With only 2 days in Dublin, I set out to make the most of it. I’d tried repeatedly to book an affordable hotel, but there didn’t seem to be such a thing available, and I’d not found any couch surfs, so I checked out my Air B&B app, and was delighted to find an opening with 2 great guys in their 1930’s home, with a cool old tiled fireplace and beautiful backyard deck. Plus, Brian and Oliver gave me lots of travel...

Cinque Terre (translated The Five Lands), a Unesco World Heritage Site, is a necklace of 5 seaside villages strung along the Italian Riviera. It’s some of the most beautiful and dramatic coastal scenery anywhere in the world (my opinion, but also that of countless others). The colorful villages are linked by hiking trails that wind along the coast, up high through olive groves and vineyards, and down low along the water. The whole trail...

Rome, the Eternal City – it was known that way even among the ancient Romans, because the Roman people thought no matter what happened to the world, the brightness of Rome would burn forever. One of my Travel Angels, Beth, made it burn even brighter, when she booked us into the Waldorf Astoria with her travel points, high up on a hill, a true room with a view. It’s a great city to share with a friend! There’s so much to see...

Positano and the Amalfi coast are gorgeous, no question about that. But they have price tags to match. So what is a budget traveler to do? After a little research, I discovered that you can stay in tiny Piano de Sorrento and take buses and trains that link the pricier towns together at a fraction of the cost. And even better, I got to stay in a super affordable hostel in an old Monastery, with bells chiming, lovely staff and some of the nuns...

*Note: This is a guest blog post I wrote for Trusted Housesitters, the site I use to find house sitting jobs around the world. You can house sit too, or find free pet care for while you travel, at their site, www.trustedhousesitters.com. I do not get any commission for mentioning them, but I do highly recommend their company! What is a most interesting way to see the world, for a fraction of the cost most people spend? How would you like to try...