Affordable Travel.... it works!

Recently I commented on the adventure of meeting new people through the Affordable Travel Club.  The other day we hosted two visitors from Richmond, Virginia who turned out to be the most delightful guests.  They arrived in the early evening and sat with us around our patio table until quite late, telling us about themselves and allowing us to do the same.  In the process we discovered that we had many things in common, among them an aversion to tours and cruises!  They too like the adventure and excitement of meeting new people through the Affordable Travel Club.  The next day we had a leisurely breakfast and then took them on a brief tour of our town and area.

Their cost for the overnight stay which included breakfast, conversation over a glass of wine and a personal tour came to $20 which is the gratuity recommended by the club.  But it is not the bargain that attracts us to this venture.  It is the opportunity of meeting new people from another part of the world.  When they left, they invited us to be sure to stay with them in Richmond which is something we might well do, never having visited this beautiful area of Virginia before.  We had found new friends and that is more rewarding than any amount of money, spent or saved, can do. 

Affordable Travel.... the unkown and the adventure

Below you see a picture of a kind couple we met in a restaurant in Adelaide, Australia who invited us to join them in their apartment for a coffee and dessert after the meal.  We accepted and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.  We exchanged family information,  stories of a our travels and discovered in the process that they had been to Canada and knew people we knew!!

That is the benefit of the Affordable Travel Club:  being open to the unexpected and then meeting people you have not expected to meet and kindling a friendship which lasts a life time. 

This week we are expecting a couple from Richmond, Virginia we have never met before.  We are excited at the prospect of a new adventure.....

Home Exchange for Seniors

A few years ago, my wife and I joined a home exchange agency specifically designed for seniors.  

Seniors who wish to travel affordably tend to join for a number of reasons:  Their children have left home and will not travel with them.  Consequently a home with one or two bedrooms is all they need to be comfortable. Being of a more mature age, these people too tend to look for exchanges in countries where their own language is spoken.  For this reason, British seniors tend to look to Canada and the USA as possible destinations.  Again, being retired, their prefered times during the year tend to be more flexible.   See the link above for "seniors home exchange".  

Barossa Valley, Australia