A while ago TimesOnline published a list of Europe Top 10 Boutique Hostels. The list is based on ratings on HostelBookers.com.

Few ratings may have changed meanwhile, but here’s the list as of last June:

Lisbon Lounge, Lisbon

Red Nest Hostel, Valencia

Miss Sophie’s Hostel, Prague

Mandragora Hostel, Budapest

Mleczarnia Hostel, Wroclaw

Greg Tom Hostel, Krakow

La Controra Flashpackers Hostel, Naples

Langholmen Hostel, Stockholm

St Christopher’s, Berlin

Centric Point Hostel, Barcelona

Mleczarnia Hostel, Wroclaw

The first thing to notice is that more and more hostels are catering for flashapackers. The one in Naples has the word “Flashpackers” even in the name. The old days to stay in an hostel meant to go for the cheapest accommodation, no frills, no privacy, and of course no luxurious extras like a flat screen TV. The Flashpacking phenomenon is really growing, and hostel owners are aware of it.

To me it was striking also how many of the best hostels are located in East Europe. Out of 10 hostels 2 are in Poland, 1 in Prague and 1 in Budapest.

While Prague and Budapest are acknowledged tourist capitals, Poland is not often mentioned as a tourist destination. That means that while Prague is already boosting with tourists and prices are getting more expensive, Poland still offers a lot of jewels virtually tourist free and with very affordable prices.

Wroclaw, Market Place

Warsaw, Krakow Gdańsk and Wroclaw just to mention the most known destinations, still offer luxury for the flashpacker at very reasonable rates. There’s plenty of culture, architecture, history and gourmet food to be discovered. Have a look at few cities here for example, and get ready to discover one of Europe’s best kept secret.

Low season often means less tourists around and cheaper prices, allowing the Flashpacker to pay good accommodations at sometimes even half price, and overall to have a better lifestyle spending a lot less. Low season often means also that it’s easier to get to know ans chat to the residents, who won’t be overwhelmed by hordes of tourists.

Good news is that low seasons vary throughout the year from destination to destination. And low season in many tropical places doesn’t mean no sunshine or miserable weather. In many locations in South East Asia for example, the rainy or wet season is not at all monsoon season, it simply involves having a refreshing one-hour thunderstorm in late afternoon.

And as we are now in September, how not to mention Ramadan? Many less-savvy tourist would avoid Muslim countries anyway, unaware that most people therecan be extremely friendly and tolerant. More good news; because of the apparent lack of activities, prices during Ramadan are slashed down. Non-tourist shop are indeed closed during the day, but that is not necessarily a problem if you have a beach where to lie down. Touristic joints would be open anyway, so you won’t starve during the day. And at night.. it’s a feast of Ramadan food markets.

Alcohol? Unless you go to a very strict Muslim nation many countries are very tolerant indeed, even when it comes to something so far from their culture. It’s never difficult to spot a local bar, usually frequented by expats and tourists. Probably not the best place to have a chat with a resident, but still you can have your booze without getting into trouble.

If you want to Flashpack then, saving money but not renouncing to a nice hotel room, Ramadan can be one of the best times to visit some tropical Muslim destinations.

A couple of examples? Indonesia and Malaysia are two predominantly Muslim and tropical countries, both blessed with gorgeous beaches. And during Ramadan the already cheap prices will be even lower, allowing the Flashpacker to afford even to stay in nice hotels for the price you’d pay in an hostel somewhere else.

As we mentioned already Lombok is a very good Flashpacking alternative to Bali, and Langkawi (pics above), at the border between Thailand and Malaysia, is a great alternative to the superbusy (and more expensive) Phuket.

If you read about that perfect, secluded, off the beaten track destination on a guidebook remember there are thousand and thousand more that like you read and are going to read that same page.

Finding destinations not yet full of tourists, and as a consequence with a still original culture and cheap prices (remember Flashpacking is not only about having a big budget) is getting more and more difficult. Internet if you avoid LonelyPlanet and similar websites can be very helpful. Here’s how Escapework.net sees it. India (Goa in particular), Thailand and the Caribbean are no longer the realm of the itinerant traveler.

Arrive at Angkor Wat expecting to find a serene of calm and you are likely to be trampled by ten-of-thousands of Western (especially French) tourists.

If Prague was the new Paris, Tallinn became the new Prague, then did Riga, Krakow and Budapest…..Kyiv, Sofia and Belgrade are next in line.

Sounds familiar? Well then you might want to consider the Hotlist (in no particular order).

1. Kyiv – a beautiful city that is full of history: Looking to the west whilst retaining the prices of Eastern Europe.

2. South Korea: a country virtually untouched by travelers, yet offer so much. The author visited here in 2004 and was still viewed as a curiosity.

3. Nicaragua: Now thankfully devoid of the political turmoil’s of the 1990’s, Nicaragua is a top surfing destination.

4. Colombia: Shedding off its dangerous tag, Colombia offers everything South America has in a nutshell, with some of the most hospitable people on the planet.

5. Rwanda: Forget your preconceptions of this place; it is not what you think. Africa’s first wireless nation is being bankrolled and cherry picked by some of the World’s corporate giants. Go now before it is overrun. THE place to see Mountain Gorilla’s in the wild.

6. Northern Ireland: Again, forget your preconceptions. Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK and Belfast has a thriving nightlife…the only problem is the lack of hotels!

See full article here. UPDATE: Unfortunately the link (and website) doesn’t seem to exist anymore. You can still let us know your thoughts though in the Comments section below.

Pictures from Stuckincustoms.com

We often mentioned how you don’t necessarily need a big budget to go Flashpacking around the world, if you know how and where to find sweet alternatives to mass tourism destinations.

In this first post about Flashpacking Destinations we want to reveal a nice alternative to the famous and exotic dream destination Bali. Located just beside Bali, Lombok is often defined as an “unspoiled Bali”, or a “Bali 20 years ago”.

You can find there the same fantastic beaches, great culture (even more actually as in Bali the main religion is Hindu, while in Lombok you can visit Hindu temples but Muslim mosques as well) and nice Indonesian food (Lombok means actually chilly pepper in the local language, Sasak).

What you’re not likely to find in Lombok though are the mass of tourists that are in Bali and the expensive prices for accommodation and meals. That is if you don’t visit Lombok in July and August, when most of the tourists are there (and a good part of them coming for 2-3 days trips from Bali).

15 to 45 minutes by boat from Lombok you have the three Gili Islands,Which are the typical postcard picture Islands, with crystal clear waters ideal for snorkeling and diving and no cars or motorbikes (only means of transportation are bikes and cidomos, tiny horse-carriage).

The north part of Lombok instead is a bit hilly and cooler and you can enjoy stunning views of terrace rice fields and coffee plantations.

You can reach Lombok by plane or speedboat from Bali, or if you want to skip Bali altogether Silkair (the low cost sister company of Singapore Airlines) flies directly from Singapore and Merpati Airlines directly from Kuala Lumpur.

For excursions, diving tours and accommodation we recommend go2Lombok.com, as part of what you pay goes to schoolkids in need.