My first stay with Airbnb – loved it!

On October 1, 2013April 23, 2014 By Nicole HennigIn Housing, Language & culture, Living abroad, Location flexibility, Minimalism, Travel4 Comments

I’ve been reading about Airbnb for over a year, and now I finally had a chance to try it. It was a totally positive experience! Since I’m living a “location-flexible life” I’m interested in easy ways to find short-term housing. Airbnb seems like a good solution.

With Airbnb, you can choose to rent a room in someone’s house or apartment (while they are living there), or an entire house or apartment (without them there). For my one-week stay in Mexico City, I wanted to stay with locals, so I could get advice about how to get around and what to do in Mexico City. Renting a room in Edgar’s apartment was perfect for that.

I chose his place for several reasons: Continue reading “My first stay with Airbnb – loved it!” →

Why I prefer access to ownership, part 1: cars, books and more

On September 17, 2013April 23, 2014 By Nicole HennigIn Apps, Location flexibility, Minimalism1 Comment

This article is part 1 of a series. See also: Why I prefer access to ownership, part 2: housing

For me, access is better than ownership for most things. I’ll talk about why in this post and the next (a two-part series).

Car-sharing: better than owning just one car

When I got rid of my car in 2005, I started using Zipcar from time to time. With Zipcar, I have a many different types of cars at my disposal. That’s much better than having to choose one type of car to own! I can reserve an SUV, a Mini-Cooper, or any other type of car, depending on what I need it for. And the cars are always clean and practically brand new. The gas is included with Zipcar rentals – you just use their credit card kept above the visor. Continue reading “Why I prefer access to ownership, part 1: cars, books and more” →

16 things I’ve noticed about food in Oaxaca

On September 1, 2013April 23, 2014 By Nicole HennigIn Healthy living, Mexico, Oaxaca, Mexico2 Comments

1) Most food in restaurants here is very rich and loaded with sauce (often made with cream). Of course the most popular is mole sauce (they have seven kinds here)! I’ve had mole negro and it was very good. I haven’t tried lots of other moles because I’m vegetarian and want to avoid ingredients like chicken broth or lard that might be in some sauces.

Mole paste — Pre-made mole paste is available in the markets

2) In supermarkets there are rows and rows of yogurt and yogurt-drinks. But it’s nearly impossible to find any without sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Continue reading “16 things I’ve noticed about food in Oaxaca” →