Roundup of Interesting Travel and Hostel Content

Here is a quick roundup of some recent stories on the Web:

HostelHero on Indie Travel Podcast:
http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/116-playtripper-sherpa-hostelhero-jason-morris/

(Both [URL="http://www.hostelmanagement.com/Here is a quick roundup of some recent stories on the Web:

HostelHero on Indie Travel Podcast:
http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/116-playtripper-sherpa-hostelhero-jason-morris/

(Both HostelHero and Indie Travel Podcast are members on HostelManagement.com)

Buying a Cellphone Overseas Can Be Cheaper Than Using Your Own
http://www.frommers.com/blog/?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a3ec3ac40-db8a-4d10-a884-acf9ccad0879Post%3a4ea9c61e-24b6-41df-a974-94c7f37b4be1

A Concentration of Ownership Among Travel Booking Websites Raises Troubling Questions for Consumers
http://www.frommers.com/blog/?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a3ec3ac40-db8a-4d10-a884-acf9ccad0879Post%3afcf0f0a8-b84e-4e0e-ac92-dbd9d3fa5834

Expedia, Inc. owns: Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Venere.com, TripAdvisor.com, CruiseCritic.com, BookingBuddy.com, SmarterTravel.com, SeatGuru.com, AirfareWatchdog.com, and IndependentTraveler.com.

Orbitz Worldwide owns: Orbitz.com, CheapTickets.com, and RatestoGo.com.

Sabre Holdings, Inc. owns: Travelocity.com, IgoUgo.com, LastMinute.com, and the Sabre reservations system. Its Travelocity subsidiary also powers the search on Yahoo! Travel.

Priceline, Inc. owns: Priceline.com, Travelweb.com, and Lowestfare.com.

(Several of these sites target hostel keywords in search engines. The Director of IgoUgo is a member on HostelManagement.com.)

The Stock Market Climbs, the Dollar Declines, and Exchange Rates Are Now Worrisome for Travelers
http://www.frommers.com/blog/?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a3ec3ac40-db8a-4d10-a884-acf9ccad0879Post%3add514a7f-b74e-4e44-af3c-a2b2080bbf2a

India bans smoking in public places:
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2008/10/trends_we_like_india_bans_smok.html

[India] has officially banned smoking in public places, including hotels and outdoor cafés.

Smoking ban in Turkey leads to death:
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2009/07/_enraged_at_having_his.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Enraged at having his cigarettes confiscated, a customer shot and killed the owner of a restaurant in the southwestern town of Saruhanli, according to a report by Reuters earlier today.