Bus Home or Mobile Converted Double-Decker Community? There was a time when designers were also philosophers, artists and visionaries beyond just being professional architects. Aristide Antonas is a Greek professor of architecture whose imagination pushes the envelope on adaptive reuse, recycled materials and portable dwelling beyond merely mobile homes. This two-story used bus is imagined as a potential hotel or a portable commuting community space for professionals on-the-go. It features seven beds, a living room area and a restroom and would fit int typical mobile home parks, though finding dealers with parts for sale might be a bit trickier. It is an intentionally non-radical work of construction, requiring no contractor or elaborate plans to be built – just a group of people who wish to turn an ordinary vehicle into a multi-person housing unit on wheels. “Typical banal elements show us already how to interact with them.
HOWTO live in a schoolbus Over at Instructables, user Zim started a series on how to live in a schoolbus. The first installment is about how to get the bus, make it road legal, and gut it for interior construction. Zim also links to Skoolie, an interesting online community devoted to school bus conversion. From Instructables: A few years back, I got tired of living the American Dream and struggling to keep up with a horrendous mortgage and rising credit card debt. Re-use a Schoolbus for Cheap Housing(Instructables) Select and Convert Your Bus into a Motorhome on a Shoestring: Ben Rosander: 9780972470414: Amazon.com: Books How to Find a Cheap Flight The era of dirt-cheap travel is over, and, when the flight can represent the biggest part of your trip expenses, finding that hidden cheap deal can be just as important as finding the right location, the right tour company, the right backpack, or the right place to stay. Rising oil costs, increased personnel costs, and material costs have all added to rising ticket fares. Bankruptcy has also meant that airlines, which are under pressure to make a profit, can’t reduce fares as much and limited competition has given them less incentive to do so. Moreover, since airlines have slashed routes and capacity, they are flying full planes. It’s a constant battle to find a cheap ticket but there are ways to avoid being the person who paid the most on your flight. Here are a few tips that can help you find cheap flights and flight deals: Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates Be Flexible with Your Destinations Instead of going to place with an expensive flight, go where it is the cheapest. Book Early
Thrifty 50 Travel Tips by Rick Steves By Rick Steves The economy may be wobbly, but our travel dreams are still strong — for good reason. Europe is every bit as magical as ever, and no recession can change that. What matters is how well you manage your travel budget, and how you use those skills to create a better trip. Playing your cards right, and spending less will lower the barrier that separates you and the culture you've traveled so far to experience. To help you keep your dream trip affordable, here are 50 thrifty ways to stretch your travel dollar in Europe... A B&B offers double the warmth and cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel. Avoid touristy restaurants with "We speak English" signs and multilingual menus. Fly open-jaws — that's into one city and out of another. Travel off-season — generally October through April in Europe. Family-run businesses offer the best values because they employ family members to get around Europe's costly labor regulations. Picnics save money. Eat with the season.
Europe Travel Tips One of the great rites of passage is the summer backpacking trip through Europe. For young people, especially college-aged Americans, the summer trip is one of the most memorable experiences people have in their life. From beautiful Paris, to smoke filled coffeeshops in Amsterdam, to Oktoberfest, to the beaches of Greece, there’s so much to see on the continent I couldn’t name it all even if I tried. Typical Costs Note: The individual country guides have more specific information but below are some general costs. Accommodation – Hostel dormitory rooms cost between 18-40 EUR per night, depending on the room’s size and the popularity of the hostel. Food – Throughout Western Europe, you can find small shops where you can get sandwiches, slices of pizza, or sausages for between 4-7 EUR. Transportation – Transportation around most European cities by local tram, subway, or bus is typically under 2 EUR for a one-way ticket. Money Saving Tips Top Things to See and Do in Europe Booking Resources
How to Use the Sharing Economy to Travel on a Budget The Internet has changed travel. Sometimes it hasn’t been for the better (one just needs to see how many people are checking Facebook in a hostel to agree), but it has allowed people to share, connect, and collaborate in ways that haven’t been possible before. And for the budget traveler and culture enthusiast, this change has been terrific. There are now so many more ways to travel on a budget as well as get the most out of your destination and learn the hidden secrets of the places you are visiting. Here are some top-notch sites and services (some old, some new) that you can use to travel cheap and connect with locals. Hospitality Networks Hospitality networks have been around for decades but were really popularized with the creation of Couchsurfing. For cyclists, check out the website Warm Showers, which is a free hospitality exchange for cyclists. Apartment Rentals Hotels are expensive and maybe hostels aren’t your thing, so what’s the next best choice? Camp in My Garden Eat With Locals
Matrix - ITA Software by Google Low-cost airlines Low-cost airlines See also Air travel on a budget Discount airlines, also known as no-frills carriers or low-cost carriers (LCC), are airlines that offer cheap flights. Laker Airlines plane, 1977 The first such airline was Laker Airways "Skytrain" of the 70s, offering low-cost no-frills flights on a few busy transatlantic routes. In the US, Southwest Airlines revolutionized American air transport by running fleets with one type of aircraft, the Boeing 737, to save on maintenance costs, and eliminating the 'frills' of air travel. Low-cost airlines around the world[edit] For discount airlines flying long haul to Australia, see Australia: Discount airlines. Intercontinental[edit] Some airlines offer budget flights from one continent to another. Air Arabia has cheap flights from the Middle East to South Asia, North Africa and Turkey.AirAsia X flies from Malaysia to Australia, Saudi Arabia and points throughout Asia. Round the world[edit] Hidden costs and complications[edit] Obscure airports[edit]
10 Reasons to Go Flashpacking the Next Time You Travel What’s the best way to pack for a year on the road? Okay, so it’s a trick question. Unless you’re off to tag penguins at a base in Antarctica, there’s simply no need — or even a good reason — to pack for a year. Eight months ago, my wife Lindsie and I pooled our savings, quit our jobs, rented out our condo, and set off to spend a year traveling the world. As a flashpacker, you take along a few more tech tools, a few more dollars — and a lot less stuff. As a starting point, think laptop, cell phone, camera, good-quality gear locks, basic clothes, and some cards and cash. Sound scary? Here are ten reasons you should consider approaching your next trip in gloriously lightweight flashpacker style: 1. Our trip started in Thailand, so we packed swimsuits and flip-flops. I didn’t even pack a razor; turns out they’re plenty cheap in Bangkok. 2. While shopping for jeans deep in the maze of an open-air mall in Singapore, Lindsie and I spotted a hairdressing school and decided to give it a try. 3.