Those Poor People at the Hilton.....

Recently, we spent four wonderful days in San Francisco.  The total cost of lodging for those 4 nights came to a mere $80 and that included our breakfast and a glass of wine in the evening before going to bed.  How is that possible?  It's the Affordable Travel Club that made it possible.

  Check it out by clicking on the link above.  Those poor people at the Hilton, spending maybe more than $300 a night, would never have the experience we had.  Our hosts were a wonderful couple who generously extended their hospitality to two Canucks from Brantford Ontario.  During the days of the cold war, it was a movement called "Citizen Diplomacy" that opened the doors to a frank exchange of people from the West and East in the belief that it is ordinary people meeting ordinary people that breaks down the barriers of misunderstanding between nations. Canada and the US have much in common.  But there is also a lot of ignorance and lack of understanding that keeps us  frozen in our stereotypes of each other.  Two couples sitting down for a glass of wine before retiring for the evening and enjoying a breakfast together the next morning has a way of opening up  the channels of understanding and enriching each other in ways that those poor people at the Hilton will never know.  

Dont' forget or ignore the medical insurance.....

I had a heart attack while hiking in the hills of the Basque country of France.  This was probably the best country in the world to have an attack -  We were lucky to be able to benefit from the best medical system in the world at a cost that would have necessitated a re-financing of our mortgage in the US.  The total cost of ambulance and 5 days in an intensive care unit came to a mere $15,000 Euros.  Fortunately,  I had the insurance and pre-condition statements to cover the total cost.  The moral of this message is:  Don't take a risk.  Declare all your pre-conditions, changes in drugs etc. as required by the insurance companies.  Even for a short stay, don't take a chance.  Affordable travel or home exchange gets kinds of meaningless when you have to foot as substantial  bill for medical expenses.  Several years ago, we ventured into the US for a one-day trip from Canada and had a car accident.  Luckily, there were no injuries for we had no medical travel insurance.  But what if we did have injuries and had ended up in a hospital?  It's just not worth it, at any age.

Home Exchanges don't have to be simultaneous. 

Recently we received an email from a couple in The Netherlands who wanted to do a home exchange.  Unfortunately, we had to tell them that we were in no position at the moment to consider a simultaneous exchange.  However, we suggested that they might wish to stay in our home while we are away on a trip to the Eastern provinces of Canada during the period they wished to visit.  This was with the understanding that at some future time we would avail ourselves of the opportunity to stay in their home in The Netherlands.  This would have to be at their convenience and at a time when they would expect to be away from their home.  They accepted the idea, giving us the assurance that this would work for them.   So next year they will be visiting Canada and staying in our home for a 3 week period, giving us the pleasure of looking forward to a time in the future, as yet undetermined,  when we will visit The Netherlands and stay in their home.

The point is: home exchanges do not have to be simultaneous.  We worked it out in our way and there may be other ways this could work, especially if you have a second cottage or a second home where you could stay.  The point is there are many different ways in which a home exchange can work to the benefit of both parties.

Another Travel Club Experience

We have just returned from a wonderful 4 day stay in San Francisco with a couple who belong to the Affordable Travel Club but whom we had never met before.  Today we call them "friends".   One of the most common questions asked by doubters is "How can you trust a total stranger you have never met before in your home?"   Our hosts in San Francisco had no such qualms.  Although they both work and would not be arriving home till early evening, they left the key and allowed us to enter their home and leave our suitcases before returning to the city for sightseeing.  We were perfect strangers to them and yet they trusted us implicitly.  That is what the Affordable Travel Club is all about:  trust and have that trust returned.  We spent the next four days sight-seeing and exploring this marvellous city, returning in the evening and chatting about our experiences,  waking up the next day to a wonderful breakfast and sitting around the table chatting about this and that and discovering how much we had in common.

 

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