In his post, Another Useful Hospitality Service Has Just Emerged, This One Charging a Nominal Per Night Fee, Frommer writes:

Casa Casa (www.casacasa.org) is the latest fee-charging hospitality club and its understanding of what’s a “nominal” fee is refreshing: it’s $15 (single) to $20 (the total for two) per room per night, as well as an initial membership fee of $20. Casa Casa (an easily-remembered name) was begun in August of 2009 and already has 160 members — mainly in North America, but also in Europe, Israel, New Zealand, and Australia. It’s small enough that its founders are still willing to accept phone calls discussing their service.

Read the whole post here.

We’re pretty thrilled. Here’s what they had to say about us:

If your wanderlust is first class but you’re on a steerage budget, consider Seattle-based Casa Casa travel club. Lauren Braden and Brian Hosey created the service last year to provide an affordable bed-and-breakfast experience. Casa Casa members (who pay $40 annually) can arrange to stay in other members’ homes—spanning 14 countries—for $15–$20 per night. The hosts serve breakfast and share what’s on the “must see” list in their cities. Muy bueno. casacasa.org

Read it here: Travel Clubs Offer Big Savings on Lodging

The article covers some important basics of what you might expect from Casa Casa and how it works:

For the $20 annual membership fee, Casa Casa offers a password-protected online member directory. Browsers can list an extra bedroom, view other members’ available rooms, find out whether the stay is child-friendly and discover the host’s hobbies and interests.

It also talks a little about how you might assess if hospitality exchange is a good fit for your travel style:

These cheap sleeps aren’t for every traveler. Those who aren’t comfortable with the thought of a bed-and-breakfast stay won’t enjoy a hospitality exchange. Visitors may have to share a bathroom and probably won’t dry off with spa-like hotel towels.

Nancy Stein says that some people have expressed concern that they let strangers into their home, as part of the hospitality exchange.

“But they really aren’t strangers,” Stein says. “They’re in the directory and we all have something in common. We all love to travel.”

You can watch the segment here.

Travel Wise | Hospitality exchanges: Find a bed, make a friend

CouchSurfing, the Affordable Travel Club, Casa Casa and other hospitality exchange clubs offer travelers a cultural experience as well as budget accommodations.

Here is an excerpt:

“Travel is not just about where you’re going. It’s about who lives there,” says Lauren Braden, 35, founder of Seattle’s Casa Casa Travel Club.

“I think many budget travelers are looking for more than just a good value; they’re seeking a unique experience when they travel,” she says. “Real B&Bs provide that experience, but they can be quite expensive, especially in the U.S.”

Read more here.

Compared to nearby Uxmal, which we’d spent half a day exploring just the day prior, Xlapak was tiny. It’s star attraction is it’s restored el palacio, or palace, roughly the size of a house in the US. In classic Puuc style, the upper half of the building has ornate decoration. The palace is covered with images of the god Chaac. It’s a late Mayan site; the height of its occupation was 600 – 1000 A.D.

Here is a close-up of the palace’s corner decoration.

Xlapak was one of a handful of ruin sites we visited where we were the only people there at the time, and our solitude offered us a deeply unique experience. We were able to really take our time here, though we spent a lot of that time searching the trees nearby for colorful birds, of which there were many.

For more travel photos, browse Photo Friday at deliciousbaby.com.

First, Gastown.

The Gastown neighborhood of Vancouver is just to the north and east of downtown. It’s a historic neighborhood and it an eclectic mix, with cobblestone streets, upscale boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs, and housing for the homeless. It’s also home to Vancouver’s only steam-powered clock, pictured above.

Across False Creek from downtown is Granville Island, home to the Granville Island Public Market.

It’s much smaller than Pike Place Market in Seattle where I live, and it’s intimacy gives it quite a different feel. I love strolling for fresh produce, baked goods, and fresh-caught wild salmon.

To get to Granville Island from downtown, you can take these adorable foot ferries.

One of my favorite areas of Vancouver is Stanley Park, one of the most dynamic, beautiful urban parks I’ve ever experienced.

Stanley Park has it all – waterfront, a pool, hiking trails, totem poles, lots of birds to watch and little lakes to sit by, and even bikes to rent. It’s like a big backyard for residents of Vancouver, and I think one of the reasons Vancouver’s intense density is so palatable. And Vancouver is dense. Look at these apartments buildings!

The truth is, I’d live in one of those apartment buildings in a heartbeat. Vancouver is truly a livable city. It’s also a terrific place to visit, for a weekend or for a week along with mini excursions to Vancouver Island and the mountains. And at the end of the day, you’ve got this.

For more great travel photos, check out the Photo Friday gallery at Delicious Baby.

Even if you haven’t yet experienced it for yourself, there is something you should know: hospitality exchange has gone mainstream, and is clearly here to stay!

In fact, this great way of traveling is not exactly new; hospitality exchange is as old as leisure travel itself. Yet over the past decade, thanks to clubs like the Affordable Travel Club and online networks like Couchsurfing, this budget, community-oriented way to travel has found many new followers.

And now with Casa Casa, I hope to help bring hospitality exchange to thousands more.

What makes hospitality exchange with Casa Casa unique? Travelers with discerning tastes enjoy that Casa Casa homestays are much like staying in a bed and breakfast, on a budget. Others will appreciate that the club is supported by a staffperson (me!) who is available to assist members if they need any help with the process of arranging a homestay, or just have a question or concern.

How it works is simple. As a traveler with Casa Casa, you stay in guest rooms in private homes of friendly members and pay your hosts a small gratuity. When you host travelers in your home, you provide your guest room, some warm hospitality, and share a favorite breakfast recipe.

What’s the draw? It’s not just about budget travel (though paying a mere $15 gratuity to your host per night through Casa Casa is certainly a primary benefit.) Hospitality exchange is also about growing your community and making new friends. It connects you with real people from the places you visit, adding value your travel experiences and making them more unique.

Check out the frequently asked questions for more information.

It’s just $20 to join. So, what are you waiting for? Give it a try! Join Casa Casa now.

Airfare Watchdog recently assembled this handy dandy chart of baggage fees for major US airlines, airline by airline.  How do they stack up? Airfare Watchdog offers this conclusion:

“If you’re a heavy packer, you’ll want to fly with Airtran, Alaska, Frontier and Southwest, even if there’s a cheaper fare on another airline.”

A woman picks up her checked luggage at Delta baggage claim at LAX. Delta now charges $23 for the first checked bag and $32 for the second. Photo by Eileen Mansoorian, via Flickr Creative Commons.

Where can you still check two bags for free? That would be Southwest, which now stands as the sole airline to offer two free checked bags and is doing a good deal of marketing around this distinction.

Don’t feel like shelling out an additional $25 to check a bag next time you fly? You have options. One is to pack light. Another is to take a chance and try gaming the system. Let’s take a closer look at both of these options, shall we?

Pack it all in one bag. Doug Dyment is a one-bag evangelist, and his website (www.onebag.com) just may persuade you. He suggests the solution is to always use a packing list, and states that if it’s not on your list, it shouldn’t be in your bag. Fair enough. An added bonus of a list is that it ensures you won’t forget any essential item, either. He says to resist the temptation to add non-essentials. “If you’re thinking ‘I might need this,’ you’re likely mistaken; if it’s ‘I can’t survive without this,’ you may be right. But consider it carefully and dispassionately.” He goes on to say “I have yet to hear of someone returning from an extended trip who vows to take more stuff the next time!” Me, neither.

For more info on packing light, check out this article on Packing for Portability at MSNBC.com. Also see What? You’re Still Paying the Airlines to Carry your Bags? at Frommer’s.

Game the Luggage System. I read this New York Times’ Practical Traveler column with interest this week as it confirmed something I’ve taken note of myself. There are so many carry-on bags on overfull flights right now that late boarders often have no choice but to check their bags at the gate – for free. So, one way to possibly avoid the lines at baggage check, checked bag fees, and long wait at baggage claim is to spend a little extra time at the duty -free shop while the rest of your fellow passengers are boarding the airplane. Then, show up at the gate for the final boarding call and ask the gate attendant if your bag can be checked. Evidently this works a good part of the time. But it doesn’t work all the time–you may end up paying for that checked bag, or worse, searching in vain for space among the jam-packed overhead bins as you board.

How are you dealing with the increase in checked baggage fees by airlines?

1. Spice up the morning coffee. Trader Joe’s holiday coffee blend is Gingerbread Coffee, and I’m loving it every morning right now. The blend mixes 100% Arabica ground coffee with real pieces of ginger, cinnamon and cloves for a brewed cup that packs the taste of the holidays with the caffeine you need to start your day.

2. Give your guests a festive task. As a holiday host, you will likely have your hands full. I think it’s a great time of year to ask your guests to help out a little here and there, particularly if it is to do something festive and fun.  Pour some eggnog and let the fun begin! Ask tall guests to help hang lights or top trees. Children will love making paper snowflakes to decorate your windows. If your festive task involves shoveling snow, though, I’d be sure to have some brandy on hand to add to that eggnog!

3. Serve dessert for breakfast. Nothing says “holidays” like copious amounts of sugar and butter. The trick is to make sure your extra sugar is really worth it. I pass on the milk chocolate Santas and candy canes, and save my holiday calories for delicious homemade treats. Sunset magazine’s December issue features an amazing Apple Oven Cake is as easy as it is delicious and that tastes great any time of day, but is most special when served alongside a cup of gingerbread coffee for breakfast.

4. Deck the guest room and bathroom. If your guests are spending the holidays away from their own home, it’s such a nice gesture to create a holiday atmosphere in their temporary home – your guest bedroom. This takes very little effort, but your effort will be appreciated. Consider getting a mini tabletop tree for the guest room, and set it on a dresser or small desk. Set out cinnamon-scented candles. In the bathroom, replace regular soaps with peppermint-scented soaps.

5. Share your guest’s holiday traditions. Try to find out your guest’s favorite holiday traditions in advance so that you can incorporate some of them into your holiday festivities.  What holiday songs do they love to sing? What is their favorite holiday cocktail? This is a great way to start some new traditions of your own, too. When I hosted a Jewish friend over Hanukkah, we made latkes together and this delicious meal is now a regular on my holiday menu.

Happy Holidays from Casa Casa!