What can you do, then, when you don’t have a lot of money to spend on hotel accommodations? One option that travelers to the city have been taking advantage of for ages is a reservation at a local hostel.

Although most commonly identified with young people wandering from place to place on extended group vacations, hostels are actually for adults — and sometimes children accompanied by adult guardians — of any age.

Two excellent hostel options for the budget conscious right here in Boston are managed by the well-known non-profit organization Hostelling International (HI). Travelers can select from either the Back Bay or the Fenway location, both of which offer private rooms, in addition to the traditional shared rooms, at a higher but still bargain price.

As of this writing, members of HI who stay at the Back Bay hostel can reserve a single bed in a six-bed room for $27.99–$44.99 per night, while HI members who choose the Fenway hostel can reserve a single bed in a three-bed room for $36–$45 per night.

For those who can’t tolerate or don’t want communal sleeping arrangements, private rooms are available for HI members at a cost of $69.99–$99.99 per night at the Back Bay location and for $96–$119 per night at Fenway. Non-HI members pay just $3 more per night for both types of accommodations if they prefer not to join the organization for a very reasonable and nominal fee.

To learn more about the unique traits of HI hostels in Boston — for example, identification requirements, reservation procedures, check-in and check-out policies, limitations on visits, sharing of common areas, storage and laundry options, perks such as complimentary breakfasts included in the bed prices, and getting the most out of the travel benefits offered to guests — visit the HI Boston Hostels website.

Incidentally, on the one occasion long ago that I had to travel to Boston and secure well-priced sleeping arrangements, I used craigslist and lucked out with spectacular, cheap accommodations by subletting a room for a few weeks. It was in the two-bedroom condo of a woman I didn’t know who was never home — she had gone to work every morning when I got up and came home late each night and went straight to bed — and was about to move out after her former roommate had already left.

The arrangement didn’t bother me because Boston and surrounding areas truly comprise a college environment filled with lots of people renting and subletting housing via the craigslist website. I was traveling with someone then, however, and I also had the benefits of planning far in advance and being extremely familiar with the area beforehand.

If the absence of funds forces you to go the craigslist route, tread very, very carefully. While I’ve never heard of anything horrible happening, it never hurts to be hyper cautious and super aware. Hostels managed by Hostelling International seem like a better, safer, more reliable, and less stressful bet.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

Red Sox Nation was a great place to be on Tuesday, April 8, as the 2007 World Series Champions celebrated past, present, and future excellence at Fenway Park with this year’s Home Opener, the 108th in team history. The Sox won the game against the Detroit Tigers, of course, managing a commanding final score of 5–0.

One of the day’s biggest stories, however, was reserved for a member of the team 22 years ago. On October 25, 1986, the Boston Red Sox led the New York Mets three games to two when the teams met for the sixth game of the best-of-7 championship.

Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball to first base in the bottom of the 10th with the Mets just having tied the score, and Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner failed to stop it. Instead, the ball rolled right through his legs, an error that many directly attributed to the Mets’ eventual World Series win after the following required seventh game. Sports being sports, the backlash from both fans and the media was immediate, intense, and relentless.

Tuesday, Boston and Buckner seemed to finally overcome that painful incident when the retired player was feted as a champion as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game. The accompanying warm reception and lengthy standing ovation was a nice symbol of why Boston is a great place to live and visit.

Take a look at select local coverage of Tuesday’s Home Opener festivities after the jump.

NOTE: If you require closed captions, you can enable that feature on the video players by clicking the CC symbol in the top right-hand corner.

Post from: The Boston Traveler