Tour Your Hometown:
Natalie and Rob of Love and Road

1. For starters, where is your current hometown and how long have you lived there?
Our hometown is a beautiful city called Itajaí, in south of Brazil. Located on the coast we have amazing beaches, super hot summers and a relaxed atmosphere. Rob (my husband) grew up there, I moved there 18 years ago. Leaving our town to travel around the world wasn’t an easy decision, but we still have all our family there, so once in a while we can go back and enjoy home!

2. For many people, travel is not always feasible or desirable all year round. How do you make the most of your hometown when you are not traveling?
Our hometown is the best place to spend summer. While we are not travelling we are enjoying the beaches, surfing, and running on the sea promenades. In Itajaí we also have nice hills for mountain biking, trekking and paragliding. The view from the hills in front of the ocean is amazing!

We also party a lot there. Our city is super famous for the clubs, bars and good restaurants. There you can go out at Warung, elected one of the best in the world for many years. International restaurants and trendy bistros attract tourists from all countries, from Argentina and Chile. Especially on summer holidays, Itajaí gets packed.

Our town is not a big city in Brazil, but it has important universities, a growing economy, and lovely people… It’s a rising tourist destination in South America.

3. What is the most creative technique you use to save up for your travels while you are at home?
To save money in our city we have some techniques, and most of them are regarding to food and drinks 😉

First of all, if you want to have nice meals (especially lunch) go for the buffet restaurants. There you will find really nice dishes, fresh ingredients and a new menu every day. The best part of it is the variety of dishes they serve, you pick whatever you want, check the weight of your plate and pay by the amount of food you got. It’s perfect, and you can find them everywhere in town.

Second: drinks on the beach tend to be overpriced. Be smart, bring your own chair and umbrella, also stop by the supermarket and get a cooler with ice, beers, cold wine… You will enjoy the beach in a comfy, cheap and clever way!

Check out the bars and parties around the university, they are great and not that expensive. Also, during the day on the beach keep an eye on the clubs promoters, sometimes they are giving free entrance to amazing gigs.

4. What is the best part of your hometown that other visitors should know about?
I know I already talked a lot about beach, but this is definitely our city’s best asset.

One thing the visitor should do is to watch the sunrise at “Canto do Morcego”. This is a really nice area, full of green and preserved beach. When the sun rises on the sea it’s a stunning spectacle.

Also on Friday and Saturday nights you should go to the Public Market for some local food and traditional music. The old market gets packed with locals and some tourists. The fish dishes are a must to try.

5. Finally, we can’t forget about the food! Where is your favorite place to eat in your hometown and why?
Our city is famous for the fish and seafood, but you can also find amazing steak. If you want to splurge a little bit I would recommend Chez Raymond with an amazing menu mixing international cuisine and local fresh ingredients. The sea view from the restaurant is beautiful.

If you are on a budget but want to taste something delicious, I would go to Salsa Brava.  Located at Brava Beach and with a stunning view, the restaurant has a simple atmosphere with a delicious food based on Peruvian dishes. The Caipirinha (brazilian traditional drink) they make is amazing, just be careful after the second glass it can be dangerous! 😀

About Natalie and Rob
Lovebirds travelling the world. Rob is a freak runner and I’m a nail polish addict. He needs to put some weight, I need to stop partying. We are in our 30’s and after eight years of our relationship we discovered that together we can do amazing things. To hit the road we sold everything we had, from shoes to our car. Left Brazil with 2 backpacks, some dreams and a saving account. We are Love and Road: Budget Travellers » Newbie Bloggers » Sun Seekers.  Our goal is to become professional travelers, tell our story, meet new people and live!

Check out Natalie and Rob’s favorite travel moment from Italy!

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