from home." Many guests leave as friends and the contacts remains for years after." -Claudia, C and N Backpackers So You Want To Start A Hostel? The hostel movement started in Germany in 1907 but became popular during the 1920's as a way of promoting peace and world understanding as well as communing with nature with a view to protecting the environment, promoting healthy exercise and camaraderie among other backpackers. It is no wonder that the first hostels in Canada began in the Canadian Rockies. Today hostels are found all over the world. Collingwood, Ontario: the former Blue Mountain Auberge Hostels can be inns, budget bed and breakfasts, farms, residences, retreat centres, hospitality homes, camps campgrounds, or houseboats. There's an ice house hostel, a school bus hostel, a tepee hostel, an old jail, a hostel in rail cars, renovated motels, historic buildings, revamped hotels, a Presbyterian camp, an eco-centre, a white water rapids hostel; the list goes on. You might own a building that could serve as a hostel, perhaps your own home. Nanaimo International Hostel The rule of thumb: are you zoned for the purposes intended? Check with your local municipality is to the rules. Best bet is commercial zoning. Ottawa Backpackers Inn, Ottawa, ON Any changes to your structure will require building permits, fire inspection, and even a health inspection. the former Mabou Hostel, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia You may see a building and say "Wouldn't that make a great hostel?" Well, pretty historic buildings don't always