"Adventures in Hostelling" Writing Contest

Winning Stories

Page 1 :: Page 2 :: Page 3 :: Page 4 :: contest info

The World Frames Us

It is possible that the whole of any backpacker's story sits perfectly framed on a hostel wall in Berlin. Passing through the hallway, I see Linda Moe's words sitting in the picture frame, "I wish you have. I wish you would."

The time frame begins at 8:39 p.m. and lasts until Sorrento's sunrise begins without me. I get up to throw on my backpack and head to Paris but the bed frame squeaks out loud. It's just a reminder… to remember this place.

I hope to remember that night when I met Mark. He'll tell me stories from our hostel about prayer flags on Mount Everest or long necks in Thailand. He'll remind me of Jess and Simon, laughing on balconies and catching trains. He'll remind me of Beata and Jimena sipping wine under the Tour Eiffel. He'll remind me of Devon, telling stories of Australia to Rashid at 6 a.m.

He'll remind me of the frames: the picture frame in Berlin, the squeaky bed frame in Sorrento, and the sweet, sweet time frame of our lives. And at the end of the day, he'll remind me that the world frames us.

This is why I hostel. So I can remember the world.

by Nicole Eryan
Closter, New Jersey
HONORABLE MENTION

(untitled)

I was desperate. After a week in Bangkok without meeting travel partners, I had resorted to doing things like asking strangers for their lighter when I already had one in my pocket. Alas, this brilliant strategy failed me and I decided to jump on a bus down to the Thai Islands solo.

Arriving in a new town, I was exhausted, dirty, and clueless. I headed to an internet cafe and noticed a young lady next to me. Overcoming my anxiety, I asked her if she knew any good hostels. She casually replied, "Actually, the place I'm staying is great, and my roommate just left this morning. Why don't you stay with me?"

I wasn't used to this level of friendliness. I had been a New Yorker only a week ago. Was she going to rob me? Did she want to sleep with me? Both? I had no time to collect my thoughts. I was whisked away to the hostel bar in the company of my new roommate and her friends.

She introduced me around to the entire UN-like conglomerate of new people, and before I knew it I was learning how to toast in six languages. My roommate retired early, and when I woke up the next morning she had already left. At breakfast, I ran into a few of my new friends from the night before and we planned a day together. My mysterious savior was gone, but I had just joined the cycle.

by Daniel Gold
White Plains, New York
HONORABLE MENTION

My Hostel Life

My hostel stays began in Europe during a study semester in Austria in 1985. Drawn by the price, we stayed for the camaraderie and abundance of information available through hostels.

I used my hostel book and inter-rail map to lure a cute guy I met in college on a date. Sexy! Fifteen months later we were married and on our month-long budget honeymoon on the West Coast. The San Francisco International, Point Reyes, and Seattle hostels were some of our favorite stops.

Hostels continued to frame our trip plans with our son. He has hiked the Appalachian Mountains near Galax, Virginia, stayed at an Underground Railroad stop in Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the sights of Chicago because great hostels were nearby. We have stayed in hostels for teachers' conventions and vacations in British Columbia, Costa Rica, and Ireland.

At each hostel I am amazed at the way strangers become instant friends by sharing their days' adventures/misadventures. We have taken and given advice, shared stories of home, and listened to beautiful accents spoken in the kitchens and common rooms. I have gained a deep appreciation that most people are good, no matter where they come from.

My best hostel memory is of my 14-year-old son learning that same lesson as he talked to the many international hostellers sharing our recent hostel-sponsored walking tour in San Francisco. Watching him enjoy social interaction with people from all over the world, I'm sure our love of hostels will continue through our family's next generation.

by Amy Brewer
Mendota, Illinois
HONORABLE MENTION

Due East: A Confused Girl's Quest to Self-Discovery, Part One

Drowning in a sea of pressure and debt I was on the verge of depression. In a desperate attempt to seek refuge, I made a spontaneous decision to take a weekend trip to the California coast. It was there at the Redwood National Park Hostel in Klamath, California, that the brush would clear from my destined life path, and I would finally discover what deep down I have always known -- I was meant to travel.

Kelli, the sole activist for my self-discovery, was the first person I had met at the hostel. Starting as strangers, we had soon shared our life stories. Kelli spent hours sharing with me her adventures traveling throughout Europe and of the wonderful people she had met.

All too soon, it was time for me to return to my so-far unfulfilling existence. I asked Kelli how she was able to travel the world without accumulating debt or worrying about commitments.

She answered, "Hollie, a few years ago I reevaluated what I wanted to do in life, and traveling was on the top of my list. Once YOU prioritize, you will find a way to follow your dream."

In the long, difficult week after meeting Kelli, I quit my job, withdrew from college, and sold all of my possessions. As I write this, I am loading my Honda Civic with whatever will fit in my trunk. I hear that San Antonio, Texas, is nice. I think my journey will begin there…

by Hollie Lucchesi
Chico, California
HONORABLE MENTION

Es Milu Latviju! (I Love Latvia!)

In March 2007, my husband and I traveled to the Baltic countries, and stayed at a hostel in Riga, the capital of Latvia. One afternoon I was watching music videos on the Latvian Music Channel with a hostel worker. Although most bands sang in Latvian, their music could easily have been popular in the U.S.

I liked one band so much that I bought their CD the next day, and the hostel worker translated the titles of the tunes for me. When we returned home to California, I listened to the whole CD for the first time, and was so impressed by both the music and the Latvian language, that I wrote to the band offering to do some U.S. radio marketing for them. At the time, I was planning to retire from my job as a public defender and didn't know what I was going to do with myself.

Surprisingly, the band wrote back to me, and a few months later sent me their EP with five songs in English. A year later, I'm now working with 10 bands from the Baltics, and have gotten their music placed in movies and on U.S. radio. I'm learning to speak Latvian (really!), I've reconnected with the hostel worker, and one of my new Latvian friends will soon visit me at my home.

Thanks to the hostelling experience, I've forged new overseas friendships, learned a new language, started a new career, and couldn't be happier or more fulfilled in my retirement!

by Leslie J. Bialik
Oakland, California
HONORABLE MENTION

Page 1 :: Page 2 :: Page 3 :: Page 4 :: contest info