| Often inspired by a romantic end to a relationship with academia, that staple of the quarter-life crisis – the backpack conquest – typically amounts to a naïve rush through a quick succession of continental capitals in search of cheap alcohol and food, one-night stands and a brush with antiquity. Throw in the odd off-the-beaten-track pit stop for flavour, and return home when the money runs out, perhaps more modest, but just as likely none the wiser. From thereon forward, finding money to support a vacation in the midst of carrying on a career is often relegated below the necessities of covering rent, loans and food. However, as the global economic shift from permanent employment to a series of contract or freelance positions increases, the new nomadic 21st century career has simultaneously developed the built-in benefit of significant downtime between jobs. To a traveller this presents the perfect opportunity to do some world wandering.
With the combination of detailed guidebooks and the advent of websites like Craigslist.org, a bare bones web update of newspaper classifieds, short-term rentals in cities around the globe are more accessible than ever. Travellers tired of backpacking yet still cash conscious enough to avoid a hotel can often find a foreign pad with a few days of casual surfing. The biggest upside of this new opportunity is that just as Shane from Ireland is giving up his apartment to attend to some business and travel in Africa, by choosing to travel for two to four weeks consecutively, you, too, can sublet your own place through a site like Craigslist, effectively balancing your foreign accommodation costs.
Take Paris, one of the more expensive world cities to find accommodations in, as an example. A typical tiny bachelor (often with a loft bed), can reach 600 to 700 Euros (approx. $1000 CDN) per month, or almost the equivalent of a dorm or hostel room for 30 nights at an average of 20 Euros per night. With the added benefits of privacy, an overall sense of having an independent home and a functional kitchen useful for dining on inexpensive local produce – including exquisite cheese and drinks – there’s no comparison. Many other emerging world cities offer even better bargains for your experience and are also currently home to revitalized and engaging art scenes. A decent rental in Buenos Aires or Montreal can be had for as low as $400 to $500 CDN per month.
As these sublets are often available for no less than a week or two at a time, living in a single city rather than moving around every few days requires a slight attitude shift. But beginning from the moment you drop your bags, kick back on the couch and realize the freedom of having your own sanctuary within another culture, the benefits are immense. With the first trip to the local grocery store, a nearby café or weekly farmer’s market, you begin to notice the mechanics of the city. While you’re wandering around like a good bohemian, everyone else in the city is attending to their daily routines. Hitting up nearby museums during non-peak hours, taking your time strolling by the river and visiting a park with a homemade lunch help demystify the international cliché of a city and instead reveal similarities of basic, daily human life. After a few weeks you begin to settle into a routine and slowly remove the tourist goggles. You’re less overwhelmed by gaudy tourist traps and see the city from a unique, everyday street perspective. Weekend getaways to historical sites and nearby towns are a short transit ride away – minus the cumbersome backpack. Tasting local delicacies and setting up in a new favourite watering hole, you will develop a fondness for that particular international place you were able — even if only for a month — to call home. Your resulting deeper appreciation of the place may lead you back to it, or to a new destination, sooner than imagined. |
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