As I always say, the best way to experience a new place is with a local who can show you the spots that truly reflect the culture.
Well, you’re a local, or maybe you frequently vacation to the same spot, and have a wealth of knowledge that will make our trip so much more enjoyable. So I would love for you to send in your tour guide and share your favorite spots with us!
Once you start writing you won’t know how to fit everything in, so use this outline to make your list.
Here’s what we want to know:
How many days do we need to fully enjoy this place?
Where Should We Stay:
- If We’re Going All Out
- If We’re On A Budget
Your Favorite Restaurants (breakfast/lunch/dinner):
- Fine Dining
- Trendy
- Cheap and healthy
Daytime Activities:
- Shopping
- Outdoors
- Culture
- Something Unique
Nightlife:
- Lounges or clubs
- Culture (theater? live music?)
Anything else fun?
Send me your MTM Tour Guide at Mary@MoreThanMary.com.
We thank you in advance!
(Thanks to Reader Tracy for a great idea.)
As much as we all would love to stay in a nice hotel when we travel, the rate usually isn’t in our budget. The room we can afford (or the price we want to pay) is a single at The Holiday Inn Express and there is nothing fun about sandpaper sheets and plastic cups next to the sink.
So why not stay in place that feels a little more like home?
AirBnB.com lets people rent out their extra room, whether that be a room or an entire home, to travelers looking for affordable accommodations. Since affordability is all relative, the site offer everything from a room in Midtown NYC to a small island villa to a ranch estate.
Here are a few offerings featured on their site:
I know it seems like it would be a bit uncomfortable to stay in someone else’s house, or have strangers sleeping in your bed, but check out their policies before you knock it.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that part of what makes my travel so affordable is that I stay with friends all over the world. Usually I will treat them to dinner, buy groceries, clean, etc in exchange for a cozy place to lay my head. The cost of some of these rooms is equal to my expenses.
I know thousands of people are about to descend on Austin and with hotels either fully booked or inflated rates, you’re having a difficult time finding accommodations. AirBnB is ahead of the game and features rooms around big events. So in Austin, there is still availability you can compare.
This kind of reminds me of CouchSurfing.org for those of us who haven’t fully embraced our inner vagabond.
Georgina travels all over the world and exchanges her lovely NYC condo for an expansive pad in the destination of her choice.
Read her experience below. Sound like a great idea if you’re a homeowner, and with Georgina referring you to the service, you know it’s trustworthy.
georgiegirlnyc:
You’ve heard me mention home exchanges multiple times on my blog. We first got the idea from our neighbors Jess and Trevor who did a successful home exchange in Rome in 2008. They used a website called HomeExchange.com™ – the very same one featured in the movie The Holiday. We had a poke around the website and decided to give it a whirl.
You can send messages to listings that you are interested in and you will also receive messages from other people who have viewed your listing. Once we find people who are interested in an exchange, we set up a conference call with them to discuss logistics etc. A number of the places on the website are people’s second homes so you don’t even necessarily have to do a simultaneous exchange.
People often ask us if we are worried about theft or damage. And the answer is no because firstly, we are also staying in their house with all their stuff and secondly, our doorman would notice if they attempted carrying our 50 inch television out the door. The conference call also helps us to ascertain whether these people are ‘normal’. I think maybe in future we might ask for copies of passports just so we know exactly who will be staying in our home.
It sounds great and it is great. However, let’s be clear. It only works if:
- You have a nice apartment/house that other people would actually want to stay in. If you live in a shoebox studio with wallpaper hanging off the walls I think you would have some trouble convincing someone to exchange with you.
- You live in a desirable location. No one wants to go to middle-of-nowhere, New Jersey. Everyone wants to go to New York City.
There is an annual fee to list your home (around $200 I think) but other than that there are no other charges. We’ve had two really fantastic exchanges – one in San Francisco and one in Vail.
I’ve scored you discounts at two of my favorite places in the Santa Maria Valley!
When you mention MoreThanMary, receive 25% off your room rate ANY DAY of the week (with the exception of black out dates) at the Santa Ynez Inn.
While you’re out tasting at the vineyards, make sure to stop in at Tastes of The Valley in Solvang to try the latest from my favorite vineyard in the region Au Bon Climat. Print out this post and receive $7 off their best tasting – the Grand Cu (usually $25). That will pay for a tasting at another vineyard!
Read my guide for a great getaway to the Santa Maria Valley for a casual weekend of wine and fine dining here. It’s my favorite LA escape!
The Skype iPhone App is the best thing that could ever happen to a gypsy blogger traveler. (Also available on some Nokias and Windows Mobile)
Or if you refuse to get a land line in your house even though you don’t get cell service – gotta love AT&T.
(I qualify for both.)
It has been such a lifesaver while in Mexico because friends and family can text me for free and I can either call, SMS, or skype them back via Skype for pennies. If they call your cell , there is a minimal charge so you might as well pick up the phone and tell them you’re going to call them back from a number that looks like it’s a transmission from the moon.
The only catch is that you need access to decent wifi, which isn’t always readily available, but gypsies enjoying a the landscapes of the world can’t be choosers.
It’s funny, most of my tech savvy friends don’t use skype, but you know who does…mid-western families. Want to know why they are in the know? One word: Oprah.
The App is free so I suggest you just download it and buy the minimum $10 credit. I guarantee it will come in handy.
And btw, if you don’t have Skype on your computer, you’re a way behind. That’s ok, just jump on the freight train now so you can sit with the connected kids (and mommies).
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but drugstores are stocking an even larger inventory of travel-sized products these days. Recently I picked up Christophe shampoo and conditioner and a Redken hair mask to keep my locks silky smooth while in Mexico. I felt like I had scored big time because I had never seen these two products in small bottles. AND, I had always wanted to try out them, but wasn’t ready to throw down double digits on a test drive.
Here are a list of their current brands, but I expect their selection to grow.
Many stores are catching on, but until then, plan ahead or browse on 3floz.com. You might fall in love and go back for the big bottle!
Planning a trip to a place you’ve never been isn’t easy. So here are a few websites that will lighten your load in terms of research and scheduling.
Zicasso.com allows you to enter in your destination and budget and then generates a list of things you might like to do.
Once you’ve booked all of your reservations, forward the confirmation emails to TripIt.com which will generate your itinerary that you can share with friends via Google Calendar, G-Mail, LinkedIn, and a few others.
Neither site is very pretty, but they do a great job as you’ll see in their user reviews.
Safe travels!
(Photo via)
After a crazy four days in Vegas, I’m escaping to my favorite LA getaway, The Santa Ynez Inn just north of Santa Barbara in the wine country. You remember Sideways right?
Well, I was coming out here long before the movie (which did not feature the beautiful inns and quaint restaurants that take your breath away.) Because I’ve been coming here for years, I’m friends with the manager and his wife, so it will be fun to catch up.
I’m going to post pictures of the scenery, vineyards, and towns so you can see what’s only 2 hours away from your front door in LA.
Tomorrow I’m shooting another episode of Life Experiment (which to me is equally as scary, but hopefully not as painful as the taser.)
Ok, off to crack open a bottle of white, send in changes to my programmer, and take a load off for a minute. (Santa Ynez Inn room provided at a friend rate which I am more than happy to translate to a “media” rate. You are going to love this place!)
Here are the Tweaker speakers I mentioned on my last minute gift guide the other day. Mike brought them on our road trip and the sound is pretty good. Plus, they look cool (always a bonus). For $20, it’s a great gift.
