Comments on: Top 10 ways to stretch your travel dollar – part 1

By: InTransit: Ep 15, San Ignacio, Belize

InTransit: Ep 15, San Ignacio, Belize — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:09:56 +0000

[...] Rey Falls for only one dollar, choosing to avoid the guided tour scene. There are a lot of ways to save some cash while traveling. Peter’s seems to involve putting a lot of miles on his shoes. He also gets a [...]

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:54:47 +0000

Thanks for including home swapping in your article as a great way to travel free (or almost!) While the idea of strangers crawling around your beloved home may not appeal to some, we only had happy experiences of exchanging homes with people who become firm friends. But the real appeal of home-swaps is that they cost you next to nothing. There are many Internet-based services that pair prospective travelers with one another for a home-exchange vacation but I would highly recommend http://www.homeforswap.com

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:54:47 +0000

By: Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matt — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:03:24 +0000

Great Article Julie! It's so true. I find that the real keey to streching your dollar is accomodation. That can be the biggest expense. If you can get that down or take it out completly, you can save a lot of money!!!!! I always try to use couchsurfing!! Hospitality club is another good one.

By: collazoprojects

collazoprojects — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:29:57 +0000

Anne- Thanks for sharing the home exchange resource information. It's important to have alternatives, especially those that have been vetted through an application and screening process. I have successfully home exchanged through craigslist dozens of times and have never had any problems. I think, though, that you do have to have a good sense of other people and you have to put a safety system in place for yourself. I've talked with a couple of folks who I just had the sense would not be good for an exchange, and I let them know, gently, that it wouldn't work for us. You've definitely given me an idea about writing another piece about how to arrange a safe home exchange! Thanks!

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:39:48 +0000

I would VERY strongly caution potential home exchangers against using Craigslist to find partners. By home exchanging you are already saving several thousand dollars in hotel charges or rental costs, so be wise and enroll with a reputable, established home exchange agency. There are plenty around charging between $39 and $55 for a year's membership. You will then be negotiating with fellow members who are also registered. Because they have paid a fee they have validated their contact information and legitimacy. Over the years I've heard of very few issues from members listing with agencies, while it's been a significantly different story with people trying to penny pinch and use Craigslist, etc. I've hears several reports where people have bought airline tickets and assumed their arrangements to be finalized, only to suddenly have the other parties simply break off contact and disappear. Something that cannot happen when the arrangements have been set up via a genuine home exchange agency. I run a popular blog about home exchanging. It's well supported and contains frequently updated information, advice, tips, and contributions and success stories from experienced home exchangers. Please visit: http://exchangehomesblog.com Cheers!

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:39:48 +0000

By: Paul Freeman

Paul Freeman — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:24:37 +0000

Yeah, nearly got in trouble myself with four of us in a twin room in Bangkok – Didn't need a full room as three of us only needed to put our heads down for an hour or two before leaving for the airport at 2am leaving our friend on her own, but we negotiated and handed over our passports for the couple of hours we were stopping and they seemed reasonably okay with that. So yeah, you need to be savvy, and respect the fact you might be pushing things in some places.

By: collazoprojects

collazoprojects — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:13:45 +0000

Paul- Thanks for sharing this tip! Gotta be careful with it in the US, as hotels have gotten hip to the fact that there are lots of us who'd like to see how many people we can pack into a single room and have introduced all sorts of threatening sounding policies about what they'll do if you find out you've got so many people in the room that you've put your buddy in the tub.

By: collazoprojects

collazoprojects — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:12:12 +0000

Me too, Lola! I keep a running list of miles in a notebook and once I've got enough to travel, I use them up immediately. No delayed gratification here!