For four weeks, we swapped homes with Cora and Hans, a sweet and fun-loving couple from the Hague. We got to experience city life in the Netherlands (bikes, history, gin and very tall people), and they got to try on Southern living for a minute (heat, churches, music and hospitality). They wrote up a few thoughts about their time here in the States for me to post here. It’s always interesting to view your home through the eyes of an outsider. So take a look at what they saw.
In 2005, my family spent six weeks living in Whistler, British Columbia. My dad and brother flew, but my mother and I drove an SUV full of everything we’d need including four suitcases, three computers (remote work, ftw!), three pets, and one litter box.
This is the story of Sherra and Ashley’s Cross Country Adventure.
Spoiler alert: things get REAL WEIRD in Colorado.
Though I’ve been a few times, LA has never been high on my list of places to go. I don’t remember much from my first trip, when I was 11, or all that much from the trip I took at age 20. But I have only been back once in the last decade. Maybe the traffic deterred me. Or the timezone, so behind everyone else on a normal work day. Or my preconceptions about the plastic people. Perhaps it was the vague threat of earthquakes or the high cost of living. Or a combination of everything. Something has kept me from making the trip out there to visit friends for far too long.
Love affairs can be intense. They can be fulfilling (in more ways that one), heart-breaking, country-song-inspiring, appetite-suppressing, completely and totally engrossing. Love affairs can also be quiet, satisfying, romantic and provide much needed comfort and support.
When AirBNB first showed up on the scene, I was skeptical, not sure I was the right person for this kind of romance. But much like how Lyft and Uber seduced me, AirBNB has shown me and my family a whole new world, changing how we travel. I’ve fallen hard for the accommodation site, usually opting to rent an apartment over staying in a hotel. After staying in more than a dozen AirBNBs, I no longer think it’s just an infatuation. This love affair might be the real deal. Continue reading
Where We Stayed: In a small, no-frills AirBNB in a killer location. Ocean Park is far enough of the tourist track to be quiet and not too crowded. The apartment was in the perfect location and had everything we needed for a week vacation.
2015 was a fun travel year for us. Though we didn’t hit any international destinations,we still made our way from end of the country to the other.
