by Ricardo

Last July I posted an introduction to CouchSurfing.com, an organization that connects travelers with (if only temporarily) anchored people – people with an extra room or couch to offer you while you visit their town and country. The pros to CS were pretty obvious: a free place to stay a night or two with people who share your lifestyle – not unlike staying over at a friend-of-a-friend. And for the host, it’s being able to meet others. The cons may be that two days stay isn’t enough, or that if you’re nomading you might need to take over a place, or be less sociable while you focus on your work. For the host, your hosting out of the goodness of your heart, since no money changes hands at CS.

But let’s say your travel budget isn’t so lean. Or, that you have a nice extra room you’d like to make some money on.

A friend of mine recently turned me on to Airbnb.com. Unlike CouchSurfing.com, which is a quasi-nonprofit organization, Airbnb.com is about commerce. They link people with extra rooms, bungalows and apartments, with folks who are seeking their own space – and are willing to pay for it. But unlike traditional B&Bs, which are operated as primary business, the people at Airbnb.com allow only private parties to use their services. Like CS, they act as intermediaries (or even emissaries of goodwill) between those who wish to make a little money on their guest accommodations, and those who want something more than a couch or room space. And, if you believe the well produced video introduction to Airbnb.com, you can be slumbering in anything from a well appointed penthouse to a rustic tree house, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.  As for price, it’s not always super cheap – but definitely reasonable. For example, a night in Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA), a sort of well-healed destination, will run you anywhere from $35 (private room) to $400 (3 bedroom house), with most people offering their places between $80-$125.

Like CS, Airbnb.com offers a complete profile of the accommodation, the surrounding area, as well as about the host – which is very important since you’ll be staying in someone’s private residence rather than a business. There’s also a review section for you to consider the experiences of past guests. And for the host, they get to review your references. You know, to make sure you’re not a total whacko.

In this economic recession, being able to offer up your extra space for some extra cash so that others can have a bit of home comfort while they’re on the road or nomading seems like a winning combination.

Have you got some experiences to share about Airbnb.com or other similar people-hosting service?

Photo: A room at Janela de Marcia in Florianopolis, Brazil. An example of an Airbnb choice.

This post was bought to you by Flight Centre who will help you find cheap international flights out of Australia to all parts of the world.

By Peter Lavelle, a specialist foreign exchange broker for Pure FX.

Planning to relocate? Then one of the most important things is to get the best deal on foreign exchange before you go. This after all can mean thousands in foreign currency won or lost depending on the exchange rate!

To get the best deal when you transfer money then, be sure to take into account the following things:

1. Don’t use the banks. Banks are non-specialists in foreign exchange, and so rarely offer the best rate.

2. Look for a specialist currency broker. Brokers help people send money abroad on a daily basis, and so are much more likely to offer a good deal.

3. Plan the transfer in advance. Research sending your funds as far in advance as possible, so that you’re not caught with a bad rate once the deadline arrives.

4. Watch out for commission. You shouldn’t have to pay extra fees, so make sure you deal with a company that charges 0% commission.

5. Receive confirmation. Ask your broker for confirmation that the transfer has succeeded. This gives you peace of mind.

Request a free quote

To find out more about sending money abroad, and receive a free quote from specialist currency broker Pure FX, just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. They’ll provide an exchange rate guaranteed to beat your bank.

Photo by: amalthya

by Carmen

I’ve been pretty quiet on the blog since returning from our year in Brazil and Mexico.  Don’t take it to mean that our lives have been quiet though!  The girls have another year under their belts and to my husband’s and my amazement our two oldest have reached the age to look at colleges.

There’s something bittersweet about planning a college road trip.  Of course, there is the excitement that comes with planning any travel, but there is also the sense that this could very well be one of our last trips together as a nuclear family – the realization that future trips may be with one of us missing due to conflicting schedules or new interests that include friends over family.  It’s a special time with a lot of mixed emotions.

That said, I’ve decided to blog along the way and share with you the planning that I’ve done to get this trip to happen so that for anyone looking for a similar experience, perhaps you can shorten your preparation time by following along with us.

Here are the variables for our trip:

1) We’re taking off from our hometown of Austin, Texas and heading east.

2) We’ll be camping along the way as much as possible to save money. Camping for us means tent camping.

3) We’ll have 6 people in a Dodge Caravan family van on our way up and 5 on our way down. (my husband doesn’t have enough time from work to travel both directions so I’ll be single mom for the return).

4) In addition to my husband and myself, we have 3 daughters.  The two in question will be an incoming senior and a junior.  We’ll also have our 10 year old daughter and a 17 year old German exchange student who are coming along for the sight seeing opportunities.

5) Our daughters are primarily interested in small, liberal arts colleges so that’s where we’ll be stopping.

6) In the middle of the trip we’ll take a week break to stay with family on the Connecticut shore.

Here’s what we’re taking:

1) On top of the van we are strapping 6 sleeping bags and as many sleeping pads as will fit (probably 4) in a soft container.

Inside the van -

2) Remainder of sleeping pads.

3) Bag of 6 bath towels

4) Bag of 6 sheets because nights will be too hot for sleeping bags in the south.

5) Zip lock of shower supplies

6) 3 flashlights with batteries

7) Camping lantern

Large tent

9) Two burner camping stove top

10) Kitchen supplies including one pan, one pot, one french coffee press, silverware, reusable dishes, reusable bowls, spatula, sharp knife, two larger bowls.

11) One medium cooler with one day’s supply of fresh food. (We will hope to make 2 meals each day and buy one out).

12) One roll toilet paper in case the campsites don’t have any.

13) 2 propane tanks for stove top

14) Collection of cds and dvds chosen by kids.

15) Map of US colleges, the Fiske College Guide and Colleges that Change Lives book.

16) Self created college visit evaluation chart so the girls can record their thoughts.

17) Binder containing all itinerary for trip.

18) 2 laptops (1 for my blogging and trip information, the other so that our oldest daughter can Skype with her calculus tutor.  We would take 1 laptop but my microphone has kicked the bucket).

19) Each family member will have one carry on size bag for clothes and a smaller bag of things for the car.

So – stay tuned and I’ll share with you how things go.  I’ll be uploading information on the campgrounds, wifi situations (as I’ll be working along the way), points of interest, colleges and road conditions.

And we’re off!

by Ricardo

One of the real headaches before transitioning from one place – could be home – to another location is the whole upon arrival thing. Invariably the first thing a person is going to ask themself before they even purchase their airline (or train) ticket is: “I wonder if I know someone… over there?”

Yup, having someone you already know in a foreign land that you’re about to nomad in is that bridge we all hope to have. In fact, not having any contact in a far away land is one of the prime reasons travelers hesitate to go to a new place. And doesn’t it make all the difference in the world when you do have an acquaintance over there, or even a friend-of-a-friend – one who will host you for those first couple ominous nights? Someone to show you the lay of the land before you begin to finalize your living plans for that area?

We think it does. And, so do the folks at CouchSurfing.com – a nonprofit organization.

I recently became a member of CouchSurfing. Although I’ve returned home to the USA to nomad around here for the year, all the places I wish to visit are also places I know the least about. More importantly, they’re locations that I have no first-hand contacts in. (Ironically, having just spent the past ten years nomading I have far more contacts in Asia and Europe than here in my home country.) Anyway, simply relying on traditional means of accommodations (e.g. hotels, motels, inns or even hostels) are both colossally expensive here in America and, more importantly, lack the fraternity long-term travelers and nomads seek along with access to information of the town the person is hoping to base themselves in. And what makes CouchSurfing such a find is that they really offer both the host and the visitor an abundance of profile information so that a previously unknown member will seem as familiar as an old friend you’d once spent time with on the road. (If you wanna see a real life example, check out my CS profile at: http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/tatteredbackpack). Moreover, they offer both Host and Surfer references and they have a reasonably good member verification program.

So, What is CouchSurfing?

According to “Mars,” who’s on the CS Communications Team, CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. The organization has been around since 2004, with the intent of connecting people together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. They now have more than a million people on board!

The mission of CS is to create inspiring experiences: cross-cultural encounters that are fun, engaging, and illuminating. These experiences take many forms. CouchSurfing’s initial focus was on hosting and “surfing” (staying with a local as a guest in their home). Alongside these core experiences, CS now also facilitates a growing array of activities and events.

How does CouchSurfing work?

CouchSurfing members share hospitality with one another – just like most seasoned travelers are already quite used to. And Hosts benefit from the exchange as well (they’re not offering up their couch and extra bedroom simply because they’re good Samaritans.) Hosts have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world without leaving home. (And no doubt it helps to soften the re-entry shock many long term travelers go through upon returning home.) “Surfers,” or travelers, are able to participate in the local life of the places they visit. CS also gives more people the chance to become travelers, because “surfing” lowers the financial cost of exploration.

Membership Information

Simply point your mouse over to www.couchsurfing.org and sign up! But note that the process may take a couple of weeks as they complete the verification requirement. In addition, you can shoot the breeze with other NuNomad Tribe members about couchsurfing in our Tribe couchsurfing group.

Photo: Matt Braga