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A Guide To Sleeping In Hostels - [Part 1 of 2]

Heard about hostels but never stayed in one? In part 1 of this guest post, Hostel Bloggers runs down the basics so you’ll know what to expect before you book your first stay in a hostel.

A Guide To Sleeping In Hostels

One of the most important considerations when traveling from country to country is where you?re going to crash and rest your weary head. With all this talk of economic meltdown across the world, more people are looking to travel on the cheap, which has really put the humble hostel on the map.

No longer just for backpackers, you can find different types of hostel in destinations all over the world, from traditional youth hostels to the chic ?boutique hostel? aimed at a new breed of budget traveler who doesn’t mind sharing rooms as long as the interior is cool, modern and stylish.

However, it can still be a bit intimidating sleeping in a hostel for the first time ? what if all the horror stories about curfews and crowded dorms are true? For all the ?hostel virgins? out there taking the first steps away from faceless budget hotel chains, here?s a guide to sleeping in hostels.

Booking a Hostel

The reason you often hear about bad experiences is that there are some hostels out there that take budget to the basic extreme. But the competition between different properties hoping to attract the flashpackers (tech-savvy travelers with more money to spend and higher demands) mean that good hostels now happily outweigh the bad.

The best way to make sure you stay somewhere that meets your needs is to book online with a reputable provider before you travel. Here you can see other guests? reviews, images, and (increasingly) videos of the accommodation that saves you having to turn up and take a chance.

If you prefer to be a bit more spontaneous, it?s a good idea to remember that the best hostels book up quickly in high season, although large chain hostels (such as St. Christopher?s) are generally a safe bet.

What Makes a Good Hostel?

When you?re looking through the available accommodation, a ?good? hostel will tend to have a friendly staff and multilingual reception and no strict rules and curfews.

Other things to look out for include; a safe area for your belongings (lockers in each form, lockable wardrobe or a safe behind the front desk), clean bathrooms, internet facilities and sociable areas to relax with other travelers. Most modern hostels also have kitchen facilities, linen and breakfast available.

Tomorrow Hostel Bloggers will have more information on private vs. shared rooms, payment options, and some extra tips as finish up their guide to sleeping in hostels in part 2.

[photo by: 733.]

Why Making Hotel Terrorism Saftey Plans Are A Waste of Time

Spending the time to make a safety plan against terror during your next hotel stay is a complete waste of time. The statistics don’t support it, a single plan only protects you from a specific threat, and you’d need to be a damn good psychic in order to be successful.

I went ahead with a trip to India last week and stayed at the Oberoi hotel (one of the chains attacked in Mumbai) in Bangalore, despite the attacks. As tragic as those acts of terrorism were, there’s no need for you to spend time or worry over the possibility of a terrorist attack during your next hotel stay.

Dying In A Terrorist Attack Is Really, Very Rare

Losing your life because of a terrorist attack is a rare event, and according to terrorism expert Brian Jenkins, the chances of getting killed in a hotel terrorist attack is 1 in a million.

By comparison, he said, the average American has about a one in 8,000 chance of dying in an auto accident.

Consider the real dangers, not the unlikely ones (India for example has the second most dangerous roads in the world.) A general rule of thumb is that items that make it on the local or national news are the events that are least likely to happen, like plane crashes.

A Plan For An Unknown Type of Attack

There are plenty of ways that have been used to terrorize hotels in the past, bombs, arson, and recently gunmen. Any plan you make will end up being specific to a certain type of attack, which you can’t effectively predict. Jeffrey Goldberg suggests staying on the 4th, 5th, or 6th floor - but it won’t do you any good.

I try to be high enough to escape whatever chaos might occur on the ground floor, but not so high that I can’t be reached. I’m always of two or three minds on this question; it’s also not a bad idea to stay on a floor close enough to the ground that a jump will leave you with broken legs and nothing more.

In the case of the Mumbai attacks, several hostages were rescued by helicopter from the roof and nobody escaped by jumping out of a window.

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Sleeping With Cockroaches

During my last trip to New Delhi, India I stayed in the luxurious Taj Palace Hotel, unlike my first trip to Bangalore where I stayed in a nameless hotel completely infested with cockroaches. I’ve also slept with the little critters in the US (New Jersey), Turkey, and with mice in Minnesota.

Traveling on a budget to various places is inevitably going to have you sharing a hotel room, hostel, or airport floor with cockroaches. The little insects are somewhat disconcerting at first and can make your skin crawl but they generally don’t mind you. That said, there are some easy steps you can take to make peace with your 6-legged friends and keep them from disrupting your sleep.

• Wipe Down The Sinks - You’ll see fewer roaches running around if you don’t leave any drops of water around the bathroom sink and bathtub. The moisture and humidity attract the bugs especially in the middle of the night.
• Leave The Light On In The Bathroom - This may seem a bit excessive for some of you, but having spent the night in hotels where the bathroom was crawling with the buggers I found leaving the lights on to be effective. It doesn’t keep them all from showing their faces, but certainly reduces their numbers.
• Keep You Bags Zipped - I’ve been focusing on the bathroom for a good reason - cockroaches don’t generally leave its vicinity. That said it’s still a good idea to zip up your suitcase and backpack pockets so you don’t have any hitchhikers.
• Think Down Not Up - Cockroaches naturally prefer high places to lower ones so hiding your clothes on top of closet shelves is not the best idea. Believe it or not, if you’re roach-paranoid, leave your belongings on the floor, away from walls. (If you’re still having a hard time, pull your bed out a little away from the wall.)
• Stay Cool - Both in your head and in your room. Lower temperatures encourage the bugs to stay in the (warm and toasty) walls and not on your bathroom door.

There are also several natural cockroach repellents.

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My Trip To Delhi (Part 8 of 8): Taj Palace Hotel Review

During my recent trip to New Delhi and Agra, India I was lucky enough to be put up at the Taj Palace Hotel. The luxury hotel is one of the most popular for business travelers in India. The Taj Palace is situated approximately 15 minutes away from Indira Gandhi Airport and close to many of New Delhi’s attractions, like the Red Fort and India Gate.

Accommodations: The Taj Palace rooms were, in my opinion, not entirely impressive, considering the price (beginning at 10,000 rupees) of $220. The rooms were clean compared to some of the hotels I’ve stayed across India at much cheaper hotels and the service was excellent.

Food: The Taj Palace serves a complimentary breakfast buffet offering a variety of traditional Indian and Western dishes. The quality of the food is good, my only grip being that there wasn’t enough actual Indian food offered. There are several other restaurants in the Taj Palace if you want to try something different, just at a considerably higher price.

Price: Speaking of price (rooms starting at $220), the Taj Hotel is expensive, and not the kind of place I personally would stay if traveling on my own. I’d suspect that many of you avid travelers wouldn’t choose the kind of class the Taj Palace is in, but is a great choice if you are a luxury hotel addict, or want easy access to personal transportation and a more-Western atmosphere.

Location: Again, this distinction depends on what type of traveler you are. The Taj Palace is close to many of New Delhi’s best sights - by car. It’s not in a location where a you can just walk out of the hotel and go exploring. Bad for backpackers and travelers like myself who enjoy a little bit of adventure on a trip, but excellent for older or more traditional tourists.

Below you can see some of my pictures in and around the Taj Palace.

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Call For Conferences To Get Hotel Discounts

Next time you’re going to book a hotel in a large city save some money by looking for local conferences beforehand. Hotels in large cities often host conferences, meetings, and business trainings and give those attending discounted rates.

Before you book any place do a Google search, for example “New York City Conferences” or “New York Marriott Conference 2008″. Then, contact the hotel over the phone and tell them that you’ll be attending the conference and would like to know if there are any discounted rates. Usually there are - and they won’t check any further to verify that you’re actually a conference or meeting member.

To test my theory, I called several hotels in major cities hosting events and was able to book at all but one. It took some “truth exaggeration” in some cases, although the average 15-25% discount may be well worth it for downtown overpriced hotels. A search for conferences should be a part of your next hotel search using Google, or if you prefer a more honest approach, try Kayak.

What “white lies”, if any, do you tell to get discounts when traveling?

[photo by: The Green Party]

The Worst Things To Do On Your Staycation

The term “staycation” refers to someone who decides to take off time from work to enjoy life at home. Although the concept is an old one, it’s getting more popular due to a poor economy and travel hassles.

My recent travel plans to several countries in Europe never panned out but I decided to use the time I had already taken off and spend it at home. Over the last two weeks I’ve learned what to do - and more importantly what not to do on a staycation.

• Don’t Plan Anything - Make a rudimentary daily plan and outline what it is you want to accomplish each day. For me it was usually, go run, go to the pool, etc. and it took about 5-10 minutes to schedule out. It shouldn’t take longer than that, remember you are on vacation.
• Watch TV - Sitting in front of the television for hours might be relaxation for some, but it turns your staycation into a regular night off from work. This is where planning comes in, poor (or no) planning will just have you sitting in front of the TV for a week or two which won’t be very fulfilling when you go back to work.
• Missing Things Right Under Your Nose - A week before you plan to take a staycation, keep your eyes open for events, parks, and other attractions right around your own town. Jot them down somewhere are get a chance to visit close places and events you can go to during the day and miss the crowds.

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Using 5 Essential Moving Tools For Packing

Organizing a move from one home to another takes time and effort initially but saves you a number of headaches when you finally begin to settle in. The same is true of packing our carry-ons and suitcases. People tend to wait until the last minute and stuff their baggage with whatever they can find. The result is once you arrive at your destination you waste time site seeing muddling through your disorganized suitcase.

I’ve taken Lifehacker’s 5 essential tools for moving and adapted them for lazy travelers.

Labels

Using a labeler or masking tape gifts (ones you are taking or bringing back). It amazes me how many people don’t do this and end up spending time looking for the proper package opening each one. You can also use labels to mark what groups of clothes are clean or dirty.

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Hotel Bed Bug List

Make sure your next hotel isn’t on a list of places with known infestations. This Stormtrack thread has a detailed list, as does the Bed Bug Blog.

Both lists seem heavy with New York City and London hotels. Keep your eyes opens for bed bug clues such as sniffing dogs in the lobby, or allergy (aka. bed bug) free bed covers.

The little critters hitch rides in luggage and travel all over the globe. There is no real one-stop source to find out if your next hotel is infested, you’ll have to search forums, travel blogs, and ask around to avoid bed bug bites.

[photo by: gothambill]

Hotel Glasses Cleaned With Windex Only

Make sure to rinse and wash glasses and mugs you find in hotel rooms before you use them. An undercover investigation found that they were not cleaned properly or at all in many cases.

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