I'm on Instagram (steveeastontravel) and I love it!

I'm on Instagram now at (steveeastontravel), and I'm loving it. I've been using the App for a few months now, and I really don't know why it took me so long. Normally, as you know, I've an early adopter wih technology like with AirBnB that has been our default accommodation App for some years now, which has since exploded in popularity - it should because it's really good!

What I like is that Instagram users can see some of my best travel photographs, and I can see their often amazing photographs. It's actually a lot of fun (much more fun than other social media websites). Furthermore, you can get good ideas for your next trip from looking at photographs of other people's trips. There are some really excellent photographers on it, which you can learn from to improve your own pics. 

So, don't be a slow coach like me - well, you are probably already on it - and get on Instagram.  I want to see your travel pics, and so does the rest of the world. 

Isn't information technology great - it's making travel so much easier and most importantly more FUN! 

Brexit: what does it mean for travel to the UK?

What does the Brexit mean for travel to the United Kingdom? Well, although the final agreement is still months or years away, the uncertainty surrounding the issue has resulted in the English Pound falling by ten percent against the US Dollar. It's probably fair to suggest that the Brexit would result in less foreign investment in the UK, and therefore a lower Pound. How far the currency will continue to fall is an open question.

I must admit, I was shocked, like the rest of the world, that the Brexit referendum was successful. Certainly, the comedian John Oliver had a strong opinion against the Brexit (see below)

Humour aside, we should recognise that the United Kingdom is a sovereign state and the will of the people should be respected. Having said that I'm not confident that a 'Full Brexit' will actually ever occur due to the economic consequences. It's the uncertainty over the final agreement, and business hate uncertainty that is driving the current financial volatility. 

In conclusion, my prediction (for what it's worth) is that the English Pound should remain lower (between 10-20%) against the US Dollar until the final situation regarding the Brexit is worked out. A full Brexit would entail the UK negotiating it's cheap airline carriers access to the EU for instance, and other travel related issues like visas etc. 

Until the final details are negotiated it should be relatively cheaper to travel to the United Kingdom. 

Further reading: 

What the Brexit would mean for travellers article - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/what-would-brexit-mean-for-travellers/

After the vote, chaos, the Economist article - http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21701264-britain-has-voted-leave-eu-what-follows-will-be-new-prime-minister-volatile-financial

How to save money on travel

Like many things in life, the more you travel, the better you get at it, and the more money you can save. I must admit for my first big trip overseas we used a travel agent, stayed at expensive hotels, and the bill of course was enormous.

Today thanks to the 'Digital Revolution' we can book everything online and use the various websites and APP's to save money from everything from accomodation, flights, and transport. Honestly, it really isn't hard, and you can save a lot of money.

Forget the travel agent 

On the second big trip to the United States we worked out that we could save three to four thousand by making the bookings ourselves online, and leaving the travel agent entirely out of it.

Generally, what I find easier is to use a spreadsheet document like EXCEL or Numbers for planning the trip, and getting the whole thing costed. It's good to have some type of plan to begin with, even if you completely throw it away like on our last two overseas trips. That's the benefit of the Digital Revolution - you can usually book things at the last minute, and make it up as you go along.

Forget the big expensive hotels, stay at 'Bed and Breakfasts' 

Returning back to the UK and Ireland we saved even more money by staying at 'Bed and Breakfasts' (BnB's).

I'm a big fan of Airbnb (www.airbnb.com), and we used it to book nearly all the accommodation for the Spain and Czech Republic trips.

Consider renting a car, especially in the United States 

Regular readers know that we rented a car for the UK trip and took the car over to Ireland on the ferry from Wales. Sometimes it's cheaper and easier to just drive, even in Europe. By the end of the six week trip to the United States we were driving everywhere - it's really not that hard to drive on the other side of the road. The fuel price in America is much lower than Australia or Europe, so I think it's cheaper to drive, especially if you are there on a long trip.

 I do reccomend a GPS unit to make navigation easier, particularly regarding which lane to get into on the big freeways (motorways).

Food and drink: eat where the locals eat 

The number one rule is never eat at a restaurant that has those plastic menus with pictures of the food on them that are abundant in tourist hot spots. You want to find a restaurant or cafe, where the locals go. Here, you will be at an advantage if you stay at an Airbnb place where usually your host will have a list of places where they like to eat.

I also like going to the supermarket or market stalls to buy food, because I'm fascinated how the locals actually live.

In conclusion the internet, portable computers and smart phones make travel so much easier: from booking accomodation, transport or researching things to do or just finding your way around with Google Maps or a SATNAV.

So, try doing everything yourself by ditching the travel agent, and save a lot of money in your travels. Check out some of the websites on the right hand side of the page that make travel easier.

Australia's population just passed 24 million people

My home country Australia just passed an important milestone of 24 million people, which is about 17 years ahead of schedule. As many of you know, I'm in favour of the concept of, 'A Big Australia', of even increased population growth that will boost economic growth. I know this view is at odds with many Western countries that are trying to keep immigrants out. Australia is much more successful at absorbing migrants into our vibrant multicultural society. Presently, about half our economic growth is due to immigration, and Australia also has not had a recession in 24 years. 

I would recommend economist, George Megalogenis's excellent book, Australia's Second Chance, about how crucial migrants have been to our economic success. 

He writes, "Australians have proven remarkably adept at absorbing new arrivals without losing the national value of fairness. No migrant group has ever formed a permanent economic underclass in Australia."

We are proud of the fact that outside of Israel we have the largest number of Holocaust survivors in the world - here you can be safe, here you can build a new home. Each wave of immigrants has added immensely to Australia's cultural and economic life. 

I hope we can remain a free open trading nation and 'innovative nation.' 

As our Prime Minister recently said, 

"There's never been a more exciting time to be an Australian."

Further reading

Megalogenis's, George. Australia's Second Chance