Travel Dorks: The Hostel Life

Rishe, Travel Blogging | rishegee | January 4, 2011 at 10:33 am

Travel Dorks: Mehdy Ghannad & Grant Lingel

There are two kinds of prospective backpackers: Those who tramp around with two pairs of underwear in a backpack, sleeping wherever a bed may be, and the others, who complain about sharing a bathroom, kitchen and their beds with strangers. To the latter type we say “pussies!” Get with the program. Which program? The Hostel Life.

Mehdy Ghannad of The Hostel Life is intent on disseminating the gospel of hostels to even the most squeamish high-maintenance sorority sister. Hostels, explains Mehdy, are a place where you can meet fellow travelers from all over the world, without unnecessarily spending much-needed dough on a place where you only sleep.

Mehdy Grant Travel Dorks: The Hostel Life

Mehdy and Grant

As avid munchers of trashy reality TV, from Jersey Shore to American’s Next Top Model, Mehdy adds a new, travel-related, show to our line-up. The Hostel Life webisodes, created and hosted by Mehdy and written and produced by Grant Lingel, are fun short clips illustrating hostel fun to even the most skeptical hostel-hater. The pilot episode shows a traveler leaving behind the imprisonment of his corporate desk to the exhilarating, fun world of travel, hostel-style. Filmed in Colombia, Mehdy and his crew show that hostels can be safe, clean, a gateway to meeting others and contribute to breaking down existent cultural stereotypes. The mission of The Hostel Life is to show the world that we are all pretty much the same and if we spent more time concentrating on what we have in common than what divides us,, anything is possible.

Aside from videos and a great photo section, The Hostel Life is bursting with useful links. Mehdy has partnered with hostels from all over the world and linked us to the best in his hostel friends section. You can even book hostels directly from his site, making things nice, easy and perfectly travel-dorky. Mehdy’s on a mission and he’s pretty pumped about it.

Mehdy and his team have plenty planned for 2011. Webisodes will feature unusual destinations, far from the typical, educating would-be travelers in budget travel and encouraging audience participation to set the itinerary. With plans to check out every local festival, market and village from here to Harare, things are bound to get much dorkier soon. Swallow your hang-ups and get in on the hostelling fun.