Backpacker Buzz

The Hostelling International family is pretty eclectic - with hostels in unique locations like tall ships, former prisons, castles, tree houses and lighthouses. But we recently added a new one to the brood and if you're visiting Sweden any time soon, you could spend the night in the world's first airplane hostel.

Jumbo Hostel recently joined Svenska Turistföreningen (STF), the Swedish component of Hostelling International. Located at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, this fully refurbished Boeing 747-200 offers dorm, private and family room accommodation and even the chance to upgrade to the luxury suite right in the cockpit with views of the airport runways.

The hostel also has an onboard cafe, a conference lounge and a summertime observation deck atop one of the wings.

The jumbo jet was built in 1976 and flew under the care of Singapore Airlines, Pan Am and Transjet until 2002. In 2008, the airplane was stripped of its 450 seats, sanitized and retrofitted as a hostel.

The hostel was towed to its current home at the entrace to Arlanda airport that summer where it was placed on a concrete foundation.

A night in a shared room starts at 300 SEK ($43). The cafe and common areas are also open to the public. A free shuttle runs from the terminals.