Preface to Hostel Environment

I have decided to post excerpts from my ebook, Hostel Environment: Tales of the Barefoot Backpacker since the first twenty percent is free on Smashwords. I'll begin with the preface of the ebook.

This is neither a novel nor a book, but rather a journal as the contents are really just the ramblings, observations and thoughts of a lone traveler’s experiences in the hostel environment.  These “field-notes” were resurrected as a blog after a few years of lying dormant in a box full of memories.  It was out of necessity that this journal saw the light of day again.  I had no intention of posting excerpts from the journal on the web, but I had no choice in the matter.  The original blog was meant to be a “real time” account of an experiment that my fiancée and I had agreed upon implementing.  The experiment is a test really.  A “relationship” test if you will.  The plan is for both of us to fly to London together and then go our separate ways in an attempt to re-evaluate the direction of our relationship.  We had already been through some rough times due to the failing economy and that would have been enough to test any relationship, but we also need some time apart in a new environment to rid ourselves of all the stress and anxiety and fighting that threatens our future together.  I am going to document this experiment, without her knowledge mind you, as I roam across Europe via the network of hostels that pepper the continent.  I began a blog to share our struggles and to introduce the solution we came up with, but its debut was a bit premature.  Thusly, I had to post excerpts from my past travel and hostel experiences in order to please those who had begun following my blog.  I couldn’t very well leave them high and dry.  Not after recounting all our troubles and certainly not after I had opened up about who we are and the circumstances that led to our decision to leave it all behind to re-examine our relationship and our lives in general.  I suppose when our departure time arrives I will begin documenting that journey via the blog or it could become the second part of this book or journal as I like to call it.  I will begin this book with excerpts from the blog that brought Tales of the Barefoot Backpacker to light.  Enjoy!