Lillian Smith has spent about eight of the last 12 months traveling around the world, hitting France, Morocco, Japan and South Korea. Her cost for lodgings in that time? About one night in a hotel, along with the time she spent walking dogs, watering plants and changing litter boxes. "I have always dreamed of traveling to Japan but didn't have the budget for hotels and Airbnbs," said the 30-year-old freelance designer from Mississippi. Her solution was to agree to house-sit, walk dogs, and care for plants for people around the globe. A screen grab shows Lillian Smith, 30, from Mississippi, U.S., during a city tour at Wat Arun temple in Bangkok, Thailand May 13, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Economic activity has slowed in recent months, but many still yearn to quench their thirst for...
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Many travelers likely to budget more when booking a holiday now, says GlobalData With national inflation rates increasing dramatically in recent months across Europe, the purchasing of cheaper tourism related products and services has allowed many European travelers to satisfy their desire of holidaying abroad while ensuring they can make ends meet back at home, found GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. Ralph Hollister, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “This level of inflation would be expected to severely dampen demand for international travel. However, stories of packed airports across Europe continue to emerge, demonstrating that the pandemic induced demand for international travel is still present even with inflation squeezing levels of dispo...
Read MoreFlying to Europe this year might sound as absurd as opting for premium gasoline. With prices this high, is it really the right time to splurge? “As a result of labor shortages and all these things going on, travel is more expensive than it’s been in a while,“ says travel journalist Oneika Raymond. “Flights are really expensive. Accommodation is really expensive. And revenge travel is a thing.” Although travel prices continue to soar overall due to constrained supply and mounting demand, pockets of affordability remain. FILE PHOTO: Tourists walks on a bridge in front of Palazzo Ducale, in Venice, Italy, on June 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File) Europe represents one of these pockets, where weakening currency exchange rates against the dollar and tepid demand have left price...
Read Moreयायावर कहानियां-किस्से सुनाते हैं- देश-दुनिया के। लेकिन कुछ उनकी अपनी कहानियां भी होती हैं। यह एक ऐसी ही कहानी है वरुण सचदे की, और केवल उनकी ही नहीं बल्कि उनके घुमक्कड़ी के शौक की भी। उस शौक की जिसने उन्हें शोहरत भी दी और नया मुकाम भी। वैसे तो घुमना-फिरना हर आदमी पसंद करता है और जिसकी जेब जितनी बड़ी होती है, वह उतनी ही महंगी जगह पर घूमने जाता है। आखिर आजकल के सोशल मीडिया के दौर में जब हर शख़्स मोबाइल फ़ोन लेकर फोटोग्राफ़र बन जाता है और फिर एक इंफ्लुएंसर बनने की हसरत पालने लगता है, तो घूमना किसी स्टेटस सिंबल से कम नहीं। लेकिन कुछ लोग होते हैं जिन्हें घूमने की लत होती है, उनके लिए घुमक्कड़ी एक नशा होती है। वे किसी को दिखाने के लिए या, किसी के कहने पर, किसी के बुलावा देने पर या खुद को साबित करने के लिए नहीं घूमते। बल्कि बस निकल पड़ते हैं, दुनिया को देखने के लिए, लोगों को समझने के लिए। ...
Read MoreNo squat-style toilets for old people. Always use white bedsheets. Do not stare at the guests. These are some of the lessons Abida Ghulam Jilani learned as she trained to be a host at her homestay in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Jilani is among a growing number of women in South Asia who are opening their homes to guests to earn money, gaining a degree of financial independence and helping to revitalise remote communities and promote sustainable tourism. The 34-year-old mother-of-five, who left school when she got married aged 18, began hosting visitors in 2019 and charges 2,500 Pakistani rupees ($15) a night. She has made more than 60,000 rupees since March last year despite the pandemic, allowing her to buy her first washing machine and a giant flat screen TV. “I can r...
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