How to stay in the world's most expensive cities for free according to the woman who's visited 90 countries
Kiera Bourke from Newcastle , Australia, and her partner, Nathan, have experienced some amazing destinations through years of flying, backpacking and exploring the world.
10 Kiera and Nathan have been to many destinations and not paid a penny on accomodation Credit: Keira Bourke
10 They have been able to do this via pet sitting, whilst owners go away Credit: Newy Tours
But the savvy traveller has also managed to find a way of seeing new places, without paying for accommodation – and actually having a better holiday for it.
Kiera said: 'We've visited like 90 countries and all seven world wonders.
'We were looking after people's pets , in their homes , around the world.
'We didn't take any payment, but in return we would get these great places to stay, with great animals as company.
'It helped us to see more local parts of the world and the local way of experiencing places, that we may not have had access to otherwise.'
Since, the 33-year-old has told other people about her experiences and how it is a great way to save money 'but also experience things more authentically'.
Over the past years, using Trusted House Sitters, Kiera and Nathan has been to Glasgow with a German Shepherd, stayed with a Rottweiler on Vancouver Island in Canada and mostly carried, a French Bulldog around New York City.
But it is not just dogs the couple have sat, they have also stayed with cats including in London.
'We did a cat sit in Wimbledon with a lovely lady, whose cat came and go as it pleased.
'We almost felt guilty because we had so much free time.
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'We would walk around and see cafes, chat with locals, write and even see how the subway (tube) connected into the area.
'It was definitely a more original way of seeing the city, rather than hopping into the very centre of London – which is still a cool experience, but once you have ticked off the typical tourist spots they are done.
'We even wet to a Millwall FC game.'
As for her favourite place, that was also in the UK.
'I think my favourite sit was probably in Scotland, in Glasgow.
10 Destinations they have pet sat in include New York and Glasgow Credit: Keira Bourke
10 Glasgow was even Keira's favourite destination Credit: Keira Bourke
'We had a car and we were looking after a German Shepherd named Lola and she was a gorgeous dog.
'So we were really lucky that because she was so athletic, we could drive two hours into the countryside and go for mountain hikes with her during the day.'
Lola went with the couple everywhere, even down to a creek on the hottest day of the year.
'We would keep the owners updated and it was funny, because we sent pictures of Lola when we were hiking, and her owners said she'd now seen more of Scotland than they had.
'I'd been to Scotland before, but not to Glasgow and being able to explore the regions, hike and see nature was absolutely beautiful.'
10 They have also sat other animals including cats Credit: Keira Bourke
10 Many of the times they explore, they would take the dog they were sitting with them Credit: Keira Bourke
10 It means the duo save thousands on hotels Credit: Keira Bourke
Replacing hotels with peoples homes meant that Nathan and Keira could cook their own food and have space to spread out – as well as save thousands.
Read More Why Croyde is riding the crest of a wave
Keira added how in a lot of the destinations she pet sat, owners would leave a basket of goodies, or perhaps bake a cake or stock the fridge up.
In return, her and Nathan would try and leave some Australian goodies.
'Slowing down and experiencing the local way of life around the world was something that was a novelty to us when we travelled before [pet sitting].'
And when it comes to perhaps weird or hard situations, the couple have been fortunate enough to not experience any.
Keira admitted: 'Sometimes an animals' quirkiness is quite funny.'
The duo were so inspired by travelling locally, that when they returned to Australia they set up their own tour company, Newy Tours.
10 Some owners even leave treats out for sitters Credit: Keira Bourke
10 The couple have been fortunate to not have had any bad experiences Credit: Keira Bourke
'We found that the days we got the most out of a travel experiences, were not when we were at the middle of tourist hotspots but actually when we were experiencing the local way of life.'
By fostering good relationships with locals, Keira and Nathan have created tours that allow visitors from the people who live there.
People get to meet the creators and hear stories straight from owners – offering a different experience to much of the tourist draws in Sydney, only two hours away.
There is also a man who has travelled to every country in the world and claims there are four things the UK does better than anywhere else.
Plus, the clever way you can get a holiday abroad for free.
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Australian airline wins approval to carry pets on flights — behind all the cuddly details
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New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Arsenal fans across continents: 3am kick-offs, church services, and Bergkamp DVDs
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Advertisement He moved to the U.S. aged 11 in 2001, but football fell by the wayside. 'I kept in touch with it over chatrooms, but didn't get introduced to Arsenal America until I was in graduate school in New Hampshire in around 2013,' he tells The Athletic. 'I walked into the Boston Arsenal America pub and was confronted by about 70 people singing the same songs I'd known since I was a kid. I wondered 'Where's this been for the last 10 years?'. Since then, it's been one of the most important parts of my life.' Also a supporters club branch manager for Twin Cities Gooners (Minneapolis-St. Paul), part of Laker's role is to help organise matchday gatherings in Minneapolis. That will involve finding a reliable pub to show matches that can be open an hour or so ahead of kick-off. They average around 250-300 supporters in attendance for big matches, but that figure can drop for midweek matches when people are at work. 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That could help people who have accidents, need burials, or in more long-term ways. — Arsenal Kenya Supporters' Club (@ArsenalKenya_AK) February 13, 2025 'An actual example is a lady called Rose,' Alves says. 'In 2011, she used to come to our events and we noticed she appeared alone. She was an orphan, but was also having a baby of her own and was very sick. 'She passed away a few months later, leaving behind a newborn baby. We educated that child, took care of her bills, and now she's in high school. She's called Blessing and we had a charity tournament last August in her name. When she gets through university, it will go to another cause.' As was the case with Asi in New Zealand, players are still the ones who can transcend a club beyond their own borders. The influx of top African talents such as Kanu, Kolo Toure, Lauren and Emmanuel Adebayor helped Arsenal's presence grow on that particular continent around the turn of the century. 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They take place during the working day, but luckily, a public holiday fell on the days when Arsenal faced Madrid. That did not mean Wilson felt more support for the club as the semi-final clashes with Paris Saint-Germain approached, however. 'They get really into the tribalism,' she says of her students. 'There are videos of me in my Arsenal shirt going around to terrorise all of them because they're huge Real Madrid fans. When it came to the PSG games, every day I came in they'd chant 'PSG! PSG!'. They even stuck PSG shirts all over the school. 'Tribalism is rooted here because football is life. Even off-licenses and malls have TVs only with football matches on.' That tribalism also works differently in Colombia compared with England. While members of supporters groups are die-hard, more casual fans will support their own Colombian team and maybe two European teams, such as Real Madrid and Manchester City. 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Arsenal were kicking off at 2am, so it was time to embark on an hour-long post-midnight walk to find Highbury — The Home of Beer in Shinjuku, where you were greeted with a simple question: What do you think of Tottenham? Around 10-15 people were inside at kick-off, when the pub transformed into more of a cinema. The shutters outside came down, the lights were turned off, and the TV volume shot up. The locals watching spoke Japanese between themselves for the majority of the game, other than the occasional 'Shoot!' or 'Go!' in English. Well, that was until about 4am. Advertisement The game was goalless until the 89th minute, when Bukayo Saka picked out Kai Havertz at the back post to win the game in the last minute. It was Havertz's second goal for Arsenal, and his first since a new chant had begun for him. The locals went straight into full English: 'Sixty million down the drain, Kai Havertz scores again!' It was 6am by the time The Athletic hit the pillows in Yokohama, but this is the experience of many international fans, not just of Arsenal. 'I tread both lines,' Laker says. 'You might never get to see this team play in the flesh, so you will pour everything into watching them at 5am with your mates at the pub. That becomes your Emirates Stadium. The idea that international fans are not proper fans is b*******. 'These are people just like me, they just happen to be born somewhere else. Being an international fan takes a hell of a lot of commitment, time, money and a lack of sleep. 'It's a very different experience but no less important.'
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Boston Globe
Female tour guides in Afghanistan lead women-only groups as some travelers return
Related : Advertisement After hosting a traveler, 'I became very passionate about it and it was very interesting for me,' Moniry said. 'It was very unique. I have never heard about it before, so I said: 'Why not (do) this?'' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Zoe Stephens, 31, from Britain, took a selfie with other female tourists and Maryam (left), a local trainee tour guide, at Darul Aman Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 28. Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press Looking for the positive As she showed that first visitor around her hometown in western Afghanistan, she saw a new side to her country. 'Most of the things that we have heard (about Afghanistan) was just … negativity. The focus of the people, focus of the media, focus of headlines, all of them were just the negativity. And definitely we get influenced by that,' Moniry said. But for her, Afghanistan is far more nuanced. While there are undoubtedly problems in a place recovering from decades of war and chaos, there is also another side to the complex, stunning country. Her love for her homeland runs deep, and she is eager to share it. She hopes to gradually change people's perceptions. Advertisement 'Whenever … I saw all of that natures, all those beauty, all those positivity, it changed my view totally,' Moniry said in her enthusiastic English. 'And definitely this can be also for other people.' One of those visitors is Australian Suzanne Sandral. She originally wanted to see Afghanistan in the 1960s but the pressures of having a family kept her away. Now at 82, she was part of Moniry's women-only tour group in Kabul. Afghanistan surprised her. Female tourists visited Darul Aman Palace accompanied by three female tour guides in Kabul, Afghanistan, in May. Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press 'It's not what I expected at all. I expected to feel rather fearful. I expected to be given a lot of ... accusatory looks. Not at all,' she said during a pause in sightseeing. 'Wherever you go in the streets, if you smile at someone and give them a little nod or say hello, you get a terrific response. So it's very different.' Jackie Birov, a 35-year-old independent traveler from Chicago who was not part of the tour group, called the Afghan people 'unbelievably hospitable.' However, 'I'm very aware that I have a lot more freedom than local women,' she said. A fledgling industry Four decades of war have kept tourists away from Afghanistan. But while the Taliban's takeover of power in August 2021 sent thousands of Afghans fleeing and shocked the world, the end of its insurgency against the previous U.S.-backed government also marked a sharp drop in violence. Attacks still occasionally occur, mainly by an Islamic State affiliate, and Western countries advise against all travel to Afghanistan. Still, the improved security is increasingly attracting foreign visitors drawn by the dramatic scenery, millennia of history and a deeply ingrained culture of hospitality. Advertisement Tourism is a fledgling industry, with annual visitors in the low thousands. Most are independent adventure travelers. But guided package tours are increasing from countries as diverse as China, Greece, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Afghanistan's Taliban government is keen to welcome them. Isolated on the international stage — officially recognized only by Russia, which did so in July — the government sees how potentially lucrative tourism could be. Tourist visas, typically single-entry ones valid for stays of up to 30 days, have become relatively simple to obtain from the few embassies that issue them. Regular flights connect Kabul with major transit hubs such as Dubai and Istanbul. Afghan tour guide Somaya Moniry (left) and Australian tourist Suzanne Sandral posed for a photo next to a military helicopter during a visit to the War Museum in Kabul, Afghanistan, in May. Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press A question of ethics For some, the idea of visiting Afghanistan as a tourist is morally abhorrent, particularly given the government's treatment of women. Girls are banned from education above primary school level, and women live under myriad restrictions. The government dictates what they can wear in public, where they can go and who they can go with. They cannot walk in parks or eat in restaurants. Beauty salons are banned. A very limited number of professions, such as teaching and carpet weaving, are open to them. And the rules can change quickly. Related : But those involved in tourism point to the positive effects that visiting Afghanistan can have. 'I truly believe in ethical tourism,' said Zoe Stephens, 31, a British tour leader at Koryo Tours, a company specializing in unusual destinations. 'I believe that you can divide politics and people, and that is the main thing for me. … A country is not a sum of its politics. It's a sum of so much more, it's a sum of its culture, its history, its food, and especially in Afghanistan, its people.' Advertisement Maryam, a young Afghan on her first day of training to become a tour guide, helped Suzanne Sandral adjust her hijab in Kabul. Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press Glimpses into the women's world Of the three recent tours Stephens led in Afghanistan, two were women-only. Working with local female guides, including Moniry, they combine key attractions with visits to women's centers and cooking and embroidery classes from local women — worlds that are closed to male travelers. 'We always try and do something a little bit different that really makes our tours unique, as well as something that kind of gives back to the community,' Stephens said. 'So I felt that working with the female tour guides does both of those things really well.' The groups are small — one had eight women, the other three — but the company is looking to build a network of female guides across Afghanistan. 'What we try and do with this tour, especially the women's tour, is conquer those ethical concerns,' Stephens said. 'The idea is to learn about the lives of Afghan women in context.'
