Last night we had our first get-together for HI - Get Happy! This was our first one, and we plan to continue to meet up again every month. HI-Get Happy is a way to connect with other local members of the Hostelling International community during happy hour for a travel discussion group. Part of HI's mission is to gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling and HI-Get Happy is a way to meet other travelers to gain new insights and a greater understanding of our community and world. And it's fun! Last night we met up [View Full Entry]

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On May 6th, Karin led a Women Traveling Solo presentation at Portland State University. Women Traveling Solo is a travel workshop that promotes dialogue, awareness, and recommendations for women in many travel-related areas, including: *Why Travel Solo? *Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity *Safety and Health Concerns *Documentation and Vaccinations *Skills for Solo Travel *Hostels and Lodging *Packing - What To Take and How To Take It *Other Resources The workshop was at the Women's Resource Center at Portland State and there was [View Full Entry]

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Cultural Kitchens is a national program of Hostelling International and in Portland the program takes place at the NW Hostel on 18th and Glisan. Thus far, our Cultural Kitchen participants have been Girl Scout troops located in the greater Portland region. First, the scouts choose a country to study, do research, and prepare a presentation with their troop leaders. The troops are then invited to spend the night at the hostel to take part in activities including: *The night begins with a short tour of the hostel. *Then the troops begin cooking and preparing meals from [View Full Entry]

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Community Walls in Cornelius, Oregon Although this blog is dedicated to travel and hostelling, I would like to let you know about a special educational program that HI - Oregon Council has just started - Community Walls. Community Walls is a fun and educational component of Hostelling International USA’s Opening Doors, Opening Minds program that asks youth “What is it like to live in your community?” The purpose of the program is to build a new generation of global citizens *unburdened by damaging stereotypes *emboldened by open minds [View Full Entry]

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World Travel 101 This week we had two World Travel 101 presentations! World Travel 101 is a workshop geared toward the first-time traveler planning a trip abroad. This workshop is a signature Hostelling International USA program, and has been offered to a variety of groups and individuals across the country. The World Travel 101 (WT101) workshop is presented by an experienced traveler and its curriculum is designed as a "how-to", including tips on: *budgeting for your travel *packing *finding accomodations *managing health issues *cultural behavio [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to the HI-USA, Oregon Council's Travel Blog! This, our first posting, is an introduction to the travel blog and is intended to offer a taste of things to come in this forum. This blog is developed and will be maintained by the volunteer efforts of members of the HI-Oregon community. As such, it will offer a window into activities in the Portland area, the Pacific Northwest, and the world. Hostelling is educational travel, local and global, using hostels and programs to facilitate interaction between travelers and community members, and to promo [View Full Entry]

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