Hostel Work Around the World

If you have every spent any timetraveling the globe, odds are, you are pretty familiar with hostels. These backpacker friendly lodgings come in all shapes and sizes. You can sleep in the tree tops in bunk style
tree house in the rain forest. Or see what its like to live in a castle for a night in Ireland.

Going to Japan? Spend some time in a hostel that is actually a native Japan family's house. These budget rooms come in all sorts of prices depending on where you are in the world. They can be anywhere from $3-$40 a night.

Hostels are like busy airport full of other budget minded travelers such as your self. Most of these hostel going people are travelers much like your self. They are just looking for a cheap room, good conversation, and maybe some new friends to share in the adventure.

Most hostels are dorm style. Some have rooms that are separated by gender while others just have co-ed dorms. If you are in dire need of a good nights sleep you can probably shell out some extra cash and get a private room. These may be more expensive than the dorm
rooms but don't expect much more than a bed at most places. Hostels usually provide sheets and pillows but it is a good idea to carry you own sheet or sleeping bag incase they don't.

WORK AT A HOSTEL

So you've spent the last year traversing the world and now you want to share what you know with other travelers. Why not try volunteering at a hostel? By volunteering you can help fellow backpackers in any ways. There are all sorts of jobs to be had a hostel.
Some hostels offer travel workshops where they teach their guests how to travel more safely. Maybe your good with a hammer, hostels are always in need of some kind of repair. If you have any type of
specialized skill you can get a job at a hostel. If you r a photographer,
artist, singer, writer, or anything else you can surely bet a hostel owner will have no problem exploiting your skills for some free stay.

Working at a hostel is generally unpaid. What you get is a free place to stay. You can't really argue with the hours either. Most hostels will ask you to work a few hours a day each day. The duration of your stay depends on a number of things but could be anywhere from two weeks to three months.

FINDING A JOB AT A HOSTEL

If you are looking for a way to travel for dirt cheap or would rather hang out in one spot for a while than you should look into contacting the HI-AYH. The Malta Youth Hostel Association, for example, runs, work program that offers its volunteers food and room in exchange for their help. Volunteers of all ages get free food and room for two weeks. These volunteers help with all sorts of things from working in the office to helping fix the place up.

Here are some sites and books you
might want to check out if you're interested in getting a job at a hostel.

• Hostels.com provides all kinds of information for the hostel traveler. On the site you will not only be able to search and make reservation for hostels all over the world, but you can also get travel advice, personal stories, and buy books. This is a good way to search for hostel you may want to work at.
• Backpacker.ca is where you will want to go if you're
  thinking about wandering through Canada. In addition to hostel in the area, the site also provides links to other budget lodgings like guest houses, campsites, and farms. The site also has some listings for North America and Mexico.
• Hostelhandbook.com will help you get your hands on a little secret called The Hostel Handbook. This book is written by a hostel owner and avid traveler. The book reviews hundreds of hostels all around the world. You can always count on an honest review of the hostel from this book. The book is almost always on top of prices and details because it is published yearly.