The Journey [email protected]

For the purpose of motivation and direction, this blog entry will be about the Why, Who, How, What, Where, When, of opening a hostel. I would love to move to the next step, so let’s break it down.
Why
Why, of course is the most important aspect of opening a hostel. Desire must come from the deepest part of my honest being.
My “why” is simple to me. I love the travel and service industry. My travel experience has been so rewarding to me. It is my dream to use my skills to give back to the community.
The passion for the project has to be strong. It’s strength can help with patients and endurance through the long process. The “why” will lead me over all the hurdles.
Who
Who will be involved and what can they offer me? I have my dream and I am open-minded. If I include someone in this project it will be very dynamic. They will come with their own set of “How, What, Where and When”.
If they don’t yet have a firm handle on their “why”, then they might not be ready to commit.
I’m looking for a “who”, with investment, and business experience preferably a local from Canada, Vancouver or France. I would like my “who” to be a bilingual local to the city in which I open my hostel.
How
Because I lack my own funds the ‘how’ will for now depend on the ‘who’. I could one day become the who, but this could take a while. I have always been a good saver and if I were able to save enough myself this would make me very happy. On the other hand, if I am lucky enough to find an investor I would feel very blessed to be able to begin sooner. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when!
What
My style is a small hostel, with lots of character and comfort. I want my hostel to make guests of all ages feel welcome. A variety of different sized rooms and features could help with this.
I want to have an environmental inspiration. I love to share culture through cooking and language. I imagine a vegetable garden that guests can use to encourage healthy living.
I would like to have guests who are traveling for work. I think they could offer inspiration to other young travelers. This will mean the hostel has to be tech savvy and at respectable times quiet. I also imagine bucket listers coming to live out their personal dreams, I would like to be there to help them through this. Young couples should not rule out my hostel for a romantic weekend. I’ll have private rooms! I know travelers are diverse and I would like everyone to feel welcome.
My ‘what’ will be reflection of who I am. The only bottom line I have is, respect for all.
Where
So far the biggest first step in my learning has been which country is realistic. For me that is Canada or France. I speak English and French and hold visas or passports for both. Immigration is not free or easy and should be taken into account when dreaming of locations for the opening of a hostel.
From previous research I have seen first hand how important it is to consider laws and customs that might make it difficult. This has to be realistic and in accordance to my life style. Choosing a country that wants you to be there and aids in the growth of small business is always going to be a plus.
When
This largely depends on the how and then the where. I must decide both of these before I can discuss the when. This one definitely feels the most pressure. Because no matter what you come up with, if you can come up with it now then you have achieved it … right?