DIY Travel
DIY
travel
The adventure of DIY travel vs the experienced aid of a booking agent
WE FOLLOWED THE SHADOWY male figure along a cobbled street. It was getting dark and we were in a totally foreign city. Suddenly, he lurched sideways with our heaviest travel bag and halted outside a doorway set in a stone wall. He gestured, "You are here. This is my place". He fumbled with the ancient key, and I became sweaty with
anxiety. What would this place be like, up the back of Lisbon? Worth the money we had already paid over the Internet? Up the stone stairs was a red leather couch, wooden shutters open
to the sunset, coffee waiting to be poured, and a smiling woman. Luciano and his wife had even found some DVDs of fado - that evocative Portuguese music that we were longing to hear, as well as a suggestion of cafes where we could hear the real thing. I had booked the Lisbon apartment and other places on www.
ownersdirect.com and thank heavens this time I hadn't made one of those travel mistakes by online booking. There are horror stories (see tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/11/23/online-travel-mistakes/). However, I had decided to be brave, not just by choosing the accommodation, but pre-paying with our precious travel dollars. It certainly paid off in Lisbon. Later that same month our intrepidity was rewarded with a designer
apartment on the banks of the Douro in Porto; also frequented by the New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam. The gorgeous and voluble owner, Fernando, willingly parked our car, unloaded the bags then offered us a bottle of port and a plate of local cheeses. A great start to our week in Porto.
114 | www.hermagazine.co.nz
