Travel

After a three-month trip to Europe, I told my sister I needed to buy some new clothes. “Halleluiah,” she cried.

She thinks that wearing the same clothes over and over is a sad state of affairs and she loves to shop. She’s convinced shopping will be the cure to my obsession with not having things.

You see, I’ve gone from riches to rags – literally – in my sister’s opinion. I’ve joined the small but growing number of people who want a simpler life.

Simple living begins with having as little as we can get away with and continues with not letting more Read More

In most areas of the world, tour companies provide both a good driver and a tour guide for each busload of passengers.

While most of the drivers are excellent, the tour guides can be great, mediocre or just plain charlatans.

I went on a tour in 1985 from Delhi to the Taj Mahal. The guide was a young lady who spoke heavily accented English, very fast. I had read several books to get an idea what we would be seeing and knew a lot about the history of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The guide got dates and even names incorrect and seemed to make up answers when people Read More

Those of us who travel independently sometimes have disdain for tours. We know how much things generally cost and think tours are often a rip-off.

I do not enjoy being taken to a restaurant the tour company has chosen, and then told what to order off a limited “tourist” menu. And I’ve come to despise being taken to a “crafts workshop” that is actually nothing more than a high priced trinket store on the pretext of a “cultural” experience.

But sometimes I opt for day-tours so I can be assured of getting to the places of interest in relative safely. In a country Read More

In the previous column, I talked about people swapping their homes for free lodging on trips.

But for those who don’t yet own a home, and/or are still energetic and adventurous, there are more interesting alternatives: WWOOF, WorkAway, and volunteer programs.

WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and WorkAway gives you a chance to work away from your comfort zone.

On both websites people who need some help with a farm, business, or home, advertise room and board in exchange for about twenty hours of work per week. Read More

Solo Traveler: Free Lodging Part I

I have mentioned in previous columns how traveling solo over many months can be rather expensive. And I’ve talked about house sitting as an alternative to paying for expensive hotel rooms. But there is another excellent way for people to travel without paying a dime for lodging.

For those who own homes, the cheapest way to travel abroad is to trade houses with other people.

I’ve had friends express horror at the thought of strangers using their stuff, and possibly stealing or breaking their things. But the flip side of that is when you trade Read More

Sydney Frazier, 8, with Poffertjes. Photo by Jason Frazier

FOOD OF THE NETHERLANDS

I have previously updated you on the around the world travels of our daughter Kerri Foxx Frazier, Jason Frazier and their 8-year-old daughter Sydney. Every week, as part of her home schooling Sydney does a blog of something she has found interesting. Having just been in the Netherlands on a river cruise, I found this blog about her experience with food in the Netherlands delightful and wanted to share it with you.

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