Travel Cheap Tips #5: Hosting Exchange Students Looking back on my (almost) 30 adult years, there are a handful of decisions that have added infinite value and meaning to my life. In the top five is hosting exchange students. In 1997, two 21-year old French girls arrived at San Diego International Airport. Just nine years younger than I, [...]
Travel Cheap Tips #4: Save Money by Staying in Hostels Don't be afraid of staying in hostels — There's a way to do it smart. And, hostels are NOT just for college kids! The world’s first hostel was born in 1912. They are the brainchild of German schoolteacher, Richard Schirrmann, who wanted to help young Deutschlanders [...]
Travel Cheap Tips #3: Do a Home Exchange Vacation There's a third way to travel cheap that saves you a wad by doing things the old-fashioned way—do a home exchange vacation. Back in the day, bartering was the way most transactions went down. Neighbors swapped with neighbors, customers swapped with merchants, and everyone's wallets saw a lot [...]
Travel Cheap Tips #2: Be a Host on Airbnb or VRBO There are two sides to every story. If someone can share their space with you on Airbnb or VRBO, the odds are that you can host on Airbnb or VRBO yourself. Do you have some extra space—or are you willing to lend out your entire [...]
Travel Cheap Tips #1: Use VRBO, Homestay or Airbnb Vacation Rentals It was in the midst of a midlife transition—from conservative married at-home suburban mom to divorced bleeding heart working urban mom—that I discovered my preference for showering outside with livestock. Since my divorce, I have figured out many ways to spend less money on my wanders and stay in [...]
European Coed Spas "One Butt, Two Butts...Old Butts, New Butts" "I just drop it???," I whispered as I clutched my towel around my naked self. (Smile) "Yeessss," he whispered back as he nonchalantly spread his across the cedar bench. The last time I voluntarily bared an intimate part of my body in front of strange men was [...]
The Top Five German Stereotypes I'm not proud to admit that for my first 42 years, I bought in to most of the negative German stereotypes. It's the unconscious reason that Germany never ranked very high on my Wanderlist. In my defense, we Americans still get bombarded with a hefty dose of negative German stereotypes and history—starting with [...]
Christmas in Germany (Weihnachten in Deutschland) As my quiet American Christmas came to a close, I decided to give myself a present—time to do something I'd been wanting to do without a thought to anyone else's needs or the perceived importance of my desire. I wanted to know more about Christmas in Germany just because. I have been [...]
My Tried & True Jet Lag Tips I snuggled deep into the down comforter. I was soaring. (Little did I know I would soon be researching for some jet lag tips to preserve my sanity.) I arrived in Germany today—six weeks after returning home from my last trip to see my boyfriend. This evening we sipped on [...]
What Advice Would You Give Your Teenage Self? What advice would you give your teenage self? My 12, soon-to-be 13, girl and I embarked on a 45 day mother daughter road trip across the U.S. last summer to collect answers to this important question—and have an adventure along the way. To learn more about [...]
