Hi there,
I’m Russ Hedge. I’m the CEO of Hostelling International USA and I’m here to spread the word on what we do and what we’re all about.
President Obama last week traveled to Florida for a major address on international tourism. A diverse tourist state, Florida is home to amusement parks and natural wonders. From Epcot to the Everglades, it was an iconic launching spot for a …
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It was a natural question for travelers having breakfast yesterday morning in the light filled dining room of the HI-Chicago hostel. I was in Chicago for two days on a separate mission: to interview candidates for a regional vice president …
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2012 will be a year of exciting change for HI-USA.  In the year ahead, we will begin to unify the operations of our 26 separate local chapters plus our national office into a single nationwide organization.  Truly, it’s a change …
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Hostels and hotels, and college-age travelers who use them, may be underestimating their role in shifting broader consumer attitudes and shaping a “green” future. That’s my takeaway from Lisa Gansky’s provocative book, “The Mesh – Why the Future of Business …
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It’s Thanksgiving morning and I am sitting with a cup of coffee and yesterday’s Wall Street Journal to read about a new entry into the youth travel market: billionaire Ronald Burkle. His private equity firm is planning to invest major dollars into …
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Long before the advent of the Internet and the globalization of travel, medals and badges on military uniforms recognized participation in campaigns and tours of duty.  A recent book, Lest We Forget, by Judith Price, assembles military ribbons, medals, badges and other …
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As part of the International Youth Hostel Federation, HI-USA has a distinctly international context for its work. The two organizations naturally share a common mission of promoting intercultural understanding. And HI-USA is connected through IYHF to more than 70 other …
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With HI-USA in the midst of reinventing itself, a recent gathering of some of its most important stakeholders – our hostel managers – took on special meaning.  And so did a YouTube video of a “guy starting a dance party” …
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It must have been on mind last weekend entering Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. I was back in my home state of Wisconsin with college friends to see the surging Brewers play the Chicago Cubs. “It” was something …
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Ben Stiller’s 2006 fantasy-comedy film, A Night at the Museum, tells the story of a security guard who discovers exhibits which come alive at night.  Children and families loved the movie (and critics mainly panned it). And some travelers like …
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