When it’s cold somewhere, it’s hot somewhere else and if you’re into surfing, HostelsClub has the best surf destinations for you. Check out the full List of Surfing Destinations and Surf-Friendly Hostels so you can get your Surf On!

Some of the hot spots are Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Morocco, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain and the US, so be sure to check out the best places to surf and where you can stay at budget pricing since just getting to these places might take a toll on your wallet.

Cowabunga Surfer Dudes! Ride the waves and save money while you sleep!

By default, backpacking and staying in hostels is already a fairly green way of travelling. Being on a budget implies that you don’t waste resources and backpackers tend to travel by bus or train and not by plane and will share transport costs rather than take individual vehicles. There are a few simple ways that you can further cut down your carbon footprint and do your bit for the Planet while you are away.

Check out HostelClub’s Eco-Friendly and Green Hostels around the world!

Use hostel water refills rather than buying new bottles every time you need water. If there isn’t a refill option, suggest it and maybe next time you pass by there will be one. By refilling water bottles, not only do you use less plastic, but you set an excellent example to other travelers and people in places where the recycling message may not have arrived.

Take a battery recharger with you rather than leaving nickel-cadmium time bombs strewn behind you on your travels. Not only is this ecologically sound, but you will save a lot of money over a long trip. You can now even get solar chargers that do it for free!

If you have to fly, offset your carbon miles when you take a flight. If will only cost a few dollars and is well worth it for the warm fuzzy feeling alone. Another worthy option is to spend a bit of your travels helping out on a voluntary project that promotes sustainable practices in the country you are visiting. There will be information about these in most decent hostels and on the net. Just watch out for the odd scam. There is a rumor in Vietnam about an eco-project bridge that is built by paying volunteers every year and taken back down by the locals after they have finished, ready for the next year.

Support local initiatives that promote sustainable activities. Take a canoe trip rather than a Jet Ski tour or cycle about town rather than hiring a moped. Buy local crafts from sustainable forests and skip anything that you are not sure about. Avoid buying seashells and starfish as these are almost always overfished to supply the tourist trade. The same goes for those exotic sounding animals on the menu.

Instead of trying to see the whole of a country or continent in six weeks, choose one small area and see it well. The less long distance travel you do the more eco-friendly your trip becomes and the more money you leave in the local economy of the places you visit. This way, you can even save paper by not having to print off that must-see list!

Staying at any of the Munich hostels, you can enjoy this vibrant city with room in your budget for beer. Don’t wait for Oktoberfest to visit the beer gardens at Englischer Garten, which houses the nude garden and is a charming natural oasis right in the city, or choose one of many smaller local beer gardens.

Munich is a historic city with plenty of palaces and ancient castles, including Cinderella’s castle in Neuschwanstein. See the Devil’s footprint at Frauenkirche, or remember more recent evil at Dachau memorial. Don’t forget to visit the Glockenspiel at Munich’s famous New Town Hall. Many of these sites are close to Munich hostels, and many hostels in Munich offer day tours to further-out attractions.

Meininger Hotel Munich City Center

With free city walking tours, friendly, bilingual, well-informed staff and a downtown location this is one Munich hostel you don’t want to miss. Get directions to nearby Marienplatz, the Viktualienmarkt, Englischer Garten and the Oktoberfest meadows, or enjoy traditional Bavarian food and beer across the street at Munich’s oldest beer hall.

This one of the larger hostels Munich offers, and has a great social atmosphere. Meet fellow travellers in the guest kitchen, on the terrace, in the games room (billiards, foosball, video games and karaoke) or in the hostel bar. Dorms and private rooms are available, as are a varied, inexpensive all you can eat breakfast buffet, free linen and WIFI, laundry, 24-hour reception, bike rentals, lockers and luggage storage. Dorms are clean, comfortable and spacious with en-suite bathrooms, the value is great and your stay at this fun Munich hostel starts with a free drink.

Find out what all the talk is about and you can even bring your pet for an extra charge!

4 You Munich Hostel

Of the hostels in Munich, 4 You Munich is unique in offering excellent free breakfast, free walking tours and famous Munich beer, Hofbräu, at its in-house bar and canteen, the smallest beer garden in Munich. Located near Munich’s central train station, you can walk or ride anywhere in the city.

Stay in an en-suite or standard dorm with reading lights, individual lockers and super comfortable beds. Do laundry, check your e-mail, stay out all night, take the Beer Challenge tour or relax in the common room or courtyard. Linen is included, luggage storage is available and staff at this Munich hostel are multilingual and knowledgeable about the area. 4 You is also very inexpensive, especially if you have a VIP card.

Wombat’s City Hostel

This hostel in Munich’s centre is actually considered Bavarian, but they can ensure you have a rockin time. Between their cool lounge room with oversized pillows, computer room and game room which includes a pool table, you can enjoy your stay at Wombat’s in many ways. They were voted best hostel chain for three years in a row and also as the cleanest hostel for two years in a row.

That’s a pretty impressive record, but this hostel atmosphere is one that you can easily find the party despite it’s calm look. Parties are known to go on all night and you may be able to finish their standard “liter” size mugs of beer by the time you leave this place. They have comfy six bed dorm rooms and clean shared bathrooms.

Central Hotel-Apart Munich

If you budget can handle it, this apartment-hotel might be worth the extra Euros since you can use their free WIFI and gym. They have fully equipped kitchenettes in each apartment and are just twelve minutes away from the city center. Sometimes time is money and with being practically a few minutes away from the action, you can take advantage of their bike rentals to get around the city for cheap.

This family-friendly environment is good for those families or groups of friends that like to cook at home, although the neighborhood is filled with great restaurants and supermarkets. This Munich hotel also offers a complimentary breakfast to ensure a healthy start to a long day of exploring what Munich has to offer.

If you are used to travel implying laying on dirty mattresses and taking cold showers, worry no more! Just cause you are an economically-savy traveler, doesn’t mean you have to miss out on comfort. Chicago aka the Windy City or Chi-town, being one of the top US destinations and most rapped about cities, now has affordable accommodations for the budget traveler. HI (Hostelling International) Chicago has shared rooms with up to ten beds. Its central location in the Downtown area and highest rating for cleanliness is not the best of it. They even provide full length mirrors, reading lights next to every bed, WIFI, storage space inside the rooms and a free breakfast! They are also known for their spacious rooms and common areas including a helpful information desk which can help you prepare to take on the Chi Ill!

Now this is not to be mistaken with yet another low cost hostel known as Chicago International Hostel. Although similar in name, the biggest difference between these two is that Chicago International Hostel has a kitchen and it is located slightly north of the Downtown area, but the difference in price makes up for the longer commute. This hostel with funky décor and attitude near Loyola University has shared rooms with eight beds and private rooms for two or four people. The upside is that they are just two blocks from Lake Michigan, a ten minute walk to the beach, close to 24 hour public transportation and affordable shopping. Also, if you are in the mood for some midtown carbs, the famous Gino’s Pizza is just around the corner.

A few minutes closer to the action, though, is another well known top rated hostel known as Arlington House. It is located near the famous “El” (Chi’s elevated train) in a more upscale part of town where you can witness the life of the classy locals or pretend to be one. It’s just ten minutes from downtown Chicago! Their best features are free computer use and printing, it’s walking distance to Lincoln Park Zoo, and nearby local Blues clubs and college pub crawls where you can mingle with DePaul students. Arlington House also has free 24 hour coffee ready just to get you in shape after a long night out.

Last but not least on my list of cheap stays is the Chicago Parthenon Hostel. It’s also located downtown just minutes from the Amtrak train and Greyhound bus stations in the shadows of the Sears Tower. They have dorm rooms with eight beds and private rooms for just one to organized groups of ten. While you do have to pay extra for linens in the shared rooms, their beds and bathrooms are new and clean and this Spring, the Parthenon Hostel will have a kitchen for guest use including free breakfast. This remodeled establishment really is unique cause it’s in Chi’s Greektown where the owners also run a Greek restaurant with drink specials. Dugans Irish bar is just down the street which allows you to enjoy Chicago’s multicultural community.

Getting around town is easy at all of these hot spots since their staff can advise you on cheap eats and discounts on local attractions. Take a quick bus ride or the train to the Magnificent Mile shopping avenue, the Art Institute of Chicago, or their ethnic neighborhoods to feel like you traveled from Mexico for lunch to Germany for dinner in the same day!

The concentration and extermination camp in Auschwitz is the most famous symbol of the Holocaust and Nazi cruelty in the world. It’s located in the town of O?wi?cim near Krakow in Poland. Those territories were under the German control during World War II. This place shows us the amount of Nazi war crimes and made us find out the borders of humanity. Visiting Auschwitz is something that you’ll never forget.

The concentration camp in Auschwitz came into being in 1940. It was the first and the biggest Nazi camp in Poland. The camp was divided in a few parts, the main one was Auschwitz I – the camp of compulsory work and the administration centre, and Auschwitz II – Birkenau – the extermination camp, where people were kept in inhuman conditions and murdered in gas chambers. It’s very hard to estimate the real number of victims killed in Auschwitz. Different sources estimate that it was from 1,1 million to even 4 million people.

Two years after the end of the war, a part of camp was renovated and turned into a museum. Nowadays the Auschwitz extermination camp is almost completely reconstructed and changed into the most important exhibition regarding the Holocaust in the world. The camp is inscribed under the UNESCO list of global heritage.

The image leaving you with the greatest impression is by the Wall of Executions with exhibitions featuring clothes, shoes and even hair of prisoners, information about cruel, pseudo-medical experiments pursued on humans and the former cell of Maksymilian Kolbe, a Polish priest who sacrificed his life for another prisoner and finally starved to death. Also very touching, is the exhibition about the cultural life in the camp, which describes how prisoners were preserving their culture. They were composing music, writing poems and preparing performances to forget about sorrow and keep their humanity.

Visiting Auschwitz is very instructive, incredible and a touching experience. Sightseeing in the camp in respectful silence is a way to reflect on tolerance, human rights and the need to care about global peace. Visit the Memorial like thousands of people who visit this place every year along with Tour Operator Escape2Poland, to know the truth these days and the history of the Holocaust. Auschwitz is an obligatory part of every visit to Poland, so book your Auschwitz Tour today. There are also plenty of other tours in Poland which you can choose from to broaden your Polish experience! Luckily, Poland also has many beautiful sites to visit and learn about which are quite uplifting!

The HostelsClub philosophy this Valentine’s Day is that a romantic weekend does not have to be expensive or about how much you spend, but who and where you spend it at. Check out the Top 10 list:

1. Venice – No other city has more beautiful alleyways, foot bridges and scenery for couples in love. Picture this: narrow streets, small cafes and restaurants galore, canals and gondoliers singing just for you. The Venice Gondola Tour is the most romantic way to make declaration of love. Then in the evening you can go in the middle of St. Mark’s square and soak up the live classical concerts and the atmosphere of the city. While many consider Venice to be expensive, there are beds in Venice as low as 25€!

Book a bed in Venice

2. Paris – Also nearly tied with Venice, but in at number two, is this historic city of romance. It is a mecca for love and passion. Nice romantic ambience in every café, amazing architecture and sweet smells of croissaints and pastries filling the air. How about that for a nice backdrop for a romantic weekend? Spend a weekend in Paris and visit Montmartre Sacre Coeur, the Gardens of Luxembourg, dine in the Marais district and finally stroll along the Seine. You can find cheap hostels from as low as 20€ per person for a double room!

Book your hostel in Paris

3. Buenos Aires – The city where life and love are inseparable, much like the tango dancing which was born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It is known as the ‘Paris of the South’. Just go to the first bar in Buenos Aires and feel the passion in every corner of the city. With a great steak dinner and a bottle of Malbec, you’ll be tango dancing in no time! A double room in Buenos Aires costs as low as € 15 per person!

Book your hostel in Buenos Aires

4. Vienna – Because of the famous Austrian romantic waltz dance, we have chosen Vienna to be our fourth most romantic city. With its lovely cafes, avenues and parks, Vienna has become a favorite of all lovers. Have some hot chocolate at a cozy cafe on the corner, go on horse-drawn carriage rides, and walk through their beautiful green parks to set the mood. The distinctive ambience of the capital of Austria makes this city so special for a romantic trip. A double room can be booked from as low as 22 € per person.

Book your room in Vienna

5. Istanbul – It may be a surprise to you, but Istanbul, with its oriental atmosphere, where everything is mysterious and passionate, is full of romance and love! The narrow streets of Istanbul, oriental spices and hot drinks for both day and night time makes Istanbul is perfect city for a getaway with your loved one! With just 13€ each a double room here is perfect for a budget-friendly couple.

Book hostels in Istanbul

6. Las Vegas – The city of sin is where your love can reach all levels. Everyone knows it’s a great place to get married on the run, but it is also one of the most enchanting and fascinating places in the world, a sparkling jewel in the desert – literally. Not to mention you can always pretend you are traveling while visiting casino’s like the Venetian which also has romantic gondola rides you can partake in or go to the casino where you can feel like you’re in the Wild West at one point and Egypt the next. Las Vegas is the perfect place for a vacation and honeymoon. There are private rooms from 23€ per person!

Book your room in Las Vegas

7. St. Petersburg – The most romantic city in Russia is without a doubt, Saint Petersburg, with all their stories of dramatic love. Not for nothing this city is called ‘Venice of the North’. There are small canals and waterways, romantic white nights, and dinners with caviar and vodka which is a great cocktail for love. One of the favorite places for lovers is the Potseluev Bridge (the Kissing Bridge) where legend says that everybody who kisses on that bridge will be together forever! Private rooms in St. Petersburg from 19€ per person.

Book your hostel in St. Petersburg

8. Prague – The pearl of the East, is a magical place, perfect for romantics and lovers and is eighth on our list! Enjoy every romantic minute in the evening, under the light of gas lamps in the narrow streets and the romantic flair of the city. Many couples choose romantic castles of Prague to get married, so why not start your romantic holiday there? You can stay in Prague for just 10€ each!

Book a hostel in Prague

9. Lisbon - The city of broken hearts and breathtaking passion. Lisbon has become more and more popular for lovers, and it owes this reputation to their traditional music – fado – played with a classical guitar usually with lyrics about missing a loved one. Plus with its historical palaces, colorful houses, the shimmering river and warm light reflecting in the windows, it is the city of romance. For Valentine’s Day Lisbon offers rooms from 15€ each!

Book a room in Lisbon

10. Miami - The American caribbean city streamed with palm trees and the blue ocean of South Beach. Walk along the promenade of Collins Avenue where you have a tons of restaurants of all cuisines to choose to dine in. Enjoy of nice Cuban mojito on an outside terrace or poolside followed with a walk down the sandy beach with sounds of the caribbean music in the background. Private rooms for 35€ each including your own kitchen if you want to cook up your own meal!

Book your room in Miami

While the world is becoming smaller and smaller and traveling has become as easy as a few clicks, outer space is getting larger and larger. NASA is always a step ahead with the latest technologies and in July 2009 one of the world’s most powerful telescopes was launched to explore faint light from distant parts of the universe from a volcano top in Las Palmas of the Canary Islands. This took twelve years from the planning phase to the launch and involved a thousand people and 100 companies. Now there is a new larger, more potent one being planned for launch in 2014 called the James Webb Space Telescope which will be able to connect the Milky Way to our own solar system visually.

Insider’s Tips for an Itinerary at Las Palmas:

The highest mountain is the Roque Nublo. A jeep-travel by rental car into the mountains is very nice. You will pass the brewery to Tafira Alta. On the left you must visit the Caldera Bandama. This is the world’s largest erosion crater with a finca inside. From the Pico Bandama you will have a nice panoramic view. Then move forward to Santa Brigida and Tejeda. There are a lot of rest areas with grilling places. Here you can make a quick meal break. Then go up to the mountain Roque Nublo. Park the car and walk to this big vertical stone at an altitutude of 2000m. You will need 15 minutes to go one way. Another absolutely hidden lovely place is “El Carrizal” (27° 58`48 N, 15° 40`50 W). It is a very small village with friendly people. It can seem like a real life “Garden of Eden”. Ask for Pepita and she will give you fresh home-made sheep’s cheese and ice-cold spring water from the mountain. If you go forward to San Nicolás, so you must hit a great off-road trail for those of you who like off-roading. This is an unforgettable adventure beetween the cliffy rocks and the encircling rainbows. Down below you will see a dammed lake with a windmill.

To stay on top of all the latest happenings there are many blogs and sites which can keep you informed such as:

• NASA’s Image of the Day

• NASA TV

• NASA’s Space Shuttle Missions (blog) and NASA’s Official Space Shuttle Missions

• News on Spaceflight : NASA

Now you ask what does that have to do with hostels?

Well, there is a Space Hostel – SEI located in Leipzip, Germany which is actually a Space Education Institute where international students, backpackers and aerospace specialists can all gather together to share different views and discuss the latest on space travel. This guest house has private single, twin, and double rooms as well as dorm rooms which can fit from two to seven guests. You can also choose to use their tent for outdoor camping or take advantage of their many amenities such as the space travel workshops, internet access, the beer garden or the lawn for barbecuing. The gracious owner, Ralf Heckel, is well versed in space travel and actively participates in moon car tournaments,so he can serve as a great reference point if you are interested in learning more. There are so many things to learn and do, so book your room at Space Hostel Leipzig today!

Interested in the Moonbuggy Race?

The Space Hostel is currently welcoming space student groups at a low rate of 43€ per person (groups more than 20 persons) including breakfast and the NASA-workshop.

If you are not sure where Leipzig is or what else it has to offer, find out more with articles such as “Top Ten Reasons to Visit Leipzig” or why Leipzig is considered the new Berlin. It was also voted #10 by New York Time’s Top 31 Places to Go in 2010. While we may not be able to get you to outer space in this lifetime, HostelsClub is proud to offer the possibility of getting you as close as possible and Space Hostel Leipzig is a great start!

Ready for Blastoff!!

Second City, deep dish pizza, and the Cubs can all call the Windy City their home… as well anyone who wants to visit. Of all the major cities in America, Chicago provides that home feeling, where everyone is welcome. Maybe it’s the range of diversity, the clarity in their newscaster accents, or the fact that everyone is genuinely nice.

Once exhausted the Magnificent Mile for a high end-shopping experience, take a ride on the El to one of the over 75 different villages that make up Chicago. Vintage stores, antique shops, and unique boutiques line the many streets for anyone’s budget. Quirky finds in Belmont, everyone’s go-to stores in Lincoln Park, and affordable antiques from around the world can be found at a Rogers Park original. Shopping is not only a hobby in this city of pizzazz but an opportunity to stumble upon items one realizes they couldn’t possibly go on without.

The Cloud… the Bean… the big silver construction where one can see their reflection in against the Chicago skyline right in the middle of Millennium Park, is a must for anyone who ventures to Chicago. It’s one of the many attractions that continue to draw people far and wide, providing hours of amusement and limitless perspectives. Afterward, one can grab their skates, or rent a pair and soak in the lights and sights Chicago offers while gliding across the ice. Thanks to the choreographed lighting emitted by the fountain itself, the French inspired Buckingham Fountain acts as a beautifully centrally located show in the heart of Grant Park. Surrounding the fountain, one can walk through the various festivals and bazaars showcased, all throughout the year.

If one can get bored in Chicago, it’s completely their own fault, for there are a million and a half things one could be doing – experiencing. As the second oldest clubhouse in Major League Baseball, Wrigley is home to the constantly heart breaking Chicago Cubs. There one can be part of the tradition, pain, drunken madness, and even take in a famous Chicago Dog. Over in Wrigley, amongst the many trendy bars and clubs, hide various Second City improvisational troupe spin-offs such as 1,2,3 Fag or even a Shakespearean based troupe. Theatre – a Chicago novelty, that can rival the very best of Broadway is the spectacle. Anyone can find something of interest from the grand and slightly crude Adams Family, to the small and intimate Death of a Salesman at the Raven Theatre. With several hours to spend, and not a penny more, the Lincoln Park Zoo invites all ages to visit the zebras, gorillas, polar bears, and other animals all for free.

And of course, the food. One cannot go to Chicago without trying Giordano’s deep-dish pizza. This is the only city where it’s necessary to eat pizza with a fork. If one slice isn’t enough, head on over to Little Sweden for a large helping of the best cinnamon rolls at Ann Sather’s to compliment your Eggs Benedict or equally large pancakes. As a city that sleeps a little later than most, heed those feelings of the munchies over in Belmont for a little “Pick Me Up,” a cutsie little hole in the wall that one would completely miss had they not been looking for it. Grab a themed table, whether it be “Where’s Waldo”, or “Sesame Street”, and chow down on a Vegan, or not-so Vegan bite of your choice.

As the place for the young and old, there’s no other city like it in all of the U.S. of A. Chicago is a mix of classic and vintage with the upbeat and new-age. If all else fails, trust Frank Sinatra because even this Jersey born believes that “My kind of town… Chicago is.”

Now all that’s left is to book your hostel in Chicago!

*This article was provided & written by Frances Arville, Current Student at Loyola University in Chicago.

Perhaps you do eco-friendly shopping  in the grocery store, take the train instead of the car now and then. But did you know you could also make a conscious choice and Go Green also when you book hostels or hotels?

Hostelsclub has a lot of cool eco-friendly accomodation for you to choose between. Let’s start with Barcelona. At Urbany Hostel, they not only offer you pool, sauna, jacuzzi and free breakfast in a top modern environment. The entire house  is built in eco-friendly material. And  they even collect rainwater to water the green areas.

In Boston, the Boston Downtown/ Hi Hostelling International will be your green oasis in the middle of this hectic city with great recycling stations, energy efficient lighting and appliances, low VOC paint, recyclable carpet, low-flow plumbing, environmental-friendly cleaning products…  And they even recycle your shoes if you leave them behind and they will give them to the local shelters.

In Greece, you can stay at  eco- and artist-friendly Athenstyle in popular neighborhood Monastiraki overlooking Akropolis. A place where you sleep with a good conscience in rooms individually decorated by local artists.

There are tons more! Check out HostelsClub’s Full List of Eco-Friendly and Green Hostels!

So you have decided to travel; and you have decided on a hostel rather than a hotel. The big question here is how you know which hostel to choose and which to avoid.
Most of the tips I have mentioned are about you and what you want.  The best place to look for a hostel is on a hostel booking site.  Those sites have most or all of the information you will need.  If they know what you will need they can be ready.  Likewise, if you know what kind of atmosphere you are walking into you can be better prepared.
The most important resource tool for reserving a hostel is your computer.  If you don’t have a computer go to the library and use theirs.

1.    Where are you going and do you have a travel plan?  Do some research on the area you will be traveling.  The area of the world doesn’t matter just have an itinerary.
2.    How will you be traveling?  Will you be hiking?  Biking? Will you be traveling by car?  Will they have a place to store your bike, or a parking space for your car?
3.    What kind of shape will you be in when you get to your hostel?  If you are a hiker or biker chances you will want nothing more than a hot shower, a filling meal and a quiet place to sleep.  If you are traveling under your own power you will probably get a good nights sleep regardless of the environment.
4.    How many nights will you be staying.  Let the booking site know how long you intend to stay.  It will be awkward for you to be all unpacked and the host says you need to leave, because other traveler is moving in.
5.    Do you need privacy?  Many hostels just have a large dormer with several bunk beds and not much privacy.  Some do have private rooms for an additional fee.  If you are traveling with a significant other and would like to be alone make sure there is a place for you to be alone…..together.
6.    Are you allergic to smoke?  Ask what kind of smoking or no smoking policy the hostel has.
7.    Does the hostel have an elevator or a handicapped accessible entrance.  Will they have the proper facilities to accommodate a physically challenged guest.
8.    Are you the type that has to read before they can sleep?  You might consider buying a small head lamp if you think you will need it.
9.    Pack the right kind of sleeping attire.  Is it going to be cold?  Sometimes blankets are in high demand it cooler climates.  If you are traveling during the summer will they have air conditioning?
10.    Will they feed you?  Don’t expect anything fancy but, if you are hungry a bagel and coffee might take the edge off until you can get to a real breakfast.

The best advice anyone can give a traveler is do your homework &…. book on HostelsClub.com ! .  Dig up as much information as possible.  The more you know, the more you can be prepared.