Living with the locals

No expensive hotel room needed

In Spain in early 2013 I lived for a month in the home of Lola and her teenaged son in the lovely southern city of Benalmadena where I took 2 weeks of Spanish classes. With Lola's minimal English, my beginner's Spanish and occasional use of a dictionary or phrasebook, we communicated well enough to develop a bond of friendship. When I took an unexpected trip to the colder north of Spain, Lola loaned me two sweaters and, as she dropped me at the bus pick up point, asked me to let her know when I reached my destination since I was now like family. Three weeks later I returned to Lola's home to experience the pageantry of Semana Santa. 

My week in Lisbon was spent in the home of Kenia and her amusing daschund Donna. Kenia gave me many ideas on exploring her city and one day showed me her favourite spots. Recently in Australia I stayed in 4 different homes in 3 cities. In Adelaide I was a 2 minute walk from the beach, in Brisbane I stayed in two different suburbs, both with good access to the urban rail system, and in Canberra I had a lovely view of the surrounding hills and trees. 

View from house where I stayed in Canberra

I have also stayed in homes in London, England and Toronto. My hosts have loaned me books, invited me out for Australia Day, driven me to get a meal when I arrived late, and given me many tips on enjoying their local area. From them I've learned a little about their life styles and the issues that concern them.

Cosy room in Brisbane

As a solo traveller I want to meet other people, especially local people. Since I also want to spend several months away on a modest retirement budget, I need to find inexpensive accommodation. Both these requirements have been met by staying with people in their homes. 

Most of my travel accommodations in the past year were arranged through the airbnb website https://www.airbnb.com/ which has worldwide listings for accommodation in homes. Airbnb also offers the opportunity for you to advertise your spare room for visitors and provides a means for hosts and guests to evaluate each other to give future participants an idea of what to expect. I plan to continue staying with the locals wherever and whenever I can.