We are completely sure that you remember the information that Travel House in Athens last year hosted almost 500 people, which was a nice record. At that point we realized that we made it up to maximum number of travellers and also maximum of the energy and willingness that our volunteers gave for this project. Every year same problem and fear – neighbours will tell on us, landlord will kick us out and whole project would be totally ruined. That, unfortunately happened in Tbilisi. In Athens we were lucky with empty apartment next to us, but neighbours under us again complained. Aveiro was different – no complaints by neighbours, no kicking out, no painting the walls – only problems we had were tap in the kitchen that didn’t work some little time and “a little” clogged bath tub.

This year, we realized that it was the time to change the concept. So we did it. In the very west point of Europe Travel House is transformed for 30 days in Travel School. This year we had a new element – workshops. Our volunteers conducted 30 workshops mostly inside the School but also some of them were outside. Locals took part in workshops as well. Besides that, we had more volunteers, less guests and our School was opened one month, a month less than previous Travel houses. Landlord knew that we will have guests and workshops. She saw that we protected the walls and that we will take care about apartment. Whenever she was in short visit we didn’t have to throw stuff, hide shoes and information from walls. All these facts made this year a bit more relax for us all.

Every day was full of activities. Sun, smile, sand, wine, ocean, Aveiro itself – all these things made this Travel School remembered only for good. We learned some phrases in Portuguese, fell in love with tripas, codfish and many, many other delicious Portuguese dishes. Great thing during the summer in Portugal are festivals. Many of our travellers went to or came from some of those festivals. We all visited on in Aveiro. Few days ago, we were even more diligent and repaired colour of the famous I♥Aveiro graffiti.

And now numbers: In our Travel School we had 82 travellers during 32 nights. They were from 25 different countries and 4 continents. On workshops 100 people took part. Total number of overnight stays is 364. This year we didn’t have any campaigns and we didn’t collect money before School. Our aim was to collect all the money from the travellers in the School. We’ve got huge support of our travellers which we can see according to donations. All together we have 823 euros, and from the School is 726. Besides, our guest were buying toilet paper, oil, light bulbs etc. on their own. So, we only spent 20 euros for everyday supplies. Average donation is 9 euros per person, which is double than previous years. This is great motivation for us all to continue developing this project. Thanks to all travellers for that! Our bills are not yet here so all the financial data we will present in next and last post about School. In this moment only thing we know is that rent is 500 euros. Even if we did not have enough money for all bills, the surplus left from last year's house will be enough. Thanks again to all travellers, and to all who actively took part in our workshops, cleaning the house and helped us to bring with smile this project to an end.

Photo: The Travel Club and Jamie Anderson

Waking up, jumping over sleepy travel-students. Waiting in line for the bathroom, brushing the teeth on the corridor or in pairs on the bath-tub, washing the face in the tub. Waiting in the kitchen for the micro-wave, waiting in queue for the cornflakes bowl. Again, waiting for spoons to be cleaned, then for water to be heated. Dressing and running in the shoes and – silence. Part of the day when our School in Aveiro is empty is the time between morning rush and evening workshops. Some travellers are going to old town to lay down on the grass and got burned in the sun, some of them are on the roundabout and hitchhike to the beach to dabble the legs in the frozen Atlantic. Some are walking around, some are riding a bicycle, hanging out in the parks and others are coming back disappointed from the chase for flamingos near the salty pools in the city suburbs. And then, well known road to the School all ways by the Portuguese cobblestones. Again rush, but less one and sitting on the floor – the workshop starts. Endless talks, heat from the projector, millions of accents, words, and sights. Interesting is when some of the volunteers of the Travel School as well as the travellers manage to solve some workshops problems. In the meantime new travellers are coming and the other ones are just about to leave.

Again little rush for the bath and then – straight to the Fish market to party. Volunteers are also guides besides roles of workshop conductors, housekeepers, guards of the peace and order and discipline about the recycling (after 20 days we might already figure out how to separate the garbage). Nonetheless, we are happy when our travellers become hosts and organize apartment cleaning by themselves or when they start to take people to the city centre. Sometimes we come home late or early in the morning and then ultra-silently we are packed on the floor like sardine in the can. Next morning, same story is again and again.

Now we have already surpassed the two-thirds of this year's Travel School. We are now in the second semester. Our money box weighs more than before and the guestbook is every day more and more filled – we raised 300 euros and 39 passengers from 21 countries and four continents.

It’s been exactly 10 days since we opened first Travel School in Aveiro, unofficial 5th Travel House. So far we had 10 workshops and we hosted 20 “pupils” from 14 countries. Guests were from Balkans, Germany, Scotland, France, Spain, Romania, also USA/Brazil and even from New Zealand. In the first batch we had 8 “rookies“ during the summer festival in Aveiro, so we all together went to the concerts after workshops and dinner we’ve made a few night outs in a row and the squad was in a great spirit so even a WhatsApp group is made “Travel School Besties”. Nevertheless, in order to respect the school rules, the evening is quiet and we all together maintain cleanliness.

The thing that is different this year is that we implemented everyday workshops – conducted by our volunteers Jovana, Osta, Marko and Tibor, we also accept less guests (up to 12 per night) and above all - the landlord knows everything about the School and workshops so we are not afraid of being kicked out (like two years ago in Georgia). This year we protected the walls with nylon to avoid paying for the painting like in Granada.

Our workshops are very well received by our guests as well as locals who daily come to them. So far we had 60 participants. Workshops take place every day in the Travel School but also we have plans to move some outside. Besides that, every weekend Osta takes people through the streets of Aveiro, during his “Free walking” tours. On second day, Jovana and Tibor conducted travelogue workshop (Travel writing) and all the guest-travelers were present. During that workshop one of our favourite travel stories “Requiem for a backpack” has been read by all the participants and they loved it, like we do. Workshop about creative cartography brought us very interesting personal maps of Aveiro, made by our guests. In the end of the Travel School we will have little exhibition of all works made by our guests. During the workshop about Slavic countries and Cyrillic alphabet it was pretty interesting watching our travellers how they read and write Cyrillic alphabet for the first time. Our workshops will be continued in the same rhythm and spirit until the very end of the School.

The Travel School once again showed how the world is small and how this project connects people all around the world. Julia, one of the first travellers met our future traveller on their Camino to Santiago. After that, Jamie, from Scotland who came by bicycle, on the 50th km from Aveiro he met Aranu our bicycle-traveller from Spain that has just left our School on that day. More interesting thing happened in Porto where our ex-traveller Joe from New Zealand stayed in the same hostel as our new traveller Ben from France.

According to our estimates, to pay all bills, rent and household supplies, we will need 960 euros. So far we collected 114 euros. Besides donations that are collected in the School, you can donate and help via PayPal.

August 11th is unofficial The School Day – at that day we expect the highest number of guests. We have some free spaces so still you can apply.

Sunny greets and see you in Aveiro! ☼♫

Azulejos – are colourful, glazed tiles which today we can find in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries also in some parts of Arabic world. They were invented in Egypt, but the most of them we can find in Portugal. The origin of the name is in Arabic word al zellige (زليج) - which stands for polished or brushed stone. Facades are decorated with them as well as interior of the houses, churches, schools, restaurants, train and metro stations... They are applied on the walls, floors and even on ceilings. Clear Arab influence is seen on the pattern. Often on them we can see floral elements, different geometric shapes, all that miscible in many colours. Later, the Portuguese started adding animal and human figures.

In our photo-gallery we showed you only a small part of the all patterns which can be seen on the streets of “our” Aveiro.

Travel School will be open from 15th of July until 15th of August 2016.

As you already know, previous years we had some problems in pursuit for the apartment for the Travel House. There were justified or unjustified reasons for refusing. However, this time pursuit was so easy thanks to our editor Nataša. Nataša lives and creates in Aveiro and she knows the local beat.

Nataša is living in Aveiro for almost eight years. Among all other things, she is in charge of Agora Averio – local organization that deals with very human things, human in non-fabricated sense and that is the foundation of the situation we have here – our landlord knows all the details about this year Travel School (lots of guests sleeping on the floor, dozens of workshops etc.).

We will pay 500€ for the rent, without utilities.

By chance or not, but maybe more with some interesting chance, our School in the Barro Liceu neighbourhood, which stands for “neighbourhood with grammar school”.
Our School has approximately 100m2. It’s located in the very ground floor of the four-floor brick façade building. From kind-of-terrace (which is not real terrace) you can see very picturesque streets which we use in our 10 minutes long walk to the city centre.

Our Travel School has one common area with dining room, one kitchen, two bathrooms and for big bedrooms. Each room has usual things like: one or two wardrobes, working desk, night stand, and some of them have also – beds.
In the kitchen we all the necessary things. One refrigerator, stove, a pile of cutlery, also pane and casserole in all sizes and shapes. As opposed to the previous years and apartments, this one, in its very beginning, has a certain level.

Aveiro is The Venice of Portugal, maybe because of moliceiros that navigate through the canals of the city. Aveiro is not a big city, like previous ones where we held The Travel House, population is around 100 thousands. Full of colors this great city would be a remedy for your eyes! Atlantic Ocean is very near – 10km from the Aveiro and thanks to its winds there’s no big heat and humidity in the city so – long strolls in the middle of the summer are more than possible.
If, for any reason, you want to ride a bicycle – it’s so possible because in Aveiro there is a kiosk where you can rent a bike for free. They will only ask you for your ID, nothing else. The only thing that you should do is to give the safe and sound bicycle until 6.30 p.m. at the same day. It is forbidden using bicycle to go on beach BUT, that ban is tacitly approved.

The prices are, for example: café latte is 1€ on the main square, espresso is 0.70€, loaf of bread is 0.80€, train ticket to the Porto is 3.40€.
All the applicants will get the email with all the instruction how to get to the Travel School. All the rules are the same like previous years, so we ask you kindly to read them carefully and remember them.

That’s all folks. We have no words to say any more but to say one sincerely – have a safe trip! Still we have some vacant places, so you can apply.
See you in Aveiro!

Welcome to The Travel Club’s Travel School in Aveiro (15.7-15.8).

The Travel School is slightly different from The Travel House we organised in previous years. If you haven't already, please check out this article that explains the concept of the School.

Before you apply for the stay in The Travel School please read these basic house rules, and if you decide to come, keep them in mind at all times.

Everyone can stay up to three nights in The Travel School.

Mandatory participation in minimum one workshop/discussion/lecture. Our team of volunteers has prepared interesting and useful workshops and other activities, most of which are related to travelling. See the schedule below and sign up for one or more activities when filling out the application form to stay in TS. All workshops last two to five hours.

Be quiet. Don’t play loud music, shout or talk loudly. If we give the neighbours a reason to complain, we will have a big problem.

Be especially quiet in the corridor. When you’re coming or leaving, be extremely quiet in the building. No loud talking, shouting or singing in the corridor. Don’t slam the doors.

Don’t wait in front of the building. If neighbours see crowds of foreigners coming, going and standing in front of their building, they will get worried. If you’re waiting for someone, wait at the bottom end of the street.

Don't come between 01:00 and 08:00 a.m. If your plane/train/bus arrives in that interval, please wait till 08:00 on the airport/bus or train station and then come to the Travel House. Most of the people sleep those hours. You don't want to wake them up and make them angry with you.

No smoking. No drugs of any kind are allowed. You can drink a beer or two, but you mustn’t get drunk. And please don’t come to the School wasted.

No parties. Quiet social activities are welcome.

If you damage anything, you will have to pay for it. We have left a large deposit. In case something gets damaged, we may not get our money back.

Keep your valuables with you. We are not expecting thieves or kleptomaniacs and they haven't visited us so far, but it’s better to be on the safe side. You are the only one responsible for your stuff.

This project is funded by personal donations. Donations aren’t compulsory, but are welcome. There are bills to pay – power, water, Internet – as well as things like cooking oil, detergent, toilette paper etc. If you’d like to leave a donation, put it in the donation box or look for the school staff and give it to them. Nobody will ask you for a donation, or check whether you have donated or not. It's totally up to you, and it's definitely not a precondition for staying in the Travel School. And don’t worry if it’s only symbolic: it will add up.

In the Travel School, there are no guests. Everyone is a host. So,

- if you see something broken, fix it.

- if you see something lacking (soap, toilette paper, cooking oil, detergent etc), buy it.

- if you see something dirty (toilet, bathroom, kitchen, floors, balconies), clean it.

There is a nice term that we will borrow from the Rainbow Gatherings: “drainbows”. Those are the people who just take and don’t give. The Travel School is not a perfect free-for-all. It is a community we’re all building together. Think how you can contribute.

Keep the School clean & tidy! Don’t leave your stuff lying around in mess. Whoever walks in should have an impression of a clean, nice, tidy place. Especially if the owner comes for a surprise visit!

Do not waste resources! No shower longer than five minutes, making meals that are cooked for five hours and needless consumption of any resource. Also, we will recycle the trash in the School.

No pets! Absolutely no dogs, cats, parrots, fish. Parrots that can speak are welcome, though.

If you find any of these rules too hard to follow, you will be asked to leave immediately. We hope you’ll enjoy your stay and help us make this small contribution to global travel culture.

Before you come:

Please let us know when you're coming to make sure that we’re there to let you in.

Make sure to bring your sleeping bag & mat. There are no beds in the Travel School. Only the floor.

Bring a towel.

The address of the School will not be published online. When you notify us that you’re coming, you’ll get the detailed instructions how to find us. Please keep the instructions to yourself and don’t publish them anywhere.

Read the house rules. If you don’t follow the rules during your stay, you will be asked to leave immediately. So it’s a good idea to get familiar with them beforehand.

If you want to stay more than three nights, let us know in the application form and we'll tell you if it's possible.

If you do any sort of creative work – writing, drawing, photography, film, music – and you want to contribute to the Travel School, please mention it. We will publish the best photos, writings, films, drawings etc. on our website and you'll get to stay longer in the School.

Statistics & Guestbook:

We’d like to have some statistics about the Travel School project. Namely, we’d like to know how many people have used it, where did they come from, what their age groups and occupations were, where they are headed after Aveiro, how long they are planning to stay on the road, do they hitchhike or use some other form of transportation etc. So we’ll kindly ask you to make your entry in our guestbook to make this possible.

The application form can be found here.

You are welcome to send a donation to our organisation:

List of workshops (all workshops will be held in English)

15.7 at 19h Mapping Aveiro: Investigating our new town in an interesting and original way

16.7 Travel Writing: Write down your adventures and memories. Learn how to write about your travels in a unique, personalized and original way

17.7 Slavic countries for Dummies: A workshop that reveals the secrets of the “mysterious” Cyrillic alphabet and gives you tips for traveling in Slavic countries generally

18.7 In coexistence with plants: History of parks and their importance in our lives, human-leaded travel of plant species and useful/edible plants that exist in forests of Europe

19.7 Why we travel: Why do we want go there? Why do we really want to go there? Why do we really, really want to go there? We will explore travel motivation; media influence and the inner travel self through creating a personal timeline.

20.7 Creative Cartography: Every map is subjective and incorrect. Let’s put our own stories on personalized maps...

21.7 Mapping Aveiro: Investigating our new town in an interesting and original way

22.7 How to travel Cheaply: Let’s see how can we create an awesome low-cost itinerary and see as much as possible spending as little money as possible.

23.7 Slavic countries for Dummies: A workshop that reveals the secrets of the “mysterious” Cyrillic alphabet and gives you tips for traveling in Slavic countries generally.

24.7 Through the streets of Aveiro: Guided walk through the interesting architectural, cultural and historical side of Aveiro.

25.7 What we learn while traveling: A session of sharing experiences from our journeys

26.7 Travel Writing: Write down your adventures and memories. Learn how to write about your travels in a unique, personalized and original way

27.7 A Visit to Bussaco: Investigating this beautiful forest together!  

28.7 Let's Act me/we on the stage: A workshop about theatre, public speaking and how to relax and develop self-confidence, must-have for travelling around the world. No previous experience needed

29.7 In coexistence with plants: History of parks and their importance in our lives, human-leaded travel of plant species and useful/edible plants that exist in forests of Europe

30.7 Mapping Aveiro: Investigating our town in an interesting and original way

31.7 Through the streets of Aveiro: Guided walk through the interesting architectural, cultural and historical side of Aveiro.

1.8 Travel Writing: Write down your adventures and memories. Learn how to write about your travels in a unique, personalized and original way.

2.8 Moon and Body Wisdom: We will talk about cycles in the nature: the seasons, Moon and menstruation. The workshop consists of two parts – an open-type day session (guys are very welcome to join!) and a night session which is designed for female participants only. More info here.

3.8 Twist it, Spit it: A Clumpy-Humpy Ride through Travel Languages: a dive into languages we use when travelling

4.8 Slavic countries for Dummies: A workshop that reveals the secrets of the “mysterious” Cyrillic alphabet and gives you tips for traveling in Slavic countries generally.

5.8 In coexistence with plants: History of parks and their importance in our lives, human-leaded travel of plant species and useful/edible plants that exist in forests of Europe.

6.8 What we learn while traveling: A session of sharing experiences from our journeys

7.8 How to travel cheaply: Let’s see how can we create an awesome lowcost itinerary and see as much as possible spending as little money as possible

8.8 Body percussions & relaxing brething: Make music with your body only!

9.8 Let's Act me/we on the stage: A workshop about theatre, public speaking and how to relax and develop self-confidence, must-have for travelling around the world. No previous experience needed.

10.8 Slavic countries for Dummies: A workshop that reveals the secrets of the “mysterious” Cyrillic alphabet and gives you tips for traveling in Slavic countries generally

11.8 Why we travel: Why do we want go there? Why do we really want to go there? Why do we really, really want to go there? We will explore travel motivation; media influence and the inner travel self through creating a personal timeline.

12.8 Creative Cartography: Every map is subjective and incorrect. Let’s put our own stories on personalized maps...

13.8 Twist it, Spit it: A Clumpy-Humpy Ride through Travel Languages: a dive into languages we use when travelling

14.8 How to travel Cheap: Let’s see how can we create an awesome lowcost itinerary and see as much as possible spending as little money as possible.

15.8 Travel Writing: Write down your adventures and memories. Learn how to write about your travels in a unique, personalized and original way.

After four years of the Travel House, the time has come to change the concept. Join us in the Travel School in Aveiro, on the Atlantic coast in Portugal, an hour from Porto.