He’s been featured in the New York Times, Guardian, Vanity Fair & National Geographic and wrote one of the most downloaded travel guides forbackpackers, and now he’s touring Croatia for his latest edition of Luxury Hostels of Europe. Croatia, meet Kash Bhattacharya.
If you ever wanted to travel on a budget in style, chances are you read at least one of his blogs. Kash Bhattacharya is an award-winning blogger, recipient of the 2015 Travel Media Awards Blogger and Vlogger of the Year to be exact, and he is currently working on the new edition of Luxury Hostels in Europe, one of the most downloaded guides in recent times. He is currently in Croatia, and we met with him and his trusted photo/ videographer Rui Dantas Rodrigues on June 14, 2016, while they were discovering the joys of Split, on a budget, of course (and with one eye on the game since Portugal was playing against Iceland and Rui is Portuguese).
Kash just finished his two-day tour of Zadar, Split is next on his itinerary and the weekend is reserved for Zagreb. According to Kash, Zadar was the perfect way to start the journey because it was relaxed, laid back and simply stunning, with some of the best sunsets he's witnessed, and considering he’s travelled the globe, that's really saying something.
So, what is the story behind your travels?
My aim is to show that you can travel the world in style without breaking the budget. Sort of backpacking for grownups. Gone are the days when you had to sacrifice comfort to be able to afford to travel. Hostels have evolved rapidly over the last few years so now their service, spaciousness, comfort and even food are right up there with some of the best hotels. Even privacy is no longer an issue since most hostels now offer private rooms.
The last edition of your guide “Luxury Hostels in Europe” was very well accepted, will this next edition be a challenge with so many new hostels to choose from?
As I said, hostels have evolved dramatically. The thought that goes into their design and service now equals any new hotel project. Nowadays, hostels offer everything from indoor swimming pools to rooftop bars, from stylish outdoor patios to parquet floors to in-house cinemas, from tango and cooking lessons to monthly exhibitions of local artists – there is a wealth of amazing experiences to enjoy. Because of this change, and the amount of new, fantastic hostels across Europe, I was asked to embark on another journey and write the new edition, a lot earlier than I planned actually.
What kind of information can your readers expect this time around?
As always, I will show them how to spend three days in a city on a very tight budget. Recommend places to stay, best sites and places to visit and cheap eats. And when I say cheap eats, I don’t mean burger joints in obscure places but good eateries that will not break the bank and still give you a chance to taste great authentic local food. My aim has always been not only to find new ways to inspire people to travel but to also challenge the conventional ways we travel. I hope my next guidebook will be just as successful as the first one and that it will inspire a whole new generation of travellers, regardless of their age, to come and visit these amazing destinations and embrace this positive change in hosteling.
Well, Total Croatia News shared its tips on best places to see and eat in Split and Zagreb, we even tried Uber in Split for the first time (thanks Ivana for a fantastic ride for less than half the price of a regular cab), and we are sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from Kash in the future.
Before we end this article, one thing must be said. The lack of knowledge and proactivity of some of our tourism workers, especially those in managerial positions and tourist board offices is astonishing. Even though a simple Google search will reveal that Kash has been featured in globally renowned media outlets such as Vogue, NY Times, Vanity Fair and National Geographic and partnered with none other than the Lonely Planet on a few of his projects, some offices and hostels never bothered to reply to his emails, let alone offer to help in his quest to present our cities in the best way possible. It is obvious they still don’t grasp the importance of bloggers and vloggers to their own business. So just make a mental note for the future. Google is not only used to find your favourite shoe store, restaurant and betting tips or to translate a text when you’re stuck. Make an effort and Google the name of the blogger that wants to visit your town or facility. By ignoring it, you are losing an incredible opportunity to be seen by hundreds of thousands of readers across the globe who follow and trust the opinion of famous bloggers and vloggers. And yes, Google the terms blogger and vlogger if you’re still confused. Or ask the nearest teenager.
