The first time I went to France, I thought I had done everything and could die happy! Little did I know how it would actually start a quest of visiting other places and never wanting the quest of discovery to end!
One of the wonderful things about (cheap) travel, is that you can include visiting friends as part of the trip. That is what my friend Nathalie and I did when we met up in Paris. I was coming in from Albuquerque, NM, she was flying in from Montreal. The lucky girl even got there a day ahead of me!
We spent a few days in Paris, at a two-star hotel (Rule #4) that had en suite bathrooms (meaning, in the room!), which was a priority for us - no trips down the hallway in our pyjamas, however thick they might have been!
Then, we headed out to the Juras, which is where my friends Annie and Jean-Luc had moved to from New Mexico. French, they lived in the Southwest for a few years and decided to go back to Europe. So, I arranged for us to visit them for a few days. Their region, bordering the Geneva area in Switzerland and a couple of hours drive from Chamonix in the Haute-Savoie, it was perfectly located to discover the French and Swiss countryside.
When we arrived, Nathalie and I rented a car at the train station so that we would not be imposing too much on our hosts. We rekindled our friendship (Nathalie made new ones!), caught up on old times and were lucky enough to have Annie be our guide for a couple of days. She made us discover the "old" Geneva, and took us to a wonderful little town on the side of the Lake Léman called Hermance. Hermance is actually one of my best memories of that trip (Rule #5).
Moreover, we were able to stay in a quaint little French town, visit the boulangerie and other specialty stores, just like the French do as part of their daily routine. It was a wonderful option that definitely met the requirements of cheap travel.
A word of caution on this: Always be the guest that you want to welcome in your home. The requirements on this can change depending on the level of friendship but the bottom line is that it is very important to realize when it is time to go. Using a friend as a base for a two-week vacation can be pushing the envelope...
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2 comments:
It's not too hard to find a balance between being a good guest and one who imposes. Moderation key, you are right on that one!
Yes! If you can do things in moderation, you can apply this concept to travel and be a Queen of Cheap Travel!
Things don't have to be complicated - but we need to be respectful.
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