Travel At Home

Wherever you are in the world there are probably so many wonderful and fascinating things to see.  If you are anything like my family it becomes all too easy to ignore the sites close to home, falling prey to the belief that they will 'always be there'.  Familiarity breeds contempt and we hanker after the exotic.  

As an expat family we get to be at home in a wide range of different places and we try to make sure that we make the most of any place we are living right now, getting out and exploring as much as possible.  Travel at Home is the linky for people who want to write about their home (or host) location and all the places that don't make it into a guide book (but really should).  You don't have to be an expat to participate, just someone with a passion for their local area. 

There are just a few rules:

• Share your post - it can be a new post or an old one you want to share with a new audience.
• Add the link up button and code to your post so that people can navigate back easily
• Comment on some of the other posts on the link up (the more the merrier)
• Tweet/share your link.  If you include me (@ErsatzExpat) in your tweet I will retweet.
• Add your post to the Travel At Home Pinterest Board contact me via Pinterest and I will add you to the board.
• Spread the word - the more the merrier and everyone is welcome.

Monthly link ups will go in the main feed but will then be linked here for reference. 

• Travel At Home 1.  The inaugural Travel at Home took us from the Baltic to the Ukraine, France to Cornwall and China to Guyana by way of South Africa and Malaysia.  I now want to go and visit all the places mentioned but I think the post that most fired my imagination was on  Pechersk Lavra near Kiev. Thank you to Tiny Expats for that post!

• Travel At Home 2 featured a wide range of posts from France to China, Moscow, Germany and the UAE along with some timely advice on how to enjoy travel in your home town.  My favourite posts was from American Mom in Bordeaux on her expeditions to the big dune near her home.  I had never heard of this place before and now I really, really want to visit.

• Travel At Home 3 saw stories about local travel in China, The Netherlands, Malaysia, France, Greece, South Africa, The Seychelles and Slovenia.  My favourite post was the one of the Triglav Lakes by Piran Cafe, mostly because this part of Slovenia is one of my favourite places in the world. 

• Travel At Home 4 saw stories about local travel in Denmark, France, Dubai, Turkey, Greece and the Czech Republic.  My favourite post was the one on the war memorials of Calvados by Eco Gites of Lenault because I think it is so important to remember the sacrifices that were made and ensure that they remain known to our younger generations.  I also now really want to see the Dubai miracle garden!

• Travel At Home 5 allowed us to travel to Denmark, The Netherlands, France, the UK, China and South Africa.  My favourite post was Mint Mocha Musings' write up of her weekend in Guilin, China, a place I long to visit and have not yet managed.

• Travel At Home 6 saw us travel to Denmark (a lot of different places in Denmark which is making me really sorry that I have not been there yet), Russia, Sweden, the USA, France, Cambodia and, Saudi.  My favourite post was on Rabbit Island in Cambodia by the Meanderthals.  I loved my short visit to Cambodia and felt that there was so much more to see when we left.  This post confirmed it big time!

• Travel At Home 7 brought us to various places in Scandinavia including Copenhagen, Bergen (which sounds much nicer these days then I remember it from my childhood) and a castle in Sweden.  We also went to China, Devon in the UK, Japan and Saudi.  My favourite was probably Trekking Becky's post on Japan, mostly because I would love to take the children there and this gives some great ideas of places to see.

• Travel At Home 8 gave us posts from Kenya, the UAE, Saudi, Australia and France.  My favourite post was Blue Abaya's post on Haql beach because I really, really want to go there now!

• Travel At Home 9 gave us the chance to travel around Africa, Europe and the Middle East.  My favourite post was Eco Gites of Lenault on the commemorations of the Battle of Hastings from the Norman Perspective.  Visit the website to see more on the fascinating history of Normandy, I know I would love to book a stay there.

• Travel At Home 10 saw us visit Africa and the Middle East, tour Lamu and Mardin.