Tag ArchiveEverywhere Once |

Get $25 Off Your Next AirBnB Rental

by Brian on June 25, 2014 in Travel

Just one of the many apartments we've rented through AirBnB - this one we rented for a week in Provence, France.

Just one of the many apartments we’ve rented through AirBnB. This one, located in the heart of St. Remy, is where we based ourselves for a week in Provence, France.

Ever since our first experiment with AirBnB (where we snagged a New York City room that cost us 60% less than the cheapest traditional hotel rate we could find) we’ve used the house-sharing site to book dozens of apartments in places like Hawaii, D.C., Barcelona and Paris. Over the past couple of years it has become one of our go-to sites for lodging.

After booking an apartment in Northumberland the other day, we received a message informing us that we could offer our friends a $25 credit toward their next AirBnB rental. Considering that we view all of our readers as dear friends, we wanted to extend that offer to each and every one of you.

All you have to do to claim your credit is click this link or the button above and register as a new AirBnB user. And all that you have to do to register is enter your name, e-mail address and choose a password.

Voila, you’re done!

You now have a shiny new AirBnB account. Best of all, AirBnB will then automatically deduct $25 (or the equivalent in your home currency) off your next booking of $75 or more made with that new account.

Learning to Drive in the White Hill Towns of Andalusia, Spain

by Brian on June 23, 2014 in Europe, Spain

The White City of Arcos de la Frontera.

“Is there a problem with your car?” the increasingly annoyed hotel owner said to me in English. He and I both knew that the problem had nothing to do with my automobile.

To be fair, it wasn’t my fault that he had to wait so long for me to park. I’m not the one who decided to prohibit guests from operating the garage door. I don’t know who came up with the brilliant idea to require a front desk person to walk outside and physically open the gate every time you wanted to enter or exit the car park, but it wasn’t me.

Nor was it my fault that parking spaces were so tight that, once in a spot, we couldn’t open the passenger side door at all and, even then, there was so little room on the other side that I only managed to squeeze out of the car after emptying my pockets. Seriously, I nearly destroyed my phone trying to force my way out the driver’s side door.

I’m completely blameless in all of that. But deciding to drive a manual transmission car for the first time through the ancient hill-top towns that dot Andalusia, Spain? Yup, that one is on me.

Once Isn’t Enough at the Alhambra

by Shannon on June 20, 2014 in Europe, Spain, Travel

It was the first time this has happened during our travels. So enticed were we by the idea of visiting the Alhambra, a sprawling Moorish complex perched above the town of Granada, that we pre-booked tickets for not just one but two visits.

When we debated where in continental Europe to begin our travels, an image of the Alhambra kept looming in my mind. And so we set out for Spain, beginning in Madrid and then traveling further south, steadily making our way to Granada. With such a weighty decision made because of a single site, it seemed only fitting that we do it justice by visiting twice to see the Alhambra in sunlight and moonlight.

The Most Interesting Man at the Alhambra

by Brian on June 18, 2014 in Travel

They couldn’t take their eyes off of me. Even when I raised my camera to photograph them staring at me, they never even blinked. Apparently self-consciousness is something that develops at a somewhat later age.

These weren’t the first group of boys to fall under my spell that day. And for some reason they were all boys who did. Sadly, my power to enrapture doesn’t work on anyone else. I know this from long experience.

At first I barely noticed the stares of the gaggles that passed me as I patiently waited for the clock to strike my allotted entrance time to Spain’s Alhambra Palace. The ones pointing were a bit more obvious. The laughter got my full attention.

I could perhaps understand being the butt of one joke. But this was something different; a universal mocking to which I alone missed the punch line. And then I got it.

Proof of Onward Travel Required

by Brian on June 16, 2014 in How To, Travel, Travel Tips

We knew we were taking a small risk by showing up at a border crossing without proof of onward travel. We never really thought it would be a big deal, though. It’s not like we were trying to enter Soviet-era Russia on our U.S. passports. We were just trying to board a train to London from Paris.

“Can I see your tickets home, please?” It was among the first of many questions we were asked by the British border agent standing between us and our train.

We didn’t have tickets “home” (wherever that is) or anywhere else for that matter. We were planning on spending the next five months in the U.K. We only just started thinking about where we’ll go afterward. We’re nowhere even close to booking tickets to wherever that might be.