Posts
…..home exchange, travel, tips & tidbits …& maybe some recipes or shopping bargains from a mature, young at heart, traveller whose wings have been clipped by the GFC (Global Financial Crisis), but who lives in hope of still having fun & enjoying life….but almost certainly on a budget. Fun is fun….no matter the cost. There are bargains, deals & ideas out there to benefit us all.
Well….the best laid plans etc…..here I was, all ready to start my blog with a visit to Melbourne with lovely Mr Fox, when out of the blue, he needs to be rushed to the local hospital’s emergency department & ended up having major emergency surgery in the wee hours of the morning!!!.....now, I really couldn’t expect him to spend 2 days sharing the drive from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne after that….& sitting on the plane for 3 hours is not an option either…never mind…maybe we will be able to make it for a week or ten days, instead of the 3 weeks we had organised. Time, & healing ability, will tell!
One of our sons lives in Melbourne with his family, but if we visit for more than a few days, we do like to ‘do’ our own thing, but can still see them most days….& I’m sure they appreciate having some space, too. A couple of years ago we had a great home exchange in East Brunswick, only around 10 minutes from our son’s home & so well located. The tram…love Melbourne’s trams…was only a short walk away…. so easy to go to St Kilda one day or the city the next…without the hassle of negotiating city traffic…altho’ we did drive down, so had our vehicle available for travelling further afield….when the GPS was just invaluable….don’t you love it when she says…’if possible, do a U turn’??? (Happened a few times!!!)
This time, we had a home exchange organised for an apartment in Melbourne’s Southbank….what a spot, so central…we could have just walked to the city & we were so looking forward to regularly visiting the Victoria Markets & buying all sorts of yummy goodies to take back to our apartment & whip up a gourmet feast…or maybe just a tempting antipasto platter to indulge in whilst sipping a zesty wine & gazing at the Yarra…oh sorry, where was I?…..and we were going to be able to take our small dog with us as our home exchanger was flying up to the Sunshine Coast with her own 4 legged companion….another great saving if pets do not have to be boarded out while we swan around enjoying different climes!
Of course, now that our holiday plans have so suddenly changed, the lovely lady whom we were exchanging with has had her plans disrupted too, so, as to not upset her plans too much, we have offered her & her dog, ‘Bolly’ the use of our guest room, & this way, we get to meet them both & they can still have their holiday.
We have done 14 plus home exchanges & never had a problem like this (altho’ Canadian exchangers once informed us that they had just sold their home (!!!!!!!!!!***) but they bought again before we arrived…thank goodness, as we had already paid for our airfares
You will have noticed that I have mentioned ‘home exchange’ several times & this is the secret ingredient of most of our travels….when there are no accommodation costs it really does make such a difference. We have been able to spend weeks in France, (4 times) USA, Canada & New Zealand for a very reasonable sum, while having all the comforts of home & knowing that OUR home….& our dog, are being well cared for. And of course, one usually exchanges cars as well…so another big expense taken care of.
OK….now I have officially started my blog &, fingers crossed, it will be of some interest to someone out there…I’ve enjoyed it so far….next instalment soon….hopefully reports of Mr Fox’s improved health, how does our Melbourne lady fit into the household & most importantly….will the 2 canines get on together?????
