by Dominic on August 3, 2010

Now you can check out our blog and make bookings from anywhere you have your phone!
Just log on to hostelsclubblog.com from your mobile phone and you will have access to all our articles and be able to book a hostel directly from your phone in our new mobile optimised version of the site!
Now you can always stay up to date with the latest travel news and travel tips from HostelsClub while on the move whenever and wherever you are!
by Bianca on June 30, 2010
HostelsClub promised to give a free iPad to the lucky Facebook fan for those that added our fan page to their favorites by June 1st, 2010. All fans were eligible whether they liked us prior to this giveaway or not, but one fan in particular won the new iPad. The winner chosen is Hanson Cheng from Virginia, USA!! A Chinese-American college grad that loves to travel and enjoys the latest gadgets, Hanson was very surprised to see he finally won something!

He graduated back in 2004 where his first solo travels began in Puerto Rico and since then he has traveled to the Caribbean and all over the US. He believes that traveling within the States is great because the country itself is so varied with having all terrains, from snow-capped mountains to desert areas in Las Vegas to tropical zones in South Beach, Miami, for example. Hanson will use the iPad to surf the net for his future travels and to research more exotic destinations in the future. It will also serve as a backup for his pictures while traveling and as a GPS once he downloads all the apps.
Congratulations Hanson!
Enjoy the iPad and we look forward to our next giveaway!
by Dominic on April 26, 2010
The Toilet Tax!
Ryanair has recently announced that it plans to make the toilets on its flights coin-operated and charge passengers a euro to spend a penny. They also plan to have only one toilet per plane, allowing them to fit in extra seats and make more money per flight. This will be done, of course, to make prices cheaper for everybody!
The toilet tax seems a pretty unfair idea, especially since Ryanair already charges over the odds for drinks on the planes. It also strikes me a very difficult charge to enforce. Does Ryanair expect its hostesses to stand by the toilet making sure than people don’t share or hold the door open for the next passenger in the queue? What happens if the flight is delayed on the runway? Do passengers still have to pay, or does everyone get a free go after a few hours? Will we get a discount if we book it online?
How long is it going to take us to realize that a cheap ticket is only cheap if we don’t have to pay a load of surcharges before we get to our destination?
The pessimist in me thinks that soon we will be charged for breathing on airplanes. The realist thinks that this is an idea that will never actually happen. With the traveler’s motto of “be prepared” in mind however, here are a few suggestions for avoiding Ryan air’s toilet tax.
Go before you fly
Not only will you have to queue up on the plane to use the only toilet if you are caught short, but now passengers face another queue before boarding. Expect the entire passenger list to cram into the nearest airport toilet as soon as their flight is called.
Drink nothing
Airports can expect their revenues to decline as passengers fast as soon as they have checked in. Instead of buying a bottle of water for the flight, people will now make do with some dry crackers.
Practice Those Kegel Exercises
Frequent fliers will soon have the strongest pelvic floor muscles out there as they learn to hold it in until the end of the flight.
Go in groups
Families will try to visit the toilet in groups and spontaneous friendships will be made on planes, as people hold the toilet doors open for each other.
Take a supermarket token
Those handy little tokens that let you use a shopping trolley without needing a coin are going to be worth their weight in gold!
by Dominic on April 20, 2010
Due to the number of cancelled flights from Iceland’s Volcanic Eruption, HostelsClub will keep a credit on your account for original deposit made if you are unable to get to your hostel due to a disruption in your travel plans. You will then be able to use this credit anytime for a year. See our Volcanic Cloud Refund Policy for more information.
Look on the bright side, you get to extend your trip by another day or two, you can meet other cool travelers at the airport and you’re not alone! Only about another couple hundred thousand people stressing out, but you still have a credit you can use towards your next destination once the cloud clears!
Tell us you’re story! Where you are…Are you stuck in an airport or training it to the next city? Get home safely?
by Bianca on April 19, 2010
That’s right!! All you have to do is become a fan on HostelsClub’s FB page before May 31, 2010 to become eligible for your VERY OWN iPad!! Everyone is eligible (except HostelsClub staff and their family members), so all fans, current and future, can win!
HostelsClub will pick one lucky winner before the summer starts, so become a facebook fan today!
Travel in Style with your own iPad!