Accommodation will always be one of your biggest travel expenses…but what if it wasn’t? What if you could reduce the cost of your accommodation to zero while still enjoying the comforts of home? That’s what house swaps promise. House swaps have been around for decades. It was the entire premise of the movie The Holiday (starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet). They became all the rage but then were soon eclipsed by sites like Airbnb. But as travel prices skyrocketed post-COVID, more and more people have turned back to house swaps as a means of saving money while they travel while still getting a local experience (but without the hassle of an Airbnb). House swaps are exactly what they sound like. You sign up, list your home, and then swap with someone else in another city. They stay in your place and you stay in their place. The biggest and most popular platform for swaps is HomeExchange . And, in this post, I’ll go over everything you need to know to get started with a house swa...
A few years ago, one night over dinner with some friends with whom I shared a love of gourmet food, sushi, great cocktails, politics, and movies, we realized that in all the years we’d known each other, we had never taken a trip together.
As we all had lots of points and miles saved, we thought about how fun it would be to go somewhere spontaneously.
“Let’s do it,” we all declared. So we found award tickets to Hong Kong for the following week.
Halfway around the world, we arrived at our hotel late in the evening. After a late dinner, we went back to the hotel, where I decided to go to sleep. As fun as Hong Kong is at night (and it is very wild), I wanted to try to adjust to the local time zone, so I could make the most of the rest of our trip.
My friends had other ideas: they were going to party. So I said good night and off they went.
When I woke up, it was still dark out. I looked at the time. It was 5:30am. I found two of my friends asleep; the third was apparently still out partying.
Letting them rest, I got ready and headed out to enjoy the city before the commuters rose and it became a maelstrom of noise, chaos, and crowds. Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities, and I love its peaceful calm in the morning. It’s all grandmothers and grandfathers out for walks, doing tai chi in parks, and eating dim sum.
With so much to do (and eat), I didn’t want to waste any time. After an early breakfast of dim sum, I wandered around, grabbed some tea, read a book, and took photos of empty streets.
It was midday when I finally heard from my friends. We met for lunch at a noodle shop and plotted our day.
Before we booked our trip, I had asked them what they wanted to do. Knowing them, I knew it would involve fancy dinners (Hong Kong has some really fine dining), but I emphasized that as a backpacker at heart, what I really love are hole-in-the-wall restaurants, cheap activities, wandering around, and just enjoying the day-to-day life of a place.
“No problem,” they said. They were travelers too, and they also wanted to get below the surface. The idea of dim sum, markets, and fun local bars appealed to them as much as it did to me.
But that was not what happened.
My friends stayed out late partying every night, slept in late, only wanted to eat at expensive restaurants, and didn’t want to do any sightseeing.
As the days ticked by, we were like ships in the night. Outside a few dinners, I didn’t see too much of them. But, being used to traveling alone, that was fine with me. I can make my own fun. But it was disappointing not to have time with my friends. It defeated the purpose of the trip.
On the way back to the airport, they talked about doing it all again someday. But not me. I thought to myself, “We’re never doing this again.”
The trip taught me that, while people might like a certain travel style in theory, the reality is often very different. In fact, over the years, I’ve traveled with many friends who have completely different styles than I do.
As Mark Twain said, “I have found out there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” I couldn’t agree more. It’s important to be cautious when traveling with anyone, even your closest friends. It’s a very personal experience, and you’re going to want to make sure their style matches yours.
After many successful — and not so successful — trips with friends (some of whom I count as my closest), I’ve come up a list of questions that I think are important to ask people (of course, you know your friends, but I’ve found this still helpful):
- What activities do you want to do?
- I like [activity]. I’ll probably see/do lots of this/these on our trip. Would you come with me?
- How do you feel about [activity]?
- Are you okay doing things alone, or do you want to do everything together?
- I don’t eat a lot of expensive food on the road. How do you feel about that?
- Are you okay with eating street food?
- I like to be out the door by 9am each morning. Do you? (Or: I’m a night person. Are you okay with a late start?)
- Do you plan to stay out late?
It’s fine if you all aren’t on the same page, so long as you are comfortable with spending time apart. If you have different travel styles but aren’t okay being an independent traveler (or vice versa), that’s going to cause a problem. I’ve had plenty of trips with friends where we only overlap on some stuff, but that was not a problem. No one cared when any of us went off to do our own stuff, and it gave us things to talk about when we came back together later.
The more trips I’ve taken with friends, the more I’ve gotten smarter about which I take trips with. But sometimes you just never know ahead of time. What people say and what they do can be two different things. They may say they want to travel the same way or do the same things — and then you get on the road and it’s the opposite.
But, ever since that big spontaneous trip with friends, I’ve learned that asking the right questions in advance can really reduce the likelihood that you’ll run into these kinds of conflicts.
Use my list — or come up with your own — but don’t go on a trip with a friend who isn’t at least 60% aligned with your style and interests!
Book Your Trip to Hong Kong: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner to find a cheap flight. They are my favorite search engine because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. My favorite places to stay are:
For even more places to stay in Hong Kong, check out my post on my favorite hostels in the city. It has an even more detailed list!
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- Safety Wing (best for everyone)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
- Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)
Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.
Want More Information on Hong Kong?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Hong Kong for even more planning tips!
The post Traveling with Friends: How to Avoid Disaster appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
https://ift.tt/mfz2Ul9 July 15, 2024 at 06:37PM
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