Newsletter - January 2007

Top Features

Top 10 Travel Gadgets

We've compiled a list of the Top 10 Travel Gadgets that'll make any journey awesome.

Travellers Tips

Backpacking is a tough business. We give you the tricks of the trade you need for a smooth journey.

Ethical Travel: Carbon Footsteps

St. Christopher's guide to taking nothing but photos and leaving nothing but footprints. It's travel with a conscience.

Monthly Features

Travel Story

Backpacker's Stories from around the globe.
Travel Book

A chapter from our featured travel book.
Hot Hostels

The best St Christopher's Hostel this month.
Music Mashup

Introducing you to the European music scene.
Beds n' Bars

Find out what's the word at our hostels and bars each month.
Female Backpackers

Travelling tips for the solo-female traveller. From keeping safe to having fun, from meeting people to stories from the road.
Backpacker Bites

Tips on fitness, diet and exercise while on the road.
Sports Report

A preview of all the upcoming action, to be shown on Belushi's big screens.
Travel Tips

Backpacking is a tough business. We give you the tricks of the trade you need for a smooth journey.
Ethical Travel

St. Christopher's guide to taking nothing but photos and leaving nothing but footprints. It's travel with a conscience.

From the Editor

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2007 everyone, here's hoping that this is your year.

For those of you big on resolutions, if you've made the same resolution every year for the past ten years, maybe it's time to rethink your priorities. If you want to lose some weigh, why not work on building a positive self-image. When you like yourself you're more likely to take care of yourself. Or if it's a language you're looking to learn and you're not making any progress, consider what's being spoken around you. If you get this newsletter you've at least an affinity for travel. If you're struggling to master Spanish, isn't it about time you head off to South America for an intensive crash-course?

If it's millions your after, look at the work you're doing at the moment and realistically analyze your chances for advancement and success where you are now. Maybe it's time to strike out and try something new. Maybe you need to go back to school. Or maybe you love everything about your job and you're just going to need to accept that in your chosen field, you'll never be rich, but at least you can be comfortable. Everyday is the first day of the rest of your life. New Years day just makes it so much harder to ignore. Wishing you all the best in the year to come.

May you get exactly what you deserve; Good things.

Here at St. Christopher's we've got our own fresh starts to tackle with the departure of our much beloved and sorely missed Web Manager, Mike Hatcher. He's off to expand his horizons and seek out new challenges. In this pursuit we wish him all the luck in the world. The new Web Manager, Duncan Robertson has some big shoes to fill, but he has already begun to prove his zeal and enthusiasm for the task set before him. A new chapter has begun.

- Elissa Jordan

Great Britain was the first county to issue postage stamps, on 1 May 1840. Hence, UK stamps are the only stamps in the world not to bear the name of the country of origin.

Write around the world: Travel story

Hot Spring Heaven

Baby it's cold outside. As the thermometer drops closer to freezing, I always whisk myself away to the warm memories of some of my favourite places. Not surprisingly, one of these places is home and the great wide open spaces of Canada. This months travel story takes you on an off road journey to the natural hot springs, which are in abundance throughout British Columbia.

Try your hand at travel writing, send us your submission and if we publish it you get two free nights in a St. Christopher's hostel. E-mail travelwriters@st-christophers.co.uk

Sports

Fixtures for The New Year

With all the Christmas cheer now over, its time to settle in to some more great live sport in the new year.

There are no stupid questions, except the ones you don't ask. Especially when you're traveling. Try us at submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.

Travellers Bites

Fight the Cold

Fighting the common cold is nearly always a losing battle in January. Our staying fit n' healthy guru, James has devised a proactive and a reactive prescription for keeping the cold and flu at bay.

If there are any topics on nutrition and fitness you'd like to see addressed in this column then please let us know. James McDonald is a St. Christopher's Manager and fully certified personal trainer, he can be reached at healthy.living@st-christophers.co.uk for any questions on Health and Fitness.

Backpacking Travel Tips

Lose Weight, Not your Baggage

Looking to get in shape this New Years? Travel too much to make a gym membership worth it? Well, the solution is easy – make your next holiday an adventure tour and get all the thrills and spills you can handle while getting in shape. We're taking you through all the best mountain biking trails and trekking trails to be found in England and Wales. The trip of a lifetime may just be in your very own backyard.

Got a travelling query? Want us to help plan your trip? Want to know the best tours, countries, pubs, restaurants, hide-away gems? Just ask: submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.

Employee of the month

St Christopher's cherishes our guests just as much as we cherish our employees. Each month one special St Christopher's worker wins the employee of the month award for outstanding service. For December 2006 winner is Aaron Quinn from St Christopher's in Berlin. Rhymes, doesn't it? Congratulations, well done!!

Travel Tips for Women

Travel with a Conscience

Female TravelThere's a certain amount of guilt that comes with travelling to third world countries, pointing your camera in the face of the less fortunate, buying up cheap swag and then getting on your jumbo jet back home to relish in the memories of a fantastic trip, while safe in the luxury of your homeland. This feeling of needing to do something to help the less fortunates you encounter has spurred a huge wave of volunteer travel. For all the tips and tricks for finding the ethical trip that's right for you, read on.

We've been getting tons of info from Solo-Female travellers and we're loving it! If you've got any questions or comments you'd like to pass our way send them to submissions@st-christophers.co.uk

St Christopher's Top 10

The Top 10 Gadgets You Didn't See Under Your Tree This Christmas

This months' Top 10 List is brought to you by FosFor Gadgets. A site with some of the strangest bits and bobs that travellers who love their toys can buy.

If you've got a Top 10 to fill us in on, pass it our way, the world is full of travellers looking for the next big adventure. Send your submissions tosubmissions@st-christophers.co.uk.

Beds & Bars News

Hopefully you check your e-mail regularly, otherwise you may have missed out on Greenwich's fancy dress New Year's Eve Party. You're gonna party like it's 1984. For those late comers, you're never too late for a party when there's a Belushi's at your disposal. Head off to Shepherd's Bush on Friday January 26th to celebrate Australia Day in style.

The Digital Underground

Trying to find some new and interesting artist to get into? Feeling uninspired by the TV and Radio's constant replays. Welcome to the wireless age. Not a new concept by any means, but there's always something new to be found when you spend your days in front of a computer screen. Some of the best sites to check out for expanding your musical tastes have now arrived.

Got a question, comment or smart remark? We're here to listen, so send us an email.

The first city in the world to have a population of more than one million was London, which today is the 13th most populated city, with about 8 million residents.

Travel Book Extract

A Sarong in my Backpack

With references to Dr. Seuss, the Mekong Delta circa 1968 and Kim from Kim's Café, Ayun Halliday is clearly smoking something stronger than tobacco as she takes from boho beach to manic cities in this month's enstallment of A Sarong in my Backpack.

Buy This Book

Extracted from A Sarong in my Backpack by Ayun Halliday, published by Summersdale. Published in the US by Seal Press as No Touch Monkey! Recommend your favourite travel books to submissions@st-christophers.co.uk

Ethical travel

The Ethical Photographer

To snap or not to snap has now become the question. When travelling a consideration which must be noted is that of photography on the road. The dead, the impoverished, the victimized don't want to be photographed. Or maybe they do, but they're expecting financial compensation in return. Even those everyday people, the colourful ones that help to define what your trip was all about, may not want you to make their profile into a souvenier. When did it all get so complicated and how can you even it out?

There are no stupid questions, except the ones you don't ask. Especially when you're traveling. Try us at submissions@st-christophers.co.uk

Hot Hostel: Interesting Hostel News

The Orient Expresso Launches the oasis: A female only sancutuary

The Orient Espresso Hostel, part of our London Bridge trio has undergone a facelift. Redesigning their entire upper floor, transforming it into the Oasis at the Orient – a female friendly haven for weary backpackers who can't handle another cramped co-ed dorm. We've got the relief you're looking for.