Thus far, we’ve been fortunate to sample four different types of foreign living.
Lifestyle 1:
Stop one was a two-night stay with a former SMU Italian professor in the small country town of Gastalla. Here we were able to start off our journey with an authentic experience, bunking with a local’s family, eating from their pantry, taking part in their daily life, and learning about the language and customs in true local style.
Lifestyle 2:
In Cinque Terre we were on our own, holing up in a low budget hotel (same cost as a hostel with similar amenities such bunk beds, one shower per floor, etc.), exploring the region with no guides, no connections, just us. We bonded with a fellow American solo traveler, the sure experience that comes with hostel hopping.
Lifestyle 3:
During our four nights in München, only the first did we have the luxury of locals’ sneak peak into the real-deal living. The rest of the time, although we had the apartment, had the car, the city was ours to discover.
Lifestyle 4:
A snapshot of a storybook… On our spur of the moment excursion to the Austrian countryside, we stumbled upon the the enchanting Gintherhof bed and breakfast in the teeny tiny town of Ehenbichl tucked away in the rolling hills of the Swiss Alps, outside of the major town, Reutte (probably population just over 5,000). Here we were greeted by Rudi Gintherhof, the third generation owner of this cushy six-bedroom chalet, with steaming tea and warm cakes, and even warmer conversation. The next morning we arose from our tufts of clouds, ‘bed’ does not do them justice, to a spread of assorted cereals, rolls, yogurts, jams, a hard-boiled egg, tea, coffee, fresh cow’s milk, and friendly greetings from Rudi, his daughter, grandaughter, and several neighborhood children popping in for a morning nibble.
In our eyes, none of these experiences are better or worse, just different; Equally definitive and important to the traveler’s complete journey. And we intend to gather all the experiences we can to show you all the ways of low budget travel. So for Lifestyle 4?…stay tuned. Maybe couch surfing? Maybe hostel? Maybe under a bridge? We really have about as much clue as you do. We’re sure we’ll keep you guessing where we’ll end up next.
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