Living Abroad

Part of the fun of travelling is learning another language and chatting with the locals. Babbel is one of the many on-line programs that teach you to speak another language.

Lisa Dorenfest is travelling around the world on a boat.  She has some great pictures, most recently of Siri Lanka.

You may want to have some basic language skills so check out these on line learning programs.

Learn French w/Babbel, signup for a subscription as low as $6.95/month

Panama  $ 1500-$2000 a month. Hard to believe.

Home Exchanges

I have been a member of Home Exchange.com on and off for a couple of years but have never done an exchange because most of the time I have been working and the places I wanted were not available. I do get requests for exchanges from all over the world, Australia, Paris, etc. They now have a credit system. You can redeem credits for a stay in someone’s place without hosting someone at your place at the same time. Where it might work is when you are going to a place that is not an exchange, like a resort, and you want to have someone stay in your place while you are away. You would get a credit so you could stay in someone else’s home at a later date. This makes the exchange more flexible. The cost to join is $ 85.00 for 12 months. I have recently set up an exchange with Portland Oregon.

Hot places to go:

The hot places to go in 2018 by Bloomberg.  The article gives you the best time of year for the best prices on luxury accommodation if that is your travel style based on a Google search.

Toucan Travel

This tour company organizes group travel all over the world.  I would categorize the tours as on the adventurous side. The accommodation ranges from rustic to home stay to standard and the transportation can vary from Tuk-Tuk to planes.  Flights to the start destination are not included in the prices.  The brochure shows the monthly temperature at all destinations which is a very useful piece of information.  Maximum group size varies from 16 to 34 depending on if they use their own bus.  Age range is 12-80 and 60% of travelers travel solo.  They have a very detailed catalogue available from their website.  They can also place you with a roommate of the same gender and give you advance information on your tour group make-up.  They also offer to customize tours to your preferences.  A 14 day trip around Costa Rica was advertised for CA$3,209 including everything  from boat tours to Zip-lining.  Toucan travel is rated 8.2 out of 10 based on 452 reviews on  Trust Pilot and is ranked is ranked 301 out of 700 in the category Travel & Holidays.

Here is a tour company  Adventures Abroad specifically for the 55+ age group with tours all over the world.  Recommended by one of our readers.

Need a quick get away? Try a B & B in Victoria or Kelowna.

Travelling on a budget?  Try Stay With Local Hosts on Couchsurfing

Cruises?  Here are some options in the Top Cruise destinations from Europe / Mediterranean on Tours4Fun!

New York-Travel Pass Save Up To $80 At The New York Pass (May 29-31)