I've been multilingual since I was young, with three fluent (or nearly fluent) languages under my belt, like many Malaysians. I also self-studied Japanese from a young age. Recently I delved into learning French after conversing with native speakers (in English). I was fascinated to understand why French-speakers articulated things the way they did in English, by matching the vocabulary and structure to their native French. I also learned about idioms and phrases through language podcasts. I've only visited a few cities in France — however learning the culture through the language made me feel like I'm actually experiencing the country. Does anyone else feel the same about language-based tourism?

Hey guys, I've been a fulltime traveller for almost five years now; leaving behind a career in finance and IT sales. Being a traveller on either side of the pandemic meant a lot of things...good and bad. One definite con has been the increasing price of accommodation, specifically related to Airbnb. When I first began roaming the world in 2019, Airbnb was my default option for places to stay, and it worked well. Lots of supply. Reasonable prices. Reliable. Safe. Since the pandemic, it's just not a viable long-term solution. So here's how I overcame the challenge of finding a reasonably priced alternative to Airbnb: 1. Often the same accommodation is also listed on booking.com. Compare to see if you can save on costs. 2. Try and contact the owner directly to see if there's an opportunity to save by paying cash in hand. Note: I've had mixed experiences with this one. 3. It's funny how many hosts know other hosts! If you've connected well with your host - find out who their fr...