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Welcome to Backpacker Buzz,
Hostelling International's blog from Western Canada. We'll bring you news, information and tips about hostels in Canada and around the world.
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Monthly Archive
- January 2012 (12)
- December 2011 (18)
- November 2011 (13)
- October 2011 (9)
- September 2011 (8)
- August 2011 (16)
January 2009
People, Places, Culture; Our World - An Exhibit
To celebrate 100 years of hostelling, HI-Winnipeg and local photographer Keith Levit have produced a photo exhibition titled: People, Places, Culture: Our World - An Exhibit. Having selected 25 iconic images from around the world, the theme is something every hosteller can relate to from their travels. The photo's will be on display in the newly renovated HI-WInnipeg (330 Kennedy Street) before it embarks on a North-American tour to mark the 100th anniversary. Read more »
Feathers & Masks & Fetes, Oh My! It's the Rio Carnaval!
February is synonymous with unabashed hedonism in Brazil. Today, the annual Carnaval has an ever growing number of converters (approximately 300,000 tourists swarm to Rio annually). It breaks bread with everyone, ranging from the hardcore hedonist to the conservative tradtionalist...and it's one of the biggest parties in the world. Read more »
Tips for a Cheaper Canadian Group Getaway.
Renting a house for a getaway can be expensive, especially in a high demand location and during peak season. Yet amid this current economic downturn trends show that we all still want holiday breaks, just without breaking another bank or our own budget. Global trends show an increase in hostel awareness and an increase in hostel stays. Rent-a-Hostel is an economical way to get accommodation for a social getaway, a special event or workplace retreat for unbeatable value. Read more »
RTW: YHA New Zealand - North Island at a Glance
I spent 10 days on New Zealand's North Island, sampling a few of the YHAs as I went. I've already covered Auckland, but here's an overview of a couple of the gems I got acquainted with in the past week. Read more »
RTW: Driving the Coromandel
In an effort to zip through the North Island en route to the South, while taking in a few spots I haven't seen before, I'm spending a lot of time on the road. From Auckland I took a ferry to the Coromandel Peninsula. From there, I caught a Go Kiwi shuttle to Whitianga, a beach town on the eastern side of the peninsula. It's a hilly little peninsula but regardless of the terrain, New Zealand's roads have three things in common, it seems - they're windy, they don't have shoulders and the Kiwis that use them like to go fast. Read more »
YHA Auckland International
5 Turner Street, Auckland
One of two YHAs in Auckland, International is about a block away from YHA Auckland City on a street off Auckland's main drag - Queen Street. It's January, and a day after Big Day Out, so the place is packed but it doesn't feel overrun. Common space is plentiful - with two lounges and separate TV and entertainment rooms. There are two internet lounges and wifi hotspots (though you have to pay for these). The kitchen is spacious and impressively well supplied with stacks of pots and pans, multiple sinks and cooktops and either the staff do a good job of cleaning up after people or guests here actually pay attention to the signs - the place is spotless.
RTW: The First 24 Hours
After nine months of planning, two weeks of worrying and 21 hours of flying, I've made it to the first stop of my round the world trip - Auckland. The excitement that dictated the planning stages gave way to nervousness and uncertainties in the past couple of weeks. As my plane burst through the low clouds in Vancouver, giving me a sunlit view of the North Shore mountains, I said hello to them in my head, like I always do, but this time we banked sharply to the left and headed south. My excitement expressed itself as a sharp inhalation and I did what I always do when I'm about to start something new - threw on my MP3 player and turned up Here I Go Again by Whitesnake.
Three hours later we landed in Los Angeles - through a thick smudge of smog and with the Hollywood sign visible from my window. That was when it hit me - What the hell am I doing? Read more »
The Pleasing Principle
As illustrated by a few folks who commented on my last post, "What Kind of a Hosteller Are You?", you can't please all of the people all of the time, and as a hostel manager I"m well acquainted with that truth. Read more »
RTW: Pack It Up, Pack It In
With 11 days until my departure, I'm thinking about what I should bring along. Long-term travel packing tips stick to one simple theory: minimalism. Based on this expert knowledge, and a bit I've picked up on my own, I've developed a few of my own theories.
Thanks for your comments!
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