ERE Travel Thread

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classical_Liberal
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ERE Travel Thread

Post by classical_Liberal »

ERE Travel Thread Intro
After some discussion, it has become evident there may be demand for ERE travelers to meet up, cost share, and maybe even plan some slow travel together. There has also been some general demand for more IRL activities for forum members. This thread is here to help address both issues.
What I hope for here, is people who have planned travel, slow or otherwise, post their itineraries or general travel plans on this thread. This way other travelers, or ERE’ers who live in a travelers destination area, who may want to meet up, can reach out via PM’s. This means if you post on this thread you are asking for PM’s.

I also hope that others, who may not be concerned about verifying their location, would post here to volunteer themselves as guides/hosts to their countries or cities. This information sharing is very beneficial to a traveler, could lead to a meetup, or a host of other potentially positive sum activities.

In order to maintain some semblance of organization, I ask that person to person chatter happen via PM’s. If entire pages of this thread are filled with folks trying to link up, it’ll be near impossible for anyone to scan for opportunities. This will also serve to protect the privacy of a responder if they do not want to announce their location or planned travel to the entire world via the interweb. So, again, please only post any travel plans, or your ability to act as a guide/host to travelers, communicate with others about specifics via PM.

Travelers, be as clear as possible about whether your itineraries are fixed or flexible, as there may be someone lurking who would be willing to be a guide or have a meetup in a nearby location you didn’t specifically address. Also, flexible plans make for the best chances to meet up with other travelers for cost savings and resource sharing, via carpooling, lodging, etc.

Guides/Hosts, please feel free to offer anything you feel comfortable. Remember this is ERE. Even a driveway for someone to park a car for a night or the offer to meetup for coffee is a great gesture. It may be all someone needs to alter their posted plans and swing by your way.

Thanks! and let's start meeting up!!
Last edited by classical_Liberal on Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:41 pm, edited 3 times in total.

classical_Liberal
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by classical_Liberal »

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Last edited by classical_Liberal on Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

AxelHeyst
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by AxelHeyst »

Travel Plans, US, Midwest to West Coast, ~early to mid October

Leave Date: Oct 1 - Oct 18, it's flexible but also depends on a few moving pieces on my end. It won't lock in for another couple weeks.
Length of Travel: Flexible, but about a week, depending on stops.

Itinerary:
Northern Michigan > Colorado or New Mexico > Inland Southern California. I'm planning to stop in Co/NM for a few days to meet up with a friend to climb. I'm also planning on meeting up with a forumite either near Chicago or [somewhere else in Illinois?].

Style:
Dirtbag. I'll be driving my Tacoma and either tent camping or camping in my camper shell. I'll have my own cooking and water setup. DW might or might not be with me. Once I hit the western states, I'll be camping on NF/BLM land.
I've been quite strict with Covid practices, as has my household here. I'm only up for meeting out of doors and keeping distance even then. I won't ask to use anyone's shower or hang out inside.

Flexibility:
Pretty flexible. Happy to deviate here and there to meetup. If anyone climbs or rides dual sport, we should definitely hang out. :)

I don't respond quickly to PMs, but I will respond. I'll edit this post as details firm up around my leave date.

ETA: Random thought: if anyone is interested in caravaning and learning the ropes of boondocking and dirtbag style travel, I'm happy to also offer services as a sort of Guide to Dirtbagging, or just a travel buddy when our itineraries sync up.

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Jean
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Location: Switzterland

Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by Jean »

I'm in Northwestern switzerland. I Can let someone Park for a few nights or shower. Camping in the garden or my forest is also an option. I'm within biking distance of a few intersting cities and you Can hike or ski out of thé door. I've been traveling a lot around switzerland and many part of Europe on the cheap so i should bé able to answer many questions. I like to hike, so i could probable take you for a hike.

basuragomi
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by basuragomi »

Guide: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I know the city and its history pretty well. I can give a decent walking/biking tour of downtown, help find cheap groceries, and give tips on visiting local attractions and some lesser-known ones depending on your interests.

What I know best about tourist stuff is biking. Toronto is basically a plane gently dipping towards the lake so is excellent for biking. I have a modest set of bike repair tools and can direct you to bike repair co-ops for nastier problems. If you're the right size I could lend out a cruiser bike and lock, though Toronto's bike share is pretty good and even offers e-bikes now. I know most of the city's bike routes, and I can guide or give tips on day trips up the two main river valley trails (~80 km round trip) and along the waterfront trail to Hamilton (~120 km round trip). In the summer (post-pandemic) we could go all the way out to Niagara Falls (~150 km) on a day trip if you're fit and willing enough.

I also can give lots and lots of restaurant recommendations. The restaurant food in Toronto is some of the best in the world.

Crusader
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Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by Crusader »

Guide/Host: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I live in Toronto, and loved meeting new people back when Couchsurfing was popular. So, I would be happy to show you around or even host you. If you are into salsa or partner dancing, I know all the good places to go. I also have a car in case you want to visit Niagara Falls for cheap (in fact if you are coming to Niagara Falls, whether it is the American or Canadian side, I might want to join you).

Consultant: Belgrade, Serbia; eastern Adriatic Sea coast (Montenegro, Croatia); Montreal, Canada
I grew up in Belgrade, Serbia (and still visit it often), so if you need some ideas on what to do or where to stay, I would be happy to help. When I was a kid, we used to spend summers on the Montenegro coast, and I've been in Croatia many times so I would be able to be of use if you decide to go to that region. Finally, I lived in Montreal for 5 years during university, and could probably help you out with what to do there as well (I highly recommend visiting Montreal during the summer as it is the French part of Canada, unlike Toronto, which is just like any other North American city).
Last edited by Crusader on Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

wolf
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by wolf »

Guide/Host: Southern Bavaria, Germany

jacob
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by jacob »

Meet-ups: Chicago, IL

I've met up with about a dozen ERE forumites and +1s visiting, living in, or passing through Chicago sofar. Always been a pleasure. Never had a bad or boring experience. We're about 10 mins away from Midway by Uber/taxi and 40 mins from ORD ditto in case you have a layover and some hours to burn. If you're in-town, you can get here via the "L" (subway) + 35 mins of walking or 30-60 mins trying to navigate the bus-system instead of the walking stretch. Free street parking available. PM if interested in visiting.

Guide: Unless you're looking to know which local home improvement stores carry the best knot-free dimensional lumber, I'm not your huckleberry :-P

COVID19 SNAFU: We've maintained a long streak of disciplined quarantine paranoia, so currently meeting up will be backyard-only, mask-stays-on, no one gets into the house but us. Sorry.

Future plans for hosting, workshops, bicycle touring, interstate travel, and fishing trips.

Future/post-COVID: We've hosted overnight visitors at ERE-HQ in the past. Looking forward to doing it again. Prefer previous visitors from meetups or people with a substantial online record so we have a good idea of who we're inviting. Some have enjoyed playing with neanderthal hand tools in the basement workshop making sawdust and wood shavings for hours. We regularly go/went to to Albany, NY along I-90 and could see meeting up up with people along the way or bringing someone along for the ride (driver or passenger). We also plan to drive from IL to AZ and back at some point. Interested in going fishing in IL (having gone in quite a while, license currently expired, but still have all the equipment). Would also be interested in bicycle touring/randoneering in IL and possibly longer trips.

sky
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by sky »

I will be van camping here starting this weekend: https://freecampsites.net/#!85149&query=sitedetails

Probably for a week or two, taking day trips and only at the boondock spot in the evenings. It would be great to meet up. There is no cell service so after Thursday I am incommunicado.

sky
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by sky »

Unfortunately no one came to visit my camp. Slowly headed back home now.

Laura Ingalls
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by Laura Ingalls »

Great area

Pictured Rocks is one of the prettiest places in the United States that no one has been too😀

classical_Liberal
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by classical_Liberal »

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Last edited by classical_Liberal on Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

Hristo Botev
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by Hristo Botev »

classical_Liberal wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:45 pm
Probably spend time in; Biloxi/Gulfport, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama Beach,
Ooh, the Redneck Riviera—home sweet home. Perhaps check out 30A, between Pensacola and Panama City. It’s got a couple of cool state parks, with freshwater rivers merging with the Gulf. And you can see where Truman Show was filmed (planned new urbanism, beach town style): https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/09/trav ... adise.html

sidra1968
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by sidra1968 »

Fellow traveler here! New here and looking forward to this! Currently in Central IL, looking for move to TN within the year (I hope)

sidra1968
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by sidra1968 »

I love the Pensacola area, the entire "Redneck Riveria", just love it..really enjoy driving from PCB all the way to NOLA, really.

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C40
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by C40 »

Look at this for an example of an ERE Travel group. Given that most members come from the "Cheap RV Living" community, they share a lot frugalness that they either had long-term, or for some, have no other options. The group includes one of my ERE Heroes, Randy Vining.

https://www.meetup.com/Caravans/Events

Randy Vining talks about the group he travels with in many of his blog posts: http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/


This is - I guess you could say - a caravan of mobile dwellers. People who live in their vans, RVs, campers, etc. and meander around together. They generally set up and stay in the same spot for a couple weeks at a time, and I think they stay in a fairly specific region for a at least a month or two at a time. It's mostly older folks. Many of them are close friends, but anyone can join. There used to be info about it on the cheaprvliving.com website, but it is gone now and seems to have dissapeared.. something to do with a non-profit being started (which seems unrelated). IDK.. maybe some things changed and there is an official organization and money now.

ItsALongStory
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by ItsALongStory »

I'm not a particularly active member here, mostly lurking the journals and admiring you all for your frugal determination.

My wife and I are currently slow traveling through Europe, we are in the Algarve near Portimao as we speak and probably through the end of March. We can meet up outdoors with people for hikes or even dinner once we get past this lockdown.

Our plans for the next 12 months (starting May) are pretty much up in the air but it's leaning more and more towards an extended stay in Italy with the Dolomites, Tuscany and Puglia as certainties.

I am originally from Belgium and can offer some advice on travel throughout the country.

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Seppia
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Location: South Florida

Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by Seppia »

I’m currently in Hong Kong but would be able to help with suggestions for some areas of Tuscany and if you got around the city of Como.
Ping me if needed

ItsALongStory
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by ItsALongStory »

Will do @seppia, thanks

Eureka
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Re: ERE Travel Thread

Post by Eureka »

If you pass through Copenhagen, Denmark, you are most welcome to pop by and say hi and/or crash for a night or three (basic style).

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