breakfast

Resorts vs. Airbnb

Location, Location, Location 

Where you stay is everything!  For the most part, I love staying in areas within walking distance to town or major sites.  For me, walking is essential and one of the best parts of traveling to explore and see the most.  I do a lot of research on the area I’m staying and really try to find places in the most popular areas.  Next, I choose between a hotel or an Airbnb,  which I chose is highly dependent on the amount of days I’m staying in one area.  Usually, if I stay more than 5 days I like Airbnb’s for several reasons.  First, you may save money by getting an airbnb if you’re splitting the cost and sharing it with friends.  In addition to better nightly rate then a fancy hotel you also save money on food and  laundry, you can pack less for your trip if you have a good plan.  Buying snacks and breakfast goodies at a local grocery store is a great way to save money especially if you have kids who are always hungry!  Additional benefit can include more space and somewhere for the kids to really chillax and for you to unwind.  Certain parts of the world scream airbnb to me while others don’t.  If you’re staying in a country that has a reputation for being safe such as Bali, Cuba or Colombia I would definitely consider getting an airbnb without a doubt. Other countries which seem less walkable and more chaotic such as Guatemala, Belize, or Vietnam not so much.  I recently traveled to Guatemala and had a friend who wanted to join me.  She figured she could just explore while I did the family thing.  While I love my country there’s a few things you don’t do in certain countries and that’s roam free without knowing where to go.  Guatemala city is one of those places that you should really know a local or stick to the touristic places.  Especially if you don’t speak the language it can get a little dicey.  There are certain areas in Guatemala that are very touristic like Antigua and actually there’s probably more Americans living there than Guatemalans, but it’s a little ways away from the city.  I would actually say that when traveling to most Central American Countries, get advice from locals or people who have lived there.  

South America, Europe and Asia for the most part are safe and all have walkable cities that love and welcome tourists.  Make sure you really research the area and reach out to people who have been there for their advice on where to stay.  The beauty of these times is there’s really options for all budgets (always less during off seasons and not holidays) and the best part is just getting out there and exploring. 

 PS. These are some of my favorite locations below: The first Intercontinental Resort in Danang, Vietnam. The second, A beautiful Villa in Capri, Italy, and lastly a beautiful villa in Ubud, Bali.