After 5 weeks in Spain Blonde and Brunette were fairly bedraggled. We'd had a wonderful time but had also had many frustrations, not every single one of which was our fault. Maybe. We had arranged to exchange Blonde's condo in Boston for both a condo in Spain on the lovely Costa Brava and a home, from the same family, in Madrid. We knew the home in Madrid was in the suburbs … [Read more...]
Places we’ve loved: Akureyri, Iceland
Blonde was fortunate enough to win a trip to Iceland courtesy of SadCars. Brunette has a highly uncooperative respiratory system that would clearly have gone on strike in the chilly climate of Iceland. Luckily we have a third "honorary" sister, "Pinky". (OK "Pinky" refers to {some of} her hair color. You should respectfully think of her as Nola of NewTake Travel but we … [Read more...]
Our hot quickie in Cordoba, Spain!
One positive thing came out of the nearly 7 hours we spent in the Renfe train station in Barcelona trying to get someone, anyone, to know what to do with the discounted train passes we had purchased online before our trip. That one positive thing was that once we finally reached a manager, and rudely interrupted him planning a vacation for himself in Malta, he became very … [Read more...]
A decidedly non-hostile hostel in Boston
Blonde had actual work that she would be well paid to do sitting on her desk at home, a Spanish class to study for and a house to get ready to put on the real estate market. She considered those options then went out for a walk and ended up spontaneously interviewing a very patient, charming young woman with hair better than a best-in-show Irish Setter's and a mini-nose … [Read more...]
Home Exchange – Why didn’t I do this years ago?
For a good 10 years Blonde has contemplated the idea of doing a home exchange in order to travel more cheaply (financially, she's already quite cheap morally ) and stay longer in one place (sounds sexual too). But contemplating and actually doing it never got together (home exchange, that is) until meeting Nola of NewTakeTravel at the TBEX bloggers' conference in Girona, Spain … [Read more...]
Home Exchange? Home Away?
For several years Blonde has been "planning" to do a home exchange. This planning has entailed thinking that it would be really cool if someone with a fabulous place contacted Blonde and said "we would be honored to have you come stay at our castle in the glorious location you've been dreaming of and in return can we maybe sleep at your place in Boston one night"? Blonde would … [Read more...]
Can’t get no satisfaction? Try snorkeling!
[slideshow] No, that isn't what we mean! We know what you're thinking and you should be ashamed of yourself. Blonde and Brunette both learned to swim when we were young (during the Civil War) and have always loved water activities that don't require prowess or balance - think water skiing, kite surfing, serious kayaking (we do the go in circles kind) or scuba diving (there's … [Read more...]
Traveling with someone you are not having sex with (and wouldn’t want to be anyway)
From the title of this post you probably assumed that it is about married couples traveling, but it isn't. Instead it's about traveling with a friend, sibling, other relative, or even someone you don't know well but who is brave/foolish enough to consider going away with you. Traveling without the expectation of sex means you will be tempted to be yourself - be careful with … [Read more...]
Barcelona – Our recommendations on things to do and things to skip
[slideshow]Going to Barcelona is probably equivalent to a straight man meeting a beautiful young woman who just read the Kama Sutra and wants to try everything she learned - a veritable orgy of delights! But, alas, the man and the woman and you and Barcelona both probably have time constraints so our goal (beyond torturing this metaphor) is to give you a list of suggestions … [Read more...]
Our best practices for selecting and booking hotels
She goes all Mitt Romney and outsources it to her sister. If you need to do it yourself, then use Brunette's process. General stuff to consider in advance: Our process is based on our mutually exclusive goals of spending as little as we can and staying in high-end properties. How much does this hotel stay matter to you? Is it somewhere you're spending one night on your way … [Read more...]