The Advantages of Affordable Travel.

On Saturday we are leaving for a 7 week visit to Australia.  One week of our stay we will be traveling to Adelaide in South Australia to visit the city of Adelaide, tour the wineries of the Barossa Valley and  Kangaroo Island.  Four nights of that week we will be staying with two families who are members of The Affordable Travel Club.  Imagine, instead of staying in a hotel and bump into a few Australians by chance here and there, we are being hosted by local Australians and experience their hospitality in their own homes!  That is the beauty of Home Exchange and the Affordable Travel Club:  being able to experience a culture and its people, different from our own, in a way that nothing else can allow.  If you need more information, don't hesitate to contact us. It's so simple and wonderful.

Imagine....!! Twenty Dollars a night to see the world!!

Imagine visiting all kinds of interesting places in the world

Melbourne, Australia

 

Paris, France

London, England

 

That's what The Affordable Travel Club offers for only $20 a night, breakfast included!

The idea is that you join the club at about $60 a year and then select someone from the

membership list who is willing to host you.  The basic rate is $20 a night, breakfast is offered

and your host will spend at least an hour with you to help you get oriented. It is expected that

you will not overstay your welcome, the limit is usually 4 days, unless a more extensive stay

has been negotiated.  In most cases, people tend to more generous in their welcome with the

result that wonderful, lasting friendships develop.  Of course, you may get an email or phone call

from someone who asks you to host a visit.  Friends of ours are presently on a wonderful vacation

down-under,  enjoying the hospitality of friendly, welcoming Australians.  What a wonderful,

affordable way to travel and see the world.

When considering home exchange: don't short-sell yourself

We live in Brantford. one hour from Toronto and about the same distance from Niagara, Stratford etc.  We are blessed with a wonderful, historic community, cycling and hiking paths, a vantage point from which to travel to the theatre and vinyards of the Niagara and Stratford areas -  yet, we continue to ask ourselves:  "Why would anyone bother to come to our town and participate in a home exchange?"  We decided to put that question to the test and see who in the past year has expressed in interest in coming to Brantford and participate in a home exchange.  We were surprised.  The list included people from Israel, St. Petersburg, Mexico, Paris, Australia, Holland!!  We had forgotten that what may be ordinary and common-place to us, is new and interesting to others.  The things we take for granted are an inviting adventure to those who come to visit.  So, don't short-sell yourself when listing your home.

Beautiful British Columbia

Angela and I recently visited British Columbia where one of daughters lives.  We visited Kamloops and area as well as Vancouver and Vancouver Island.  Saw lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife.  Here are a few pictures taken during our trip.

 

 

The pictures above were taken on Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver.

 Everywhere you go, there is breath-taking scenery.  Vancouver is one of the most people-friendly cities in Canada with lots of space for hiking, cycling and sight-seeing.

Colonial Hanoi.... Going.... Going.... almost Gone

Here and there, when looking up to the second floor, a discerning eye will still see the neglected remnants of French architecture from the colonial period.

And this is what can happen when imagination, pride and money come together to restore and rehabilitate these almost forgotten architectural  jewels of the past.

Traffic in Hanoi: If you stop, you die.... If you run, you die....

When hundreds of motor cycles and scooters come at you from all directions, it is a hair-raising experience to try to cross a street.  The very first morning we tried it, we were nervous wrecks.  Then we realized that you just need to walk into traffic and expect people tp slow down and drive around you as you cross.  Somehow that  seems to work.  We saw no accidents or even fender benders on the streets of Hanoi.

Good Morning Viet Nam!

We have just returned from a 5 week trip to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hanoi, Viet Nam and will be telling you about experiences and travel tips that may help you to enjoy that part of the world.   The picture you see here was taken on the island of Lankowi in Malaysia and is just intended to whet you appetite!  So, stay posted, more is to come....