Hi! I'm the BudgetTraveller + llaunching a guide to Luxury Hostels in Europe

Hello there and thanks Josh and the team for having me onboard this great forum.

I am a travel blogger and blog about Budget Travel- I'm known as the BudgetTraveller in social media circles. Some of you may know me. You can see my blog at www.budgettraveller.org I also have a second blog www.europebudgetguide.com

I am at the moment launching a guide to Luxury Hostels in Europe.

Luxury Hostels?????????

I know it’s an oxymoron.

Hostels are supposed to cater for just backpacking tourists looking for the cheapest room in town- right?

Wrong. Things are changing.

There is a new breed of fashionable, uber cool hostels that are now offering many features of a budget hotel , while retaining the fun factor of a hostel.

Generator Dublin is one of the hostels that come under this category that I'll be reviewing.

Starting from March 2012, every month I’ll be travelling across Europe checking out and reviewing this cool breed of new hostels.

London, Paris, Florence, Reykjavik, Sofia, Hvar, Berlin, Nice, Lisbon – there is an amazing list of destinations I am going to be visiting.

Along with each luxury hostel review, will be a mini-guide to enjoying the best of each destination on a budget.

As the BudgetTraveller I want to present to my generation ( I’m 33 in March ) how we can still backpack on a budget but with a luxury twist, or be a ‘flashpacker’

At my age, I’ve found a lot of people who have a closed mind about hostels.

I am on a mission to change their perception. Possibly my own?

It will be an interesting challenge.

To make hostelling convenient, comfortable and also fun.

In my research, I’ve picked up some awesome terms. ‘Flashpacker’ was one

Amazing how travel is diversifying into so many niches.

The Geek Flashpacker

I’ve learnt that I am going to be a ‘geek flashpacker’- since my trip will be inspired by technology with no guidebooks involved.

Since I’ll be using social media tools like Twitter to find tips from locals- I can also call myself a ‘coolpacker’.

I’ll be using geo-locational tools like foursquare to keep people updated plus picking up tips.

The trip will be visual- I’ll be using the photo sharing network, Instagram to give people a flavour of the hostels I am staying in and what makes them unique.

So it’s real-time, social travel trip.

Plus they will be videos from each hostel and destination on Youtube channel and the BudgetTraveller blog.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be researching the best upscale hostels across Europe.

I’ll be asking people for tips and ideas.

Please email me your tips at europebudgetguide AT gmail.com and feel free to leave suggestions for hostels on my Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/EuropeBudgetGuide

Thanks for the opportunity to introduce myself Josh and look forward to hearing from you soon:welcoming: