Hostelzoo.com, hostel price comparison website, opens own backpacker hostel on tropical island

After relocating their HQ to one of Australia’s hidden gems, Great Keppel Island, Hostelzoo are returning the ex backpacker haunt to its former glory with Australasia’s most exclusive island hostel: Hostelzoo Island Eco Backpackers!

Operating hostels and working in the travel industry for over two decades, Hostelzoo knows what makes a hostel special. As the only backpacker-style accommodation in the Keppels, Hostelzoo Island provides new opportunities for travelers looking to get off the beaten path and unwind with a genuine island experience.

Hostelzoo Island is set within an ex-YHA property, known as the GKI Holiday Village. The Village is totally self-sufficient, generating its own electricity and relying on rainwater for living needs. Guests will experience the best of this rustic beach community, while living alongside nature in the island’s sandy surrounds.

The hostel is all about simplicity, accommodating only 12 travelers in two six-bedded dorms. Hostelzoo’s focus is on the backpacker experience instead of a ‘bums in beds’ mentality. With such limited numbers, it’s certainly not intended as a money making venture but as an opportunity for intrepid travelers to get access to what they’ve been missing on the East Coast backpacker trail.

The island has everything the independent traveler requires for their castaway adventure. Activities include wandering 17 secluded white sand beaches, swimming in crystal-clear tropical waters, exploring reefs teeming with marine wildlife and miles of bushwalking tracks.

Hostelzoo founder Scott Ryan said that there had been a lot of misinformation on the backpacker trail about the island. “Great Keppel used to be a popular backpacker haunt but after the closure of the island’s major resort, most people believed that the entire island had closed. These rumours really affected the island’s local accommodation providers. In reality, this place still has a great traveller vibe and we want to share it with as many backpackers as we can.”

Hostelzoo Island is now open and accepting bookings through their price comparison website at Hostelzoo.com. For more information or to contact Hostelzoo Island directly, visit gkibackpackers.com.

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GuideGecko Releases ‘Cheatsheets’ for Backpackers

Just in time for the traveling season, backpacking got a lot easier. GuideGecko, the world's leading publishing portal for travel guides, just released its first batch of official 'Backpacker Cheatsheets'. © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Just in time for the traveling season, backpacking got a lot easier. GuideGecko, the world’s leading publishing portal for travel guides, just released its first batch of official ‘Backpacker Cheatsheets’. Comprising two highly condensed PDF pages, each Cheatsheet suggests backpackers exactly where to go, how to get there, where to sleep, what to see & and do, and everything else the traveling nomad needs to know.

Cheatsheets are available for free download from http://www.GuideGecko.com. The first batch covers Thailand and Bali as well as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam and even Burma/Myanmar. The popular backpacking destinations of Australia and New Zealand are also included. For the more adventurous, there is a 4-6 weeks itinerary for Indonesia from Jakarta to Kelimutu.

“While every traveler researches his own trip, 95% end up on the same itinerary. Our Cheatsheets save you time, while giving you options to explore along the way”, says Dr. Daniel Quadt, Chief Backpacker at GuideGecko.com: “Each Cheatsheet is a whole guidebook packed into a double-sided print – the font-size is optimized for the young backpacking crowd.”

More Cheatsheets for South America and other destinations will be released in the coming weeks. GuideGecko also encourages backpackers to send in updates to keep the free Cheatsheets up to date.

All Cheatsheets are available at: www.GuideGecko.com/backpacker-itineraries.

About GuideGecko

GuideGecko is the world’s leading publishing platform for travel guides, offering more than 2700 guidebooks on 169 countries and 270 cities and regions around the world.

GuideGecko offers worldwide travel guides for the iPhone, Amazon Kindle and on the web. All guides are independently researched and written by professional travel writers from around the world.

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