Brisbane Archives - Traveling U

Unconventional Accommodations: Vacation Rentals

Marissa’s Birthday celebration in our Melbourne Rental home.

Our beautiful beach rental in Torquay, Australia. We really wanted to stay longer…

The world of Vacation Rentals has drastically changed. When we can’t find a home or hospitality exchange or if we are staying for an extended period of time we have found vacation rentals are the best option. We recently had the opportunity to stay in Australia for three months moving from Melbourne to Sydney to Brisbane and the places we rented were both affordable and incredible. Once again you get the true feeling of being part of another community and culture. We had people over weekly for dinner and to learn about where we should go in the surrounding area. Vacation rentals have all the benefits of home exchanges but with a cost. Usually the cost is as much as half that of a hotel and so the savings here also help the bottom line of the travel budget. Plus you get more room, a kitchen and great neighbors.

These are a few photos of our fun chic rental apartment in Sydney, Australia.

In Australia, we rented two and three bedroom apartments for around $120 per night. If you were to get a similar size hotel room it would cost well over $300 per night.

www.airbnb.comhas drastically changed the vacation rental industry. In the past the big boys were www.vrbo.comand we still check out their options but have found Airbnb to have an incredible selection and an easy interface to find what you want where you want it. It is also easy to pay and if you are on business, easy to expense. Other sites you pay for in cash and receipts are not quite up to travel expense report standards. Keep in mind that on many home exchange sites they will offer vacation rentals too. These are often at very low cash, paid at the time of rentals. It is always good to look there first and then venture into other sites. Rental sites often cater to special accommodation options like cabin rentals or boat rentals – so do your homework and search for the one that best fits your needs.

Here is our adorable neighbor Taj admiring his artwork that adorned our apartment we rented from his parents, a lively ‘Beach Shack’ in Brisbane.

The view from our window…. wow!

Alps+friends+of+nature+house+switzerland+2

This is the beautiful Swiss Chalet that the Kluth’s rented for us while in the Swiss Alps, complete with cowbells ringing in the morning to wake you up, fresh crisp air, intoxicating green everywhere you look and fabulous prices for a night stay. They are called the ‘Friends of Nature’ houses. At the time we went, it was $10-20 Euros a night… WOW!

Ultimately the way we travel is simple and flexible. Have your top ten destinations that you want to go. When you find airfare that is cheap for any of them, that’s the one you take. Then find the accommodations that fit your needs best. When you are rigid in your travel plans, you usually spend much more because you don’t look at any other options. We hope you discover the world as we have and you find incredible ways to travel your way both inexpensively and free.

We wish they would rent these out… we would be first in line!

Look….No hands!

Bribie Island Hire Hut and Tours was fantastic to rent from and the staff is entertaining… thankfully that was not an extra charge! We enjoyed paddle boats and zegways (sometimes even hands free). If you are ever on Bribie Island you have to stop by and tell them ‘Traveling U’ sent you.

Dale has been the only one to ride a Zegway previously, so the girls pretty much squashed his entertainment by not doing anything too crazy. He was sure we would get super scared so he filmed us in hopes of having a great YouTube video… but life sadly does not work as planned sometimes. Lucky for the girls.

Does Marissa look scared? Too much fun is more like it!

We couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Was 1993 really that long ago?

Who wouldn’t like a little friend like that on your shoulder?

A few days later the weather was so warm and inviting we decided to canoe out in front of our Brisbane house. It was just shy of an hour when we finally decided to come in because we kept getting high-centered on the sand banks. Marissa decided to just get out and play, why not? She kept us laughing for quite a while……Free entertainment.

Marissa having a Yoga moment (literally).

This weekend market “Eat Street Markets” had wonderful nibblies, treats, crafts, and very innovative foods for sale. Dale found one thing he had to try.

This “Croi-muffin” was half muffin and half croissant rolled in chocolate accompanied by a syringe filled with more chocolate (Nutella no less) that you inject into the decadently sinful dessert. Important: You must love chocolate to eat this!

Travel Saving Tips:

1- We always look for local outdoor markets to join in a little fun without spending a wad, unless YOU find lots to buy when you attend.

2- We found the Bribie Island Hire Hut and Tours just by driving to the Island and seeing a spot that we thought would be perfect to explore, talked to the tour company, and they were able to get a great deal on our activities – their prices seemed much less then other tours we had seen.

3- Never be afraid to ask the locals for ideas on the best places to go and how to get the most for your money.

Welcome to Brighton, QLD

The view from our new home in Brighton, Queensland, what more could we need!

This is the best place to relax at anytime of the day and you can’t beat the view.

Marissa walking on water.

When the tide is low you can walk out almost a half a mile from shore, where it looks as though you are actually walking on water. We have taken walks out there in the mornings and walked for quit a while without having it get too deep to come in.

This beach is quit famous with the windsurfers, the wind seems to be just right.

One evening we decided it was time to introduce Marissa to downtown Brisbane. We took the ferries over to South Bank to enjoy a little dinner and walk about. While walking by the riverfront, a soccer ball rolled our way, a group of boys were playing on the grass next to us. Dale, trying to help the boys out kicked the ball back but unfortunately it hit a wall and swung back over our heads and into the river. Dale felt so bad he jumped over the ledge while thinking about what the next step should be. I, of course, was panicked thinking that he would try and lower himself down another 7 or 8 ft. with nothing to hold onto and fall into the river. Then I received even more news from a passerby that mentioned that the river is full of Bull Sharks which are one of the most aggressive sharks, much like the Great Whites. At that moment I told Dale to pay the kid $50 for his Nike ball and let’s call it good.

The kid who owned the ball said he would follow it down the river until it hit the dock and then he would retrieve it. So we walked with him but it unfortunately went under the bridge so Dale and another guy held his arms, lowered him down, he caught it between his feet and pulled it up. Here he is jumping over the edge. We are grateful no Bull Sharks worked their way into this story anymore.

To Brisbane we go!

We enjoyed a pretty uneventful flight from Melbourne to Brisbane which is always a good thing!

We decided to spend the day exploring Brisbane starting with a drive up the coast to check out the apartment we were going to rent on our return. Luckily the family we are renting from live next door to this condo on Brighton Beach so they invited us in for a drink and a visit. We have found Aussie’s to be very down to earth and fun to talk with….always an adventure wherever you travel here. We also know that Marissa will not be upset about ‘having’ to be across the street from the beach for our month stay here!

We decided to take the FREE water bus (of course) and because of a little rain we had the entire upper level to ourselves….. and the view.

We headed to the ‘South Bank’ to see what travel adventures we could find. As many of you know Michelle is in love with her garden, anything green and healthy… so now you will know why she acted like a kid at Disneyland when she found the Epicurious Garden. This is a garden planted for all visitors to see what can be planted here and for all to enjoy. ‘Epicurious’ refers to someone who is in constant pursuit of great food, drink and adventure. That seems to fit us very well… if you count Green Smoothies as our hard drinks!

Don’t let these cute little purple peppers fool you. Michelle thought they looked so fun she wanted to try one…. HOT! And her middle name is HOT…. she loves anything spicy or hot but this was beyond her limit. She begged for water from a local restaurant before they were even open. Yes, she lived but it was a close call!

Beyond the ‘Epicurious’ Garden was an incredible man-made beach area with waterways and pools for all ages. A great inner city tropical area to bring your kids and make a day of it. Surrounding the beach are many restaurants and shops….anything your family would want for a day of fun. There are also bikes you can rent for a nominal fee (around $7) to see more as it stretches for miles.

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This beautiful walkway wound around much of the beach area. The flowers were incredible but the smell was even more intoxicating!

Dale has discovered how to make tropical bird sounds with just a piece of grass and LOVES to make the sounds when we are somewhere exotic where there just might be birds that sound that way. Here he is showing a little boy how to make the sounds himself. Sharing his magic!

Brisbane at night really lights up especially their unique Brisbane letters artwork… the lights and colors are constantly changing every so many seconds. It is a bit mesmerizing to stand and watch.

On the way back to the hotel we debated on dinner… bugs or….. no bugs? Later we found out that is just the term they use for a certain sea creature. It was a relief to know it was not really a ‘bug’!

Travel Saving Tips:

1- Find out if there is FREE transportation where you are visiting.

We found a Free water bus which came a little less often as the regular water bus but it worked just fine for us (they came about every 1/2 hr.).

2- We did not spend anything walking around the ‘South Bank’ area of Brisbane but we were happily entertained by all that we found. If we would have known we could have brought our swim suits to enjoy the beautiful waterways as we walked around. Even still rolling up your pants and taking off your shoes is a close second.

3- Keep your eye open for ‘Specials’ at restaurants (even on those bugs:).

Tag: Brisbane

Unconventional Accommodations: Vacation Rentals

Look….No hands!

Welcome to Brighton, QLD

To Brisbane we go!