

The economy is leading travelers in the USA to take shorter, yet more frequent vacations. There are many places to plan a cheap weekend getaway in the South region of the United Stated. Here are our top ten recommended spots for fun and affordable short vacations in the South.

1) Dallas, Texas

2) Atlanta, Georgia

3) Captiva/Sanibel Island, Florida

4) Louisville, Kentucky

5) Delaware’s Brandywine Valley

6) Charlotte, North Carolina

7) Little Rock, Arkansas

Memphis, Tennessee

9) Washington, D.C.

10) Charleston, South Carolina

How come I did not receive any confirmation emails? This is a question we recieve often from travelers making reservations on various online booking services. In fact, you may be asking yourself this question even if you’ve purchased a product online from ubiquitous websites like Amazon.com, Ebay.com, 1800flowers.com, etc.

Here are a couple of guidelines to remember when purchasing products or services on the internet:

1) You are entirely responsible for making sure you are able to receive confirmation emails from online services you use.

2) Most free internet email services like Yahoo, Gmail, Aol, Hotmail, etc. will block many important emails and confirmation emails you intend to receive, even if you are not aware they use blocking techniques.

Because of these two basic facts you should never use a free email service, or any email service you cannot totally control, for important purchases or business purposes. If you are using a Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, or other free email system, please know that many commercial websites, including Instant World Booking, may be unable to send you email concerning transactions or purchases you have made. This is because these email systems are known to block a large amount of legitimate email, due to their efforts to fight spam. We advise that these free email systems should never be used for authentic business purposes.

But, you don’t have to take our word for it. This problem has been well documented by many authoritative sources. For example, to find hundreds of problems concerning Yahoo rejecting legitimate email, simply perform a Google search for “Yahoo bouncing email”. Here is just one source documenting dozens of problems in which Yahoo rejected desired mail:
http://www.ahfx.net/weblog.php?article=107

One way to ensure that you receive confimation and delivery emails from online services you use, be sure to add the sender’s email to your address book.

Here are instructions for some popular email clients:

• Yahoo Mail
• AOL
• Google Gmail
• Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express

Avoca is a small village near Arklow in County Wicklow, Ireland, where Avoca Handweavers, the well known clothing manufacturing and retail business, first started out. The picturesque village of Avoca itself is the fictional home of the BBC’s Ballykissangel.

The Avoca brand has fast become a real success story and the company now employs around 600 people. The old mill at Avoca was originally established in 1723 as a farmers’ cooperative for grinding corn and spinning and weaving sheep’s wool.

In the 1920s three sisters, the Wynnes, inherited the mill which had become run down. They injected new life into the enterprise, introducing color from natural dyes and soon they were selling their famous Avoca Handweavers tweeds all over the world, designing cloth for the Parisdesigner Elsa Schiaparelli, a waistcoat for King George VI and baby blankets for the children of Queen Elizabeth II. But, as with many family run businesses, when the sisters passed away the mill became neglected and faced closure.

Then in 1974, Donald Pratt, a solicitor engaged to handle the sale of the mill decided to buy it himself. Along with his wife, he set about getting Avoca Handweavers back on its feet. The mill at Avoca Villagewas soon humming again, as the Pratts began exporting hand-woven rugs and throws first to the UK and then beyond.

The old mill at Avoca village is open for visiting seven days a week. You can tour the mill and see the whole weaving process first hand for free. Plus, there’s an Avoca shop and cafe onsite too.

The Avoca Company has now developed nine large retail outlets around Ireland and has opened one in Annapolis, Maryland. Many of these also have large food halls and cafes attached.

For accommodations, try the Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt, County Wicklow, which follows the tradition of an elegant hotel fashioned with the latest amenities. In other words, this classical setting is a classic Ritz-Carlton. Expect the formal, but not stuffy entranceway, high ceilings, dark wood trim, velvety, oversized sofas, heavy drapes and courteous staff so familiar to visitors to the Naples, Bostonor most other Ritz Carltons.

Here are a few unique, out-of-the-way alternatives to classic tourist destinations, courtesy of “Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge” on PBS:

Japan: As a side trip from Tokyo during a winter trip, visit snow monkeys soaking in hot springs in Nagano, the site of the 1998 winter Olympics. Take a train from the city and transfer to a bus that takes you to Jigokudani Yaen= koen, the Wild Monkey Park in Hell Valley.

Australia: On the continent’s west coast, you will fmd Bungle Bungles, a collection of beehive-shaped hills with layers of rock. The area is sacred to the Aborigines.

Iceland: On the other side of the island from the capital of Reykjavik is the Jokulsarlon, a glacier-fed lake filled with icebergs a few hundred yards from the sea.

Bolivia: Beyond La Paz and Lake Titicaca lies the Altiplano, a high plateau dotted with snowcapped volcanoes and mirror lakes, which Wolfe calls “a landscape like no other on the planet:”

Nepal: After you have seen the temples and stupas of Katmandu, venture to the far west to Chitwan National Park, a marshy area that is home to rhinoceroses, tigers, and crocodiles.

Interested in Eco-Friendly Travel? Here are some of the top green tourist destinations in the USA, courtesy of “Travel - Leisure Magazine”. These landmarks were chosen because they implement a variety of eco-friendly strategies, such as photovoltaic panels, green roofs and wind turbines.

1. San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences, which has a living roof with plantings that attract birds and butterflies.

2. Nationals Park, Washington, which has a green roof and a site that’s friendly to pedestrians, bikers and subway riders.

3. The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns Restaurant, Pocantico Hills, N.Y., a historic farm and gourmet restaurant that aims to teach people about food.

4. The 5.4.7 Arts Center, Greensburg, Kan., a new energy-efficient attraction in a town that was devastated by a tornado.

5. New York City’s High Line, a park being created on an abandoned elevated rail line in Manhattan.

6. World Birding Center, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission, Texas, a green building amid the park’s nine protected habitats on the Mexican border.

7. The Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure, which the magazine says is the first garage certified as environmentally efficient by the U.S: Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design program.

8. Sears Tower, Chicago, which the magazine says is exploring how it can become more energy efficient.

9. Cavallo Point, The Lodge at the Golden Gate, a luxury lodge complex on a former military site at Fort Baker, Calif., along the coast.

10. The Cor Tower in Miami’s Design District, described by the magazine as “glamorous” and “chic” yet environmentally conscious.

Want to gain a major boost in traffic and online exposure for your hostel? HostelTraveler.com has introduced a major service level enhancement for it’s hostel partners worldwide. Now, when you list your property with HostelTraveler.com, we translate the information you submit into 14 different languages. We then publish your property on 14 individual multi-lingual webpages, each dedicated to only your property.

This is a major level of service that only Instant World Booking provides for free to hostel partners. In fact, it’s a must-have service for any lodging who wishes to gain serious exposure on the web. As always, HostelTraveler’s services are free for hostels to use.

We invite you to compare services of competing online marketing providers. Some others provide rudimentary translations, others offer none. Then come to HostelTraveler.com, which provides 14 unique and search-optimized (SEO) pages to get your hostel ranked at the top of multi-lingual web searches.

List with HostelTraveler.com today. It’s free:

http://www.hosteltraveler.com/listings/add_listing.php

Read more about Translations on the Instant World Booking Blog:

http://www.instantworldbooking.com/blog_iw/hotel-and-hostel-information-translated-into-14-languages/

Want to travel back in time in Ireland? Wicklow County holds a treasure of site for the historically- and culturally-minded traveler. This story is courtesy of “West Coast Woman”, by Suzanne Barratt

First up is Powerscourt House and Gardens. Situated dramatically at the foot of Great Sugar Loaf Mountain in County Wicklow is one of the world’s great gardens and probably the finest in Ireland. It is without a doubt a place not to be rushed. It offers a sublime blend of formal gardens, sweeping Italian garden terraces, statues, fountains and ornamental lakes and a magnificent collection of over 200 varieties of shrubs and trees. Originally commissioned in the 1730s by the first Viscount Powerscourt, the gardens were finally completed in the 1870s by the 7th Viscount, who added the accessories of statues, urns and ornamental gates.

Sadly, the Palladian mansion, extensively altered between 1731 and 1741 by Georgian architect Richard Cassels, was reduced to a burnt-out shell after a fire in 1974. The Slazenger family, the present owners of Powerscourt, have restored the ground floor and upstairs ballroom. An exhibit at the entrance relates this and gives an excellent introduction to the history of the estate.

A suggestion: take a slow walk down the Italianate stairway to the Triton Lake and stand between the two statues of Pegasus to view the central fountain which is modeled on a 17th century work of Bernini. Energetic visitors might like to take in Powerscourt’s Waterfall-Ireland’s highest at 398 feet. Finally, do visit the cafe splendidly run by the Avoca Company and take tea or lunch on the outside terrace.

Next stop is Glendalough and the Military Road, without which, no stay in County Wicklow would be complete. Glendalough, “The Valley of Two Lakes,” is one of Ireland’s greatest wonders, sheltered by wooded slopes and containing the ruins of a monastic city and the spirits of generations of Celtic saints.

Founded in the sixth century by St. Kevin, this monastery was to become one of the most preeminent religious centers in Europe. For centuries it has attracted holy men and pilgrims to pray, and delight in the natural beauty of the place. St. Kevin, born in 498, was educated by monks and then ordained. Noted for his piety and disdainful of material wealth, he determined to live life as a hermit and sought out a secluded place in the Glendalough Valley.

Starting your visit at the excellent Glendalough Visitor Center is advised, as is taking a guided tour of the main monastic site to learn more of the signature landmark of the Round Tower, St. Kevin’s Cathedral, Celtic crosses and other monuments. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. If time permits you may enjoy a walk to both the Lower and Upper Lake. There is a cluster of more monuments, including St. Kevin’s Cell near the Upper Lake. It’s best to get to the site early so as to avoid large groups of students and allow you to wander freely among the ruins absorbing the powerful aura of timelessness and sanctity that pervades this fascinating place.

If you’re traveling by car it’s worth driving back from Glendalough to Powerscourt along the Military Road which is also known as the Wilderness Highway of Ireland or, more correctly, the R115. This road takes you through not only the very heart of the Wicklow Mountains, but across the most scenic, high heather desert and barren bog land of the county. You’ll pass through the remote and narrow Sally Gap which is the highest crossroads in all of Ireland and, as it happens, where St. Patrick is thought to have died. Built by the British to flush out Irish rebels after the 1798 uprising, the Military Road is said to be haunted by ghosts of the soldiers.

But enough of ghosts, the question is, do you believe in fairies? According to the guides at Bru na Boinne, Newgrange and Knowth, it is possibly the fact that people believed fairies could get “very upset” that has allowed these important archaeological sites to remain largely intact despite frequent invasions or more recent demand, or rural development.

Before the spread of the Celts, there was evidence that in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, small, structured races populated parts of Europe and the British Isles. A Celtic foundation myth tells that in Ireland, the Thuathe de Danaan or the People of the Goddess Danu, built and resided in the great barrows and tumuli that dot the landscape to this day. Displaced by the stronger, fearsome Celts, they eventually evolved into being “the little people,” the fairies and other enchanted beings who are rumored to continually resurface to haunt and protect the tombs and fairy mounds they once built. According to myths that have survived through the ages, to do damage to these Neolithic mounds will unleash the anger of the fairies.

Nine hundred years older than Stonehenge, and five hundred older than the Pyramids, Newgrange, the centerpiece of the Briu na Boinne (dwelling place of the River Boyne) complex of prehistoric passage tombs, dates back over 5,000 years.

The visitor center tells vou more of what is known about tbe building and significance of these passage tombs and, while undoubtedly functioned as burial tombs, archaeologists think they were much more. They’re just not sure what exactly.

What is certain is that both Newgrange and Knowth were designed with the sun in mind. At Newgrange, on the winter solstice the sun sweeps down the 62-foot passageway to strike the back chamber wall. If you can’t make the trip on that day your guide switches off all the lights and then simulates the effect as if by magic. It’s very impressive.

At Knowth, which has both an east and a west facing chamber, the sun shines on the central chamber during both winter and spring equinoxes. Both sites are reached from the visitor center via a time-ticketed shuttle minibus service. Bru na Boinne is very popular. It’s best to get there early or travel with a tour operator.

We want to tell you about a great new feature HostelTraveler.com and Instant World Booking have just introduced for hostels and their guests alike. Hostels who display their information on our network of sites can now include unlimited photos on their listing. So why is this so great? You can now view everything there is to see about your hostel destination before you book.

That’s right. So you’ve visited dozens of hostel websites, and a few booking services before. You’ve seen the drab pics that are posted. You know, probably 4 or 5 at a time, and barely larger than a thumbnail. That doesn’t give you anything to rely on when trying to decide on a stay for your next vacation.

HostelTraveler.com now features the capability to add unlimited photos to a hostel’s listing page. And these are not tiny thumbnails. These are big, beautiful “fill-the-screen” photos. Hostels can upload photos of their property up to 8mb, allowing guests and visitors to view their location in all it’s glory.

Visit HostelTraveler.com hostel pages soon, and see the new photos that are being added every day.

Boston is the cradle of patriotism, the site of Paul Revere’s historic ride and home to the USS Constitution. The combination of old and new, historic and trendy, gives Boston its personality - and provides limitless opportunities for a visit that doesn’t require help from one of the city’s leaders in venture capital.

For more information on Boston, check the Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.bostonusa.com. If you plan to stay in Boston, there’s no need to rent a car. The city’s public transit - known locally as “the T”, is an easy to follow color-coded system that is safe and inexpensive, just $2 per ride, with children riding free.

In good weather, the most affordable and efficient way to navigate Boston is on foot. And the best way to see the most historic sites - for free - is along the Freedom Trail.

One of the newest ways to enjoy Boston is with a stroll along the Rose Kennedy Greenway (www.rosekennedygreenway.org), which was officially dedicated in October. This string of parks and fountains replaces a giant eyesore of an elevated highway, which was taken down and buried beneath the city in the nation’s largest public works project known as the Big Dig.

Grab an ice cream, burger or fried foods at Sullivan’s on Castle Island in South Boston. From there, you can watch the boats heading in and out of Boston Harbor, feel the rumble of planes flying remarkably close overhead, and allow the children to let off some steam running around the playground.

Next best thing to Broadway? Get half-price sameday tickets to shows in Boston’s theater district at the BosTix booth at Copley Plaza or Faneuil Hall. The tickets also are listed online at www.artsboston.com.

Cheap Eats? If you can’t decide between Italian, Chinese, seafood, steak or virtually anything else, take a walk through Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where nearly every food or drink craving can be sati9fied. To save some dough, grab your food-to-go at one of the more than 40 restaurants and enjoy some people-watching instead of eating at a sit-down restaurant. There is seating available inside the hall (www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com).