New Guide Shows Asia Bursting With Hostels

LOS ANGELES - Sept. 3, 2014 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA, September 3, 2014—“600 Hostels in Asia: Travel Guide and Directory for Backpackers and Flashpackers,” (ISBN 978-1940866048, Hypertravel Books) by Hardie Karges, is available now at Amazon and elsewhere online.  “600 Hostels in Asia” is the first hostel guide ever compiled on the Asian region, illustrating and reconfirming the modern phenomenal spread of backpackers’ hostels around the globe.  As with previous editions in the “Backpackers & Flashpackers: Guide to World Hostels” series, it is aimed at any and all independent travelers, not just backpackers, since many backpackers have now upgraded to “flashpackers,” a more modern and tech-savvy version of the original concept.  It contains ‘how-to’ information for novices, geographical and historical information for advanced travelers, and plenty of directory listings for both, with complete specs and contact info.

Think of hostels, and you don’t usually think of Asia, but here they are, even in China, and the number is growing. The customers are not all Westerners, either.  “Hostels are all about more than just cheap rooms,” Karges explains. “Southeast Asia is the last place you’d need a hostel for cheap lodging, but here they are in full force: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and even Burma now. India has finally gotten on board, Sri Lanka and Nepal, too, and of course Japan and Korea.  A hostel is like having a bit of home with you.”  And if one of the coolest things about hostels is their social nature, then one of their most utilitarian functions is their role as a haven of security and familiarity in a very foreign land. You’ll need it here more than in Europe, America, or Australia. Yes, that means the English tongue. Yes, that means secure perimeters. And yes, that means banana pancakes (if you must).

Author Karges has traveled to approximately one hundred fifty countries over the course of forty years, much of it described in intimate detail and vivid prose in his narrative travel book, “Hypertravel: 100 Countries in 2 Years.” This is the seventh book of the ‘Backpackers and Flashpackers’ series, after multiple versions for Europe, plus the Pacific and North America.   “A happy accident of these books is that it suggests a new paradigm for travel guides, one that I would use—just the facts, and just the best places,” adds Karges.  “After all, these books are at their best when used in advance, to facilitate a hostel-based trip.  If there aren’t any hostels there, then a place just may not be worth visiting.  Wake up, America (hint hint).”

Hypertravel Books is a newly formed imprint in Los Angeles, CA, with the mission to promote smart travel.  Advise if you would like to see a PDF or paperback copy of the book for review purposes. More information is available at http://www.hypertravel.biz/, and https://www.amazon.com/author/hardiekarges/.  Karges can be contacted at hyper.travel@aol.com and 1-323-347-9003 Pacific Time.