Have the Best Spring Break in 2014!

It's that time of year again, ladies and gentlemen! Time to break out your bikinis & swim trunks and book your flight for Spring Break 2014! Not sure where to go, or even where to start your plan? Here are some of our Top Picks for Spring Break 2014!

Avenue de Venezuela, Party Strip in Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Take on the capital city of the Dominican Republic this Spring Break! Beach by day, party by night! Just make sure you stay hydrated and bring plenty of sunscreen!

Day Party & music at the beach in Cancun 

Cancun, Mexico
Looking for a hot party? mtvU takes over Cancun in 2014! Join the party and don't forget to get your tickets ahead of time!

Rehab, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada
Viva Las Vegas, baby! What happens in Vegas...ends up all over Facebook, let's just be real! But, seriously, even if you don't like to gamble the array of pool parties will keep you occupied! Dress like a rockstar and hit up Rehab, the pool party of all pool parties!

Afternoon catamaran cruise

San Jose, Costa Rica
Did you know? The drinking age in Costa Rica is 18! Cruise on a Catamaran, hang out on the beach, and have a couple beers. San Jose is the place to be for Spring Break!

Untouchable beach experience in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
And don't forget Rio! Head on over for a little bit of it all! This is a place that contains much beauty in its beaches during the day and comes to life after dark! We recommend spending your day on the awesome beaches and checking out bars with live Samba to really get a taste for the culture!








Still not sure where to book the perfect trip? Want more suggestions? Ask us here!

Feel free to share your Spring Break plans and suggestions in the comments or on our Facebook page!

Bored? Tired? Exactly Why You Should Travel!

Best Reasons to Travel

Looking for an excuse to get out there and have an adventure? Can't think of a reason on your own? Here are a few of our best reasons to travel. Feel free to leave comments below of your best reasons to travel!

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

-St. Augustine

The people. Traveling can teach you an assortment of things, like how to build meaningful and lasting relationships. Be open to meeting new people and engaging in conversation with them, you will be amazed to see how longstanding relationships can develop over a shared moment with a fellow traveler. 

It's not as expensive as you think. With commercials, movies and the like, there are many people thinking they have to drop a couple hundred on a room each night at some fancy hotel. Forget about the all-inclusive resort! I can tell you first-hand that the experience you gain at a resort is not truly one of locals. There are plenty of budget options, such as hostels, that make your sleeping arrangements affordable and leave you more to spend on activities and adventures. Plus, it's a really great way to meet other travelers! Be daring, stay in a budget place and explore the true gems each new place has to offer!

The memories. Twenty or thirty years from now, you aren't going to remember what your final exam score was, or which project your boss delegated to you right after Spring quarter projections came out. What you will remember: riding a bicycle down a volcano on a tropical island, jumping off waterfalls, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, riding along on an African Safari. The memories are the treasures you carry with you for a lifetime, not just a fleeting moment.

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.

-Terry Pratchett

The views. Okay, so the views are part of the memories, we get it. But they are still amazing enough to deserve their own reason on this list. Ever hear someone tell you "the pictures don't do it justice"? It's true! I once saw a picture of Half Dome in Yosemite and said "cool", wondering why I was being shown a picture of a rock. But hiking out to Dewey Point, overlooking the valley and being able to see Half Dome and El Capitan across from the rocky ledge I scooted onto was breathtaking. I was speechless, it's not an experience that can be defined by a picture and no easier can be put into words. It was like I had been holding my breath for 25 years and only now was learning to breathe.

The cultures. Many people have had an experience in grade school, where they read about a different culture or tradition, but they never really see how that culture implements their traditions. Don't get me wrong, books are great to get a cultural conversation started, but there is not better way to learn about a culture than to dive right into the middle of it. Traveling allows us the opportunities to learn about other cultures and develop respect for people and cultures worldwide.


The food. Have you ever had a steak? Great, me too. Have you ever had a steak in Buenos Aires, Argentina? Argentina is known for their meats, the steak is juicy, cooked just-right and is even free range. Don't plan to leave the table hungry!

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.

-Mark Twain

 

Relax and Recharge. People who take time off for vacation are less likely to feel burnt out or 'checked out' from their job. That leads to more productivity in the workplace. Employees: use your vacation days! Employers: Encourage vacations!

 

It's good for your health. There are a variety of studies that have been done on the effects traveling has on your health. The general benefits seem to be that traveling regularly lowers the risk of heart disease,
helps you live longer and aides in prevention of dementia and Alzheimer's. Traveling also makes you happier and reduces stress, a common factor in aging looks.




Learning. Are you a student? Studies show that students who travel abroad are not only more likely to complete their college degree but are also likely to earn higher incomes than their classmates who did not travel. Traveling also teaches us in ways we don't expect simply by interacting with people in other cultures. We learn about tradition, food, and more and become more well-rounded in doing so.

Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.

-Maya Angelou

Tuesday, what can be said about Tuesday? Usually here at HostelTimes.com, we say we would rather be traveling! It's a day full of talk about destinations and what to do while visiting. Now, we all know that Google lends a helpful hand in depicting the top destinations to visit around the world or in a particular country, but what is REALLY in a destination? Is it a location? Is it a city? Is it a landmark? A beach, perhaps? Let's dive a little deeper into the meaning of a destination and highlight just a few of our favorites, not necessarily because of their overall popularity, but because of what they have to offer that is not so mainstream.

Washington, D.C.: If you follow our Facebook, then you probably noticed by now that we mentioned the George Washington Masonic Temple. This place is amazing because of its history, yes, but for those of us who are not going to remember the details associated with the history, there is still much to be appreciated: the architecture, the surrounding grounds, the strange rooms inside and, most of all, the sweeping views of the city, the Potomac River and Virginia. It's not just a city filled with suits and history, but one in which the beauty can be appreciated. 

San Jose, Costa Rica: When you think Costa Rica, do you think: rain forest or beach? In the past, I thought beach, but now all I can see is the vivid colors of the rain forest with volcanoes in the background. Maybe a tropical bird wakes you up in the morning and you go for a stroll to enjoy the jugglers at the Parque Morazan before embarking on your journey to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. After exploring the natural areas nearby, you can return to your hostel and relax before bar hopping in Barrio La California. 

Vancouver, Canada: Home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver is a lively city. Rated as one of the top cities in Canada, Vancouver has amazing scenery and happens to be sandwiched in a prime location between mountains and ocean. So whether you are interested in snowboarding in the mountains or windsurfing in the ocean, Vancouver has something for everyone. A port-city, Vancouver's bars and shops offer plenty of activities for nightlife or even those just making a pit stop before embarking on their next adventure.

Like what you see? Like our page on Facebook and feel free to share our blog with friends!

Cheers!

HostelTimes.com

Hostel Times in 2014

Greetings! Happy belated New Year!

With the start of 2014, Hostel Times is happy to announce that we have vamped up our efforts in expanding our reach worldwide, both to travelers and hostels. With our improved marketing outreach style, we have seen an increase in our numbers, with which has come an influx of questions regarding our services. We feel that we should take a moment to reintroduce ourselves to the hostelling community, providing here answers to common questions about us, as well as information about our goals & efforts.

Hostel Times is made up of people with experience in owning hostels and travel enthusiasts. We are a diverse team, with different backgrounds and travel experiences, all with a shared goal to have a positive impact on the hostelling community by providing not only hostel reservation services, but also giving the travel community ideas on places to visit, events to attend, hidden gems, local food tips and even articles & history related to travel and hostelling.

We aim to be the cheapest hostel reservation site and something that sets us apart from other booking sites is that we give all of our travelers a 5% discount on their every stay at any hostel they book and have no booking fees. We pride ourselves on our efforts to maintain a personal feel for our hostels and customers, always being open to feedback, questions and concerns.

We recognize the importance for travelers to have a wide array of hostels to choose from when booking travel arrangements, and have begun and are continuing aggressive efforts to maintain and grow our partnerships with quality hostels. We have also found that the more travelers that book hostels with us, the more quality hostels that we are able to attract. Our travelers our important to us, which is why we work hard to ensure the hostels we have listed are high quality and to keep their information updated.

We also recognize the importance for hostels to have a solid number of consistent bookings while maintaining a listing with an OTA such as ours. In this aspect, we have also launched a new marketing campaign to expand our reach. It is our goal to continually increase our reach with travelers, so that we can connect these travelers to our partner hostels. We have found that the hostels that see the most results from us are the hostels that are not afraid to mention the smaller sites like Hostel Times to their customers. We have had many hostels request and post Hostel Times posters in their lobby/dorm areas. Our hostel partners are important to us, and we recognize that every dollar counts in the hostel industry, which is exactly why we will never raise our commission rates on them.

Hostel Times is a community of travelers looking to preserve the integrity of budget & hostel travel. We are for travelers, by travelers and look to save you money EVERY time you book your hostels!

Here's to a fun and travel filled 2014!

The Hostel Times Team

United Airlines: New Baggage Policies

New baggage service policies of United Airlines will be applied from June 1^st for some routes (not all.)

Examples are as follows (all that listed below is for Economy class.)

Seville, Spain: Feria de Abril de Sevilla

You hear “Spain.”

What do you imagine that it means?

Sun-drenched cities, cheerful people, full of vivid colors and delicious wine…

Well, for sure, north and south, or east and west of Spain can be very different, but

Feria de Abril de Sevilla/Seville Fair symbolizes “Spain” which you imagine.
Feria de Abril de Sevilla is a happy and full-of-life festival just as sun-kissed Andalucia itself.

San Francisco: The Bay Lights

Do you know the San Francisco Bay Bridge, the other important bridge in San Francisco besides world famous Golden Gate Bridge?
The San Francisco Bay Bridge is one of the world longest suspension bridges as well.

This Bay Bridge itself is now a fine art illuminated by 25,000 ELD lights and is a pleasure to the eye of people in San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the travelers.

If you are visiting San Francisco, please take a walk around Embarcadero Ferry Building after the sun goes down. You will love the view J

For more information, such as “Best View” spots, please visit the officialWebsite of The Bay Lights.