Hostels

Flashpacking hostels are a whole new breed of places. They cost a little more but theyve got trendy style and are seriously upmarket. Even flashpacker is a new term, and it means people traveling with ipods, digital cameras and laptops. They blog from the road and look for wifi. Technology is the key word and they want more comfort to go with it.

These niche market hostels are popping up in larger cities around the world. They are excellent for couple because many of them offer private rooms. They are modern, look like they were furnished with the nicest Ikea style furniture and comes with more amenities than some hotels. The Boutique in Cape Town was decorated by artists and the room are very slick indeed. Expect trendy German modern in Berlin at the Hi-Tech Hostel, whose name goes straight to the point. Its almost futuristic on the inside and gets very hip guests. In Japan, hostels are managing to mix technology and the traditional and the results are charming if not cheap. SInce nothing is really cheap in Japan staying anywhere will take a good sized bite out of the wallet. One place in Stockholm had a great idea. They took an old cruise ship, docked it permanently and converted it into a techno hostel. Its sort of cheesy and cool all at the same time and you can pretend youre really at sea.

As mentioned before, these places are bargains, but if you want the feel of a hostel and being able to pick up and move when you feel like it but stay attached to the rest of the world via the internet, these places are a great compromise.