New Ideas for Affordable Travel

When you click on the Affordable Travel Club link above, you will discover that there other ways of traveling affordably.  Listed there you will find the names and addresses of people who are looking for house and pet sitters and those who are willing to look after your house or pet in return.  My wife and I recently looked after 4 cats in the Basque Region of France and were able to stay in a beautiful home in exchange for that service.  The cats were gone most of the time, giving us an opportunity to visit the area at our leisure.  

Traveling affordably in Australia

As part of our trip through the state of South Australia, we had arranged to stay for 4 nights with 2 couples who are members of The Affordable Travel Club.   The first two nights stayed in the city of Adelaide.  When we arrived in the late afternoon, we asked our hosts for suggestions regarding places to dine.  They suggested they would come along and join us at one of their favourite dining spots in the Adelaide Hills. It turned out to be a wonderful experience in a place we would never have been able to find by ourselves.  The quality of food was superb and the views breathtaking.  Those poor people at the Hilton or on cruise liners!  There is just no substitute for staying like this with people who know their area and are proud to show it off.

The next two nights, we stayed with a wonderful couple in the Barossa Valley, famous for its wonderful vineyards.  Again, only affordable travel enabled us to enjoy this fabulous area and savour the best shirazes we have had anywhere. 

 

 

Affordable Travel in Australia

While visiting our daughter and her family in Melbourne, we decided on a one week trip to Adelaide in the state of South Australia, giving us a wonderful opportunity to visit the city of Adelaide and explore the vineyards of the Barossa Valley, famous for their wonderfull shiraz.  We had arranged to stay with two families, two nights  in Adelaide and two nights in the Barossa Valley,  as members of the Affordable Travel Club.  The first stopover was disappointing.  While our hosts were gracious and hospitable, their home premises were anything but clean.  In fact, after our first night stay, we wondered if we should stay a second night.  However, the next stopover was totally different:  not only were our hosts friendly and accommodating, their home was impeccably clean. Our first experience, thankfully, is an exception.  Friends of ours, recently spent a month in Australia as participants in the Affordable Travel Club and came away with glowing reports of the experience.  We continued our trip to Kangaroo Island where we enjoyed the wonderful scenery and wildlife

  

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.