I asked my 22-year-old niece, just back from summer travels in Europe, to give us the inside scoop on hosteling. Learn her list of myth-busting tips and packing must-haves.
AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO HOSTELING
by Madeleine Clute
My first foray into hosteling was at the end of high school when some friends and I took a road trip to Quebec, Canada, and it’s been my preferred method of seeing new places since. Most recently, my friend Elizabeth and I traveled on students’ budgets for 30-days in Europe, spanning 10 cities and 8 countries, primarily staying in hostels.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
It’s all too easy to daydream about jaunting across Europe and chronicling your adventures on the road. So, stop imagining, and get writing, because WorldNomads.com wants to send 3 aspiring travel writers on the ultimate European road trip this summer.
If selected, you will be flown from your country of residence to Berlin, Germany, where you will spend 2 days at the very first World Nomads Travel Writing workshop under the mentorship of veteran Lonely Planet author and industry mentor, Alex Leviton.
After the workshop, you will head off solo on a 10-day European road trip, travelling around thanks to GoEuro and staying in top accommodation with Hostelworld each night.
During your road trip, you will be tasked with capturing your daily adventures on your World Nomads blog and sharing your local experiences on Instagram.
The winners and shortlisted applicants will also receive enrollment into a MatadorU travel writing course.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
If you’re like the half a billion Apple addicts on this planet, myself included, your iPhone is the one item you rarely leave home without.
And with a built-in camera offering impressive image quality and the explosion of creative photo apps that enable you to create and share instantaneously, iPhone photography is not just fun and fast, it’s also evolved into a respected art form of its own—iPhoneography.
Discover a few of my favorite photo apps at National Geographic Traveler. Or, take your iPhone on the road and learn how to shoot, process and share artistic images on this dreamy iPhone photography workshop in southern Italy.
Polignano a Mare, Puglia, Italy
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
As a former teacher, I know first-hand how much travel enhances education. So, I’m thrilled to share this fabulous Send A Teacher Traveling (S.A.T.T.) award program from ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours recognizing outstanding U.S. public school teachers and rewarding them with a complimentary bike tour.
Since the program began in 1996 ExperiencePlus! has given away over 20 free bicycle tours across Europe and Latin America. Will you, or your favorite teacher, be the next winner?
Application deadlines and rules:
The 2012 winner was Sally Miller, an elementary art teacher in Pensacola, Florida. She chose the Best of Provence Plus! the Luberon and Aix-en-Provence tour for her prize and blogged about the experience, here..
For more information, call 800-685-4565, 970-484-8489, or email tours@experienceplus.com.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Looking for an active girlfriend getaway in 2013? Whether it’s high energy, yoga and rejuvenation, or urban pleasures you fancy, here are four fabulous women-only adventures in Costa Rica, Canada, Europe and the U.S. to help get you going.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
‘Tis the season for winter escapes and few places do snowy holidays better than Switzerland. Choose your adventure, from an intimate, luxury getaway in the quiet Val d’Anniviers to an affordable winter package and adrenaline-fueled fun in Zermatt, here are five reasons to pack your bags.
Better still, discover how you can win a free 1-week Swiss winter holiday.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".