Budget Slow Travel

By Patrick Robertson

Last month I wrote about the decision-making process for booking our transportation to and from our European trip to Southern Italy, Sicily, Malta, Barcelona with a cruise to Tampa, Florida.

We set our travel bookends for October 4 and November 27 just a few days short of two months. That is our usual trip length for big trips. We find it long enough to get a good feel of the culture of where we are staying and short enough that we are not homesick. That is important to meet the expectations of both of us. Couples will have different expectations of travel and it is important to realize and recognize that for long-term travel to be successful.

With the transportation to and from Europe booked we could decide where we will book vacation rentals. We like to spend at least a week in a place to get a bit of an understanding of the cultural heritage it offers.

We decided on Malta, Salerno, Palermo, with two weeks in the provinces of Puglia, Calabria and Sicily. We will finish this portion of the trip in Barcelona where we will stay for four nights before getting on the Empress of the Sea for the transatlantic cruise that has four stops.

When I start to look for accommodation, I always start by looking through Home Exchange. We have been members since 2005 – if you are interested I can refer you and get you free guest points to book places. Just read my Home Exchange article on my website and click on the link.

I was able to book a Watchtower in Malta built by the Knights of St. John during the crusades. (So exciting!) We are staying there for our first week.

The next phase of the trip is flying from Malta to Naples to begin our exploration of Southern Italy. The direct 1.5-hour flight costs about $100 each. Southern Italy is from Naples down to the heel and toe of the peninsula which is the Calabria region.

We want to explore Calabria out of personal interest. Many of our friends in Fernie immigrated from there as children in the 1950s. They lived in the hill towns that are now mostly abandoned as people started leaving in the 1950s and continue to leave today.

We have been to Naples before and we thought, while here we should experience the Amalfi Coast (AC) as it is just south about an hour. At first, we thought we would stay at the north end of the AC in Sorrento and then drive to Amalfi, Positano, and other day trips as there is no train or ferry service.

That is until I explored forums on driving that windy narrow road. The drive is often romanticized, but in reality it is a nightmare at times. It can take four hours to go 40 km along with crazy drivers and in many cases just pure terror. Parking anywhere if you can find it, cost more than $30 for any length of time, and cars are still renting for up to $100 a day adding to the cost of the trip. I quickly dropped the idea of driving around the AC for a week.

Salerno at the south end of the AC is a major hub with direct trains from Naples and ferries to Amalfi, Positano, and the Isle of Capri. Each location is a day trip.

There were only two Home Exchanges in Salerno so I was not able to arrange a Home Exchange. My next step is to always use Booking.com to search for accommodations.

I have had great success through the years booking places through them. I create a list for each place I am booking and bookmark places by clicking on the heart to make a short list. Going back, I read carefully the description of the place, the reviews, and map of the area to pick the best accommodation being provided at that moment.

Through Booking.com I have booked trips based just on the quality and uniqueness of the accommodations. The quantity of listings and a great cancellation policy is wonderful for budget travellers, so much better than Airbnb.

Next month, planned daily activities on the Amalfi Coast.

– Patrick Robertson is a travel writer and long-time resident of Fernie. He is an expert in planning independent travel and finding budget travel deals. Go to his website for more information and pictures of this trip to Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta.

Read more travel articles like this HERE. Like him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/budgetslowtravel for travel tips.

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