I would SO pay $500 a night to stay at the Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya
Once again, I have gone on virtual vacation via Airbnb and have come back with an amazing find. Last time it was an upside down boat-turned-retreat, this time it’s a stately manor in Nairobi with a resident herd of giraffes!
How to pack for a 10-day trip with only carry-on bags
I am flying to Hawaii for ten days and only taking carry on luggage. I’m also not planning to wear the same clothes all week, smell funky, look awful in my holiday photos and probably fall out with anyone I’m traveling with. Nor am I planning on buying EVERYTHING when I get there (though i will buy a few key items). I packed smart and packed light, AND included all the things I’ll need for our various adventures. Here’s how…
How I travel for free with the comforts of home
We looked into renting homes when we vacationed, but it was as, or more, expensive than a hotel in most cases. We felt like we were too old for hostels, and camping isn’t a practical option in a lot of locations (New York City and Maine in February, to name a few). After a bit of internet surfing, we discovered HomeExchange.com, and whoa, it was the perfect fit for us! Free, low-key, and lets us vacation while having the use of a kitchen and a local’s expertise on the neighborhood.
If you’re interested in doing a home exchanges, here’s some info that may come in handy.
Puerto Rico’s unobtainable bathtubs
Last month I took a press trip to Puerto Rico to tour destination wedding and honeymoon venues (full Offbeat Bride post coming in a couple days!). It was a lovely trip, but I was keenly aware that many of the venues we were touring were TOTALLY out of range for 99% of my readership. We’re talking $3000/night hotel rooms, $15,000 ballrooms, etc.
Rather than get frustrated, I decided I would start taking photos of some of these lovely venues’ beautiful bathtubs so that we could all admire and be inspired. Most of these tubs are not in places most of us can afford, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t amazing!
I just found out Luke Skywalker’s Tatooine home is actually a real-life hotel and now I need to go there
I’m not sure where I’ve been for my entire life but I only recently discovered that Luke Skywalker’s home on Tatooine is actually a real life hotel that you can stay at for $10 a NIGHT. TEN DOLLARS A NIGHT to run wild in Luke’s old stomping grounds and pretend you’re looking for Sand people and Jawas, guys!
Europe on $5 a day
This is a trailer for a new book, released yesterday, called Europe on 5 Wrong Turns a Day. In it, author Doug Mack takes travel advice from classic travel book Europe in $5 a Day.
You can imagine how well travel advice from the 1960s has held up.
A Belgian B&B fit for a rogue’s gallery of guests
This week Ariel and I fawned over a little trojan horse-style B&B somewhere in Belgium. It looks like it’s the mobile home of a band of mysterious, roguish, magical minstrels. I look at its starry night bedroom and twisted-wood lounges and sigh.
“Toned-down Ned Flanders”: Hosting travelers who’ll want to come back
I’ve stayed at a bunch of places through CouchSurfing and AirBnB and I think I have a few ideas on how to make my guests leave glowing reviews (and send more guests your way!). You can call my strategy Toned-Down Ned Flanders: there’s an episode of The Simpsons where Ned lets the Simpsons borrow his beach house for the weekend. He leaves a note on every square inch of the cabin explaining how to use each thing (like “Put food in me” on the fridge). Don’t go to these lengths or risk being made fun of mercilessly on the internet, but DO share more information than you think you might have to.