In my travels as a photographer, I’ve come away with more than memorable images; I’ve collected contacts and friends worldwide. When Skye was born, birth announcements were sent to no less than five continents! Christie Mellor’s hysterical piece reminds me to think twice before just “popping in” on my international pals with Skye in tow. |
Staying with Friends Abroad:
Disaster or Enriching Cultural Experience?
By Christie Mellor
 If you are lucky enough to have friends who have wisely settled in faraway and attractive ports and who are nice enough to welcome you into their homes for weeks on end, by all means, take advantage of the opportunity. It’s a wonderful experience for the children to get a taste of foreign cultures. They might come to more fully appreciate what they have at home, or they might decide that they prefer the life of a rugged Australian sailor or a pub keeper in a small English village. And unlike a hotel experience, it is usually more interesting to see how other people live than to see how they vacation.
It can be challenging to visit a family who might not be as closely knit as your own. You might be staying with old friends in, say, London who insist on taking you out to see the sights, and on showing you their favorite spots. It all seems like a perfect situation, until you realize that this old friend of yours and his lovely British wife bicker endlessly, every minute of the day, making each other’s lives, and yours, miserable. And you are staying in their spare room. For two weeks.
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