Après le coût d’un billet d’avion, l’hébergement est la deuxième plus grande dépense en voyage. Qu’on soit du type voyageur à petit budget ou voyageur de luxe, on souhaite toujours avoir le maximum de confort pour notre argent. C’est bien normal ! J’ai donc rassemblé toutes les astuces pour payer mes hôtels moins chers, les moteurs de recherche où trouver des hébergements pas chers, et tous mes conseils pour que vous puissiez garder un maximum d’argent dans vos poches. Bref, comment économiser sur l’hébergement en voyage. À lire également : Comment trouver un vol pas cher Les meilleurs moyens pour trouver un hôtel en voyage Il est souvent moins cher de réserver sur place, mais il ne faut pas être trop nerveux ou pressés. Personnellement, je préfère toujours savoir où je dors lorsque j’arrive dans une nouvelle ville. Comme vous arrivez le jour même, il est dans l’intérêt de l’hôtelier de vous louer une chambre qui est libre, quitte à la laisser partir à moindre coût, plutôt que de perdre une réservation. Vous aurez donc un plus grand pouvoir de négociation. Toutefois, vous courrez le risque de devoir perdre un temps précieux à vous balader d’un hôtel à l’autre pour comparer les […]
Travel Tips
I know some people can get overwhelmed by the idea of planning a trip by themselves. You feel like there’s so much to think about and so much to do! You can be tempted to book an organized trip and then you have to follow a schedule you’re not always comfortable with, do activities you are not interested in, and talk to people you don’t know but have to deal with for all your trip. Planning a trip is easier than you may think. Organization is part of my day job and I’m here to give you the best tips I use to plan my dream trip. 1. Decide Where You Want to Go Maybe you already know where you want to go, or maybe you need inspiration. Let me help you. First, find the reason why you want to travel. Do you want to escape from winter? Do you want to discover a new culture? Do you want to learn something new? (That last one is often my reason to travel.) Maybe you need to choose a destination that fits your budget? Research the average cost per day for a destination to find one you can afford. Some places have an average […]
Je ne m’en cache pas, je suis une fan finie du service Airbnb. C’est LE site numéro un où je cherche mes chambres en préparation d’un voyage. Ayant réservé des chambres et appartements dans plus de 15 villes de 10 pays différents, j’ai cru bon de vous partager mes quelques trucs pour avoir la meilleure expérience possible. Cliquez sur ce lien pour obtenir un crédit de 25$ sur votre première réservation! (Les conditions changent selon l’humeur d’Airbnb…) Je garde d’excellents souvenirs de chacune de mes nuitées et je tiens à vous partager ces infos afin que vous aussi, vous mettiez un peu de côté les hôtels dispendieux pour découvrir cette façon humaine, abordable et amusante de voyager. 1. Envoyez des messages à plusieurs hôtes potentiels Comme n’importe quel site de booking, c’est premier arrivé, premier servi. Afin de vous assurer une place dans la ville de votre choix, je vous conseille de sélectionner plusieurs hôtes potentiels et de leur envoyer un message pour vous présenter, leur poser des questions sur eux et sur la location. Parfois, certains hôtes peuvent prendre 2 jours pour répondre, et si vous n’avez pas envoyé d’autres messages pendant ce temps et que la réponse est négative, vous […]
While she was in Belgium, Pascale had the privilege to have access to a car for free, but she was scared to death to drive in another country. She was even scared to drive her own car through USA and she likes to know exactly where she’s going. On my side, I drove 2000km during a road trip in Iceland and I drove along the Pacific coast highway from San Francisco to L.A. Funny thing: both roads are called Route 1! Fortunately, no left-side driving, but a good exercise of my capacity of adaptation. So here’s a few lessons Pascale and I learned from our experience of driving in another country. 1. Learn to drive manual vehicles It’s better to learn to drive manual at home where you know the streets instead of trying while you’re discovering new traffic laws. It’s also way easier and cheaper to rent a manual then an automatic car in most of the countries. 2. Learn or write down cities’ names in their original language Pascale got lost in the Flemish part of Belgium, 30 minutes away from her hotel and she couldn’t recognize one city name. She had driven around several times before, but she thought that that one time […]
Congratulations! You’ve won free accommodations in the Caribbean! In Quebec, we are used to the famous phone calls about the free cruise in Bahamas, but there are different strategies to attract people, such as giveaways in festivals or on Facebook. A couple of weeks ago, I’ve been to a foodies’ festival where I really had a great time. One of the kiosk didn’t quite fit with the others though. It was a company making a draw to win free accommodations in Quebec or in the Caribbean. You know how much I love travelling, so I talked with the lady at the kiosk to learn a little more about the company. She told me she was new and wasn’t the good person to talk about it, that I should call at the office. Because I wanted to win free accommodations in the Caribbean (who doesn’t?), I completed the form to enter the draw. At the end of the day, I forgot to call the company, and forgot about the draw. This week, I received a phone call from a woman from this company announcing me that I won the free accommodations. How great was it! During this first call, I clearly asked if it was time […]
Sheets are clean, a map is hanging on the wall behind my bed, and the Wifi code is written in a frame on the nightstand… Yep, I’m ready to become the perfect Airbnb host! I was juggling with the idea since last year and I finally took my decision. A lot of people I know want to do the same, but can’t make up their mind. That’s why I made up this beginner’s guide including: My answers to the 3 most common questions about hosting How to be the perfect host How to be the perfect guest 1. Does it bother you that strangers live among your things? The answer depends of the relation you have toward your possessions. On my side, once I removed my laptop, my camera and my cellphone from my apartment, there’s nothing of monetary value. Of course, there are objects that have a sentimental value, but I detach myself from them more and more everyday. For me, the decision to rent my place to strangers is a part of my process to value experience more than possessions. I prefer to meet new people and to welcome them in my home than to protect my belongings. Also, it is important to remember that […]
Too busy thinking about what to put in your bag for your next adventure, you may forget the other things to do before leaving for a vacation. To avoid unpleasant surprise when you’ll come back, make sure you go through all this travel checklist. 1. Leave notes for yourself at work. Make yourself a to-do list for when you’ll be back at work to avoid losing tracks of your projects. I usually include cheers note in mine, because we all need it after vacation. 2. Clear off your memory cards and your phone to make space for new pictures. No, you don’t need all those selfies abroad. 3. Remove cards and papers you don’t need from your wallet. If you lose it, at least you won’t have to renew everything. 4. Give a spare set of your keys to someone your trust. If you rent an apartment, give the contact to the owner in case of emergency. 5. Tell your bank or credit card provider if you leave the country so they won’t block your credit card if they see unusual activities in your account. Trust me, you don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere in a country you don’t […]
Since 2012, I pretty much always travel with my friend Claude. I lead her to the most dangerous town on Earth, I made her eat rotten shark, a stranger vomit on her in a ferry, and she burned badly, several times, on different beaches. Yet, she still wants to be my friend, and that not only show friendship, but a very strong mind and a huge hearth. The first time we travelled together was in Honduras. Not to the safest place in the World or an easy French country where people would speak our first language. Nope. I chose to bring her to a not very touristic place, where people don’t know a word of English during the overwhelming heat of summer. As soon as we got out of the airport in San Pedro Sula and all the crazy taxi drivers harassed us, she wanted to go back home. Despite her feelings, she stayed. She felt unsafe (although it wasn’t really unsafe), she found the food disgusting, and it was so hot that we were sweating just talking, but she stayed and found a way to enjoy the trip. I never saw someone who can push her limits like that. We all wish to […]
We all know AirbnB is great because it mix lodgings and meeting local people. Now, Vayable presents the same concept, but for tours: Take a tour, with a local! Tadaaa! Isn’t it great? What’s Vayable? It’s a website to book tours and experiences with local people. You choose where you want to go, and you’ll have access to offers made by insiders who want to make you discover their home town, in their own way. It’s perfect if you want to go off the beaten path and discover some hidden gems. Near San Francisco, there’s some unique tours such as doing light graffiti, taking a walk to explore street art, … or hunting mushrooms (because why not). Not finding what you are looking for? No problem! What’s great with Vayable is that you can request a customized experience based on specific thing you want to discover. There’s more than 5000 insiders ready to help you find exactly what you are looking for in their town. For this service, the price starts at 49$ per day of the itinerary. Pretty accessible if you’re thinking of a one-day tour you’ve dreamed of! Hey! I could show my town too! Yes you can! If you’re in love with […]
Okay, first world problem, maybe your idea of “surviving” isn’t related to the thought of an all inclusive resort by the beach. But, for us, adventurous backpackers, the idea to be stuck in a resort can be annoying. While we could venture in the countrt, we feel prisoners of the hotel resort. I hear you say “Why do you go there then”? Well… you know… sometimes, siblings get married and we have to make good impression. Or, there’s an amazing deal and it’s all we can afford. I’m certainly not a fan of resorts, but I know how to survive an all inclusive and make the most out of it. 1. Get informed on the location of the resort If you are lucky, you won’t be too far from the civilization. Before your arrival, get informed on the towns and villages nearby and how to get there. It’s not because you have everything you need (beach, food, alcohol) in the all inclusive that you cannot get out of it and explore. Get information about the local transportation. A good tip? Don’t ask at the information desk, they’ll try to sell you organized activities. Ask the barman, the maid, the lifeguard… they’ll tell you how they […]
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the addiction Trover will create. Since I’ve discovered this app, I don’t plan a trip without looking at it. Plus, it’s funny, user-friendly, and free! Yay! What is Trover Trover is an app and a website for photo sharing. ”Yeah, like Instagram?”, I hear you say. Well, it has some similarities, but what is fantastic about it is that it’s only about places! No nails pictures. No cat pictures. As their tagline says, only ”The Best of Everywhere”. Here’s what my profile page look like: How does Trover work Users create a profile and post “Discoveries”. All discoveries are geotagged on a Map and accompany by a description or advice about the place. The goal is to show places to other travelers and make sure they enjoy it. Why is it great For many reasons! 1. You can see what is located nearby With the app, you can see what pictures other users have posted and the distance from you. This is very useful when you are in a new town looking for places to explore. 2. Every picture is located on a map If you try to upload a picture and the place is not already […]
I hear a lot of people around me taking this resolution: ”This year, I will travel!” I know how hard it can be to stick to our new year’s resolution (Hello,”losing weight”, I’m looking at you)! I also know that everything is possible and that motivation tips can help. I may not be good at not taking a third cookie, but when it comes to planning and being disciplined for a travel goal achievement, I rock the place! Let me help you with this resolution. 1. Stop saying you don’t have money It’s one of the first reasons why people tell they don’t travel as much as they want. But here is the truth: you HAVE enough money, ALL of you. Yes, keeping a budget is a great tool, but you already know that and that’s not what I’m talking about here. One big change I made when I made the commitment to travel more was to change my perception of money. I stopped saying ”I don’t have money”, and started saying ”I don’t have money for THIS or for THAT”. This way of perceiving money gives you more power over it. You are the one in charge. YOU decide. Not […]