How can you afford a trip like this?

---

Are we RICH? In order to take a trip like this?

We don’t consider ourselves rich, but we are grateful that we can afford to pay our credit card bill each month. For timely payments, Capitol One grants us options: points or cash back. We choose points. We saved until we had enough points to pay for both airline fares AND a rental car for three months. Through trustedhousesitters.com, we found a person to care for our dogs in exchange for a place to stay for three months. Through SERVAS, we meet people in their own environments. And when all else fails, we use booking.com to find a really cheap place to stay...we aim for under $50/night, and that often, but not always, includes breakfast. We carry a box of cereal, cheese, etc., and of course, wine, as well...we can get lost in a village, find a place to sit, and eat our sardines and crackers.

=====

The Internet has changed EVERYTHING. When planning this trip, we expected to meet folks either through SERVAS or hostels. We ARE meeting through SERVAS but not through hostels. The Internet now allows private individuals to offer their properties located in the middle of nowhere to people like us. And their prices are competitive to sharing facilities in a hostel.

For example, we just stayed in a brand new place, consisting of three units, in the middle of a plowed field...It was so quiet!!!...sparkling white kitchen with sitting room (TV with English news channels), bedroom, bathroom. About $50/night and that included coffee, tea and sweet breads for the morning and exceptional WiFi. We were, by car, six minutes from a local train that cost us $7 round trip to and from Venice (about a 20 minute relaxing ride). BUT, after check-in, we never spoke to or saw another person.

Now we are staying in a seaside resort area, population about 300,000 that swells to more than 900,000 in peak season. Our hotel lacks make-your-own-coffee, but...it is brand new with excellent WiFi...and costs under $30/night...We extended to a second night, in order to walk the beach, to catch up on emails, and to slow down!!!

I just realized that it is just after 12 noon...and so, we MUST hurry out to eat lunch because shortly after 1 pm, EVERYTHING will close down...everything!!! More later...

---