Backpacker Buzz

We here at Backpacker Buzz clearly like Iceland. That’s why we were thrilled to hear about HI-Manitoba’s amazing new contest, done in conjunction with HI-Iceland and Iceland Express. Read more »

It’s probably impossible to write a definitive list on the top hot springs in the world. There are just too many, and we haven’t experienced enough to do that. With that in mind, here are some great hot springs we have visited. Read more »

Stumped on where to stay when in Tampere, Finland? Good news! Dream Hostel has been chosen as Hostel of the Year for 2011 by Hostelling International Finland. This spacious new 90-bed hostel offers stylish rooms, each with a theme based on local culture. We’d like to stay in the black sausage room, which is inspired by famous Tampere Black Sausage or Mustamakkara as it is known in Finnish!! Read more »

HI-C-PM Region Member Services Assistant Lydia went to Iceland right before that whole volcano business erupted in the news. She explains to us why there's a whole lot more to the country than a steamin' mountain.

I love Iceland. I’ve been to other places I loved- Paris and New York jump to mind- but when I see anything about Iceland, I get all warm and glowy. And there sure has been a lot about Iceland for me to see recently. They had some sort of natural disaster there, I think? A volcano, was it? Ah yes, that’s right. Every photo of Icelandic landscapes I’ve seen in the news the last couple of months just makes me sigh and remember how awesome it is there. Read more »

Hostels are some of the most eco-friendly accommodation options out there. Check out a few ways hostels are helping the planet in Norway, Iceland and New Zealand. Read more »

Taking some German courses at the Université Laval helped Stéphane Larrivée of Québec land an internship in an HI hostel in Germany, the country that gave birth to hostelling. Sound intriguing? If you’re an HI-Canada member, you can do the same thing. Read more »

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. Read more »

The Scottish Youth Hostelling Association is giving you the chance to see a little more Scotland for less this winter. Stay for two nights and get your third free at hostels across the country. There are about 60 HI hostels in Scotland, some of them in pretty unique locations. Read more »

I think I spoke too soon last week when I ran through the tips for splurging on a private room. By this point, I thought I'd seen it all but this is a new one. Little did I know that a stroke of luck would land me in my own private Portuguese villa overlooking the ocean for 14€ a night. Read more »