My opinion, with the evolution of the internet and
services like this one, HI is no longer a nessissary thing. years ago there was no network, no way to get opinions or views on hostels, who was good, and who was bad. HI gave you some peace of mind, back 10 years ago, I think that was needed. Now not so much, you wanna know something about a hostel, you go online, people who work there, go online, make a complaint or commend the place...go online...every bit of info you need is here on the internet, somewhere, and if you can not find it, thats why we are here, to help you.
So in the end, gettign a HI is not something you have to do anymore. there are other way to find some peace of mind.
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Ya see all you need to pick and book a hostel right at your finger tips...these TPunk links are backed by Hostelworld.com which if you have ANY problems are more than happy to help you out, and as well, using this service helps keep Travelpunk.com up and running.