Hostel.com is the place to find cheap sleeps on the road

I love to travel. And for me one of the essentials for traveling is getting a decent, cheap place to lay my head. I don't need a 3 or 5 star place to hold up in. I just need a place to sleep for 8 hours, take a shower and maybe catch a nap, if the caffeine wears off. If I spend more than 11 hours a day in my room I am doing something wrong. So when I found Hostels.com, I knew I had stumbled upon a little slice of traveler's Heaven.

At Hostels.com one can search for hostels and other cheap places to stay, around the world. The front page claims they list more than 26,000 places to book. All that is required is for you to pick which country and city(ies) you plan to travel to and when and helpful booking app on the front page does all the work. After a few moments it spits out a list of available hostels and other cheap places. It lists what kind of rooms are open and how much the rooms cost. You can book the rooms right then and only pay a 10% fee of the total cost. The balance is due when you check in.

CAUTION:Each place has terms and conditions, so you would be wise to read them. For example, one of the two hostels I booked in Washington D.C. does not take cash, and I must confirm my reservation 24 hours in advance, or I lose the room. Also check here for check-in times.

For each of the hostels I booked I was given clear directions on how to get to them, either by train, plane, bus or Metro. Also included where photos of the place, of staff and former guests. More importantly there was a section where former guests rated the hostel. Most seemed to like the hostels I booked, but it seemed almost every bad review was from a fellow American. I am not sure what to make of that. There was also a star-rating system for such things as Character, Security, Location, Staff and Cleanliness. For me the most important consideration is security. There is nothing worse than a fellow traveler who steals. 9 times out of 10 if some asks I would be happy to buy them a meal, or lend them a couple of bucks for beer, or a ticket to their next destination. But that is neither here nor there.

So if you are planning a trip here in the good ole US of A, or Asia, or Europe, or Africa, or South America, Hostels.com is the place to find a decent, cheap place to lay one's head.

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Cathay Pacific Spreads the Love to Economy Class

In welcomed travel news Cathay Pacific has made considerable changes to economy class on its flights serving San Fran, The Big Apple and L.A. According to Sean O'Neal at the Travel Tips section on msnbc.com Cathay Pacific has installed new seats which "have a hard-back shell and slide forward as they recline . . . and the entertainment library for . . . coach as expanded to include more than 100 movies, 350 TV shows, and 900 music CDs."

Now that is CHANGE I can believe in.

These improvements should take off the edge from what can often be rather bumpy flights, to and from Asia, at least in my experience. Cathay also offers a virtual tour of not only economy class, but first class and business class.

If only the other airlines would spread the love to economy class that would make life traveling a little better

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Traditional Chinese Music and Instruments

Check out traditional Chinese music and instruments. Here in Oregon you can go to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. They have an ensemble on Thursdays from 11am till 2 pm, as well as, on Sundays from 2:30pm till 4:30pm. Listen to a luiqin-a small guitar like instrument shaped like a tennis racket. One of my favorites is the er hu-a two string instrument which i thing sounds very sad.

While there enjoy traditional Chinese tea or cha as it is known in China. If they have Tie Guan Yin give it a try. It is a green tea but light and refreshing.