Have you every considered using a home exchange for your next vacation? 

Also, although you may use Meetup in Vancouver, have you ever thought of using it to meet the locals next time you are traveling? 

Steve Hilton will tell you about the 11 home exchanges he has done so far in places as diverse as California, Barcelona, Paris, Corsica and Hawaii. He will also share his experiences hiking, sailing, diving, drinking (and more) with Meetups in France, Spain, California, and Hawaii. Steve will also touch on his experiences flying standby (if you are lucky enough to know someone who works for an airline) 

Steve is a teacher who loves to travel. He has visited 5 continents (South America and Antartica left) and has lived and worked in Kenya and Japan. He is an enthusiastic proponent of home exchanges, Servas and Meetup.

More information is here on:

http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Travel-Network/