Hosteltrail all began with a very simple idea - to build an online identity for the smaller hostels and tour companies in Latin America who wouldn't otherwise have any online presence. Large companies are also included in the network and function as "anchors" to drive the bulk of the traffic into the website.

The unique idea of Hosteltrail is to allow every hostel and tour company in Latin America the opportunity to present themselves online through a free profile which can also serve as a stand-alone website. Profiles are then connected to an online guide which also promotes the attractions in their area and links everything together in a tight network.

Teams of writers and photographers continually travel the continent - expanding and updating the site as they go. This simple act keeps the website concise and up-to-date.

The project is self-funded and kept alive by loyal readers, supporting websites and company sponsorship. We charge no fees for the website profiles and the users of Hosteltrail are free to browse the site as well as contact the businesses direct.

The popularity of the site is growing at an astonishing rate, and in less than two years, we have risen to the top of the search engine rankings for a multitude of search terms. The entire website is built with a combination of Dynamic HTML and CSS - this ensures that the structure remains optimised for Google and Yahoo search engines. With over 70,000 views per month (Jan 2009), HostelTrail.com is now ranked in the top 0.5% of websites in the world and is fast becoming THE top resources for backpackers in Latin America.

Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Facebook Ads are all implemented to keep HostelTrail on the top of the pile. In addition to this, our teams of writers travel the continent with punchy marketing to ensure that both the online and the offline market are made aware of the project.

We are currently looking for key sponsors to enable us to keep up with the growing demand for our project. We offer businesses the opportunity to advertise on Hosteltrail.com for very reasonable rates and can place banners on any one of our country or city pages thus ensuring a targeted marketing campaign. In addition to this, companies will also benefit from being part of one of the fastest growing backpacker networks in Latin America.

If you are interested in supporting HostelTrail - whether it be through sponsorship or by helping out with any equipment, please feel free to contact us!