I'm addicted to finding and seeing things I haven't seen before and meeting people I haven't met before. It just so happens travel is an excellent way to feed that addiction. At 18 I joined the Navy because I thought that was the only way to travel if you didn't have money. Then I discovered hostels on Magnetic Island, Australia. Soon later, I got a backpack, one-way ticket, $1,600 and flew to London and ended up spending two years living and working in Europe. This launched my career in hostels. I started Pacific Tradewinds Hostel in 1992 and later founded Hostels.com to share my passion for hostels with others. I now help others start their own hostels at HostelManagement.com.