There are some cities that just seem to have it all: cultural attractions, historic sites, a diverse set of options when it comes to entertainment: nightlife, restaurants, parks, children attractions, sport events, and the list goes on and on. London is one of those cities.

Being the capital and largest city in the United Kingdom, London has a complete offer when it comes to entertainment. Here we share a list of some of the most preferred attractions:

Famous landmarks: Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, The Palace of Westminster (home of the Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben Clock Tower)

London Eye - If you want a quick glance at London’s landmarks, this is the place to get started. The breathtaking moonlight flight is an experience you will never forget.

Museums & Art Galleries:  Museum of London (to learn about the city’s history up to the 1600s), Natural History Museum, British Museum, Tate Modern (holds displays of mayor works of modern art), National Gallery (paintings from the most renowned European artists), Science Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Madame Tussauds (wax museum), Theatre Museum, The Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Oxford Street - Probably the longest shopping area in Europe, it is a must for those who find shopping somehow relaxing.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre - a reconstruction of the building where Shakespeare wrote many of its famous plays.

Great for children: London Zoo - a great attraction for children, with over 1000 different species. Kew Gardens - a 300-acre botanical garden.

Only for sport fans: Wimbledon (The Championship, Wimbledon), London Marathon, The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, Premier League football games.

Visit HomeForHome to find a home swap partner in London.

Taking time off to enjoy a relaxing vacation is not the only opportunity to exchange homes, as we have mentioned in previous posts. This time we will highlight one of the many situations in which home exchange may simplify things, not only from an economic perspective, but also for its practical advantages.

There are thousands of short educational alternatives these days, from short seminars to congresses and continuos development courses. Many of them offer a great opportunity for people looking to build up their careers and are most likely to take place in a different city or even a different country. As in most trips, lodging may end up accounting for an important part of the cost.

Home exchange benefits potential students in a number of ways:

1. It eliminates lodging expenses.
2. It lowers extra expenses that arise when other alternatives are chosen, like buying meals/refreshments or even local transportation if car exchange is included in the swap agreement.
3. It opens the possibility for the family to tag along, and maybe even enjoy a relaxing weekend away after the course is completed. For those that need to travel with small children, contacting your exchange partner in advance may offer the possibility to get ideas about trusted day care facilities or babysitters that could be useful while you are attending the event.

HomeForHome offers thousands of worldwide exchange opportunities for you to match your needs.

Home exchange involves a great deal of trust. When you agree to share your house with someone, you are trusting they will treat it as their own and they are probably expecting you to do the same with their home. That’s why it’s important to know in advance your partner’s preferences so you can have an idea on their housekeeping habits and check if they match yours. HomeForHome offers many tools you can use to find and get in touch with possible exchange partners.

However, no mater how careful you are when selecting your home exchange partners, you are most likely never going to find things exactly the way you left them once the swap is over. Something may be misplaced, missing or even broken, but you need to keep perspective about minimal changes, tidiness or even small repairs. This works both ways, you never know if maybe you put something in the wrong place in your partners house.

Remember why you got into home exchange in the first place. Whether it was to experience new things or even to save some cash, the main idea of any vacation is to relax and enjoy you time away, so you shouldn’t let yourself be stressed by small things while you are away (like keeping track of where everything goes with a measuring tape) or, when you get back to your home. Be understanding. It could work the other way around too, you may find things cleaner or more organized!

If you come across the misfortune of breaking anything or something unexpected happens, it would be considerate and important to leave a note to your swap partner explaining what happened. Cordiality and good sense are two important qualities in a home swapper.

Home appliances have become crucial contributors to our daily comfort. From the smallest gadget to the irreplaceable ones, each one has a silent role in saving time that we can dedicate to other activities. Time saving takes on a whole new dimension when de “other activities” we are talking about are those that we especially enjoy during our vacations. Taking time from doing the dishes to enjoy a sunset in the beach sounds good to me any day!

When you are preparing to publish your property in HomeForHome, you should definitely include a list of your electrical appliances, and if you do find a home exchange partner, you should try to help them get the most of them. An easy way to do this is to write down a short “guide” with a set of “instructions for use” for each appliance your partner may want to use. For example, DVD players may be easy to use if you are good with technology, but it is not as simple for some of us… Besides improving the quality of your partner’s stay, you will avoid any problems that could arise from misuse.

Instructions to use your set of remote controls are also a nice touch if you get serious with instruction writing

Christmas Holidays are around the corner… The travel world is soon to be filled with people looking for last minute flights and accommodations, during one of the busiest times of the year for the industry. Whether it is people trying to get home to spend the holidays with their loved ones or people looking to experience different customs and traditions (or getting away from them), planning ahead might save them a great deal of trouble later trying to fit their budgets and agendas to last minute offers.

Finding a home swapping partner from a distant country may be a good idea to experience a different way to celebrate the holidays or start a new family tradition. Central and South America are possible destinations for those interested in changing weather conditions as well as typical celebrations, since Latin customs are generally quite different from ours and their summer weather during the holidays is enjoyable in itself. In the same way that your bones would be glad to experience a 30º Christmas for once, someone from a distant country may be looking forward to waking up to open presents by the fireplace on a snowing Christmas morning.

Whatever option you decide to experience this year, don’t let yourself get caught in the last minute rush!

Incredible as it may sound, planning a family vacation is one of the most common stressful situations one may cope with. A recent survey found that more than 98% of vacation planners suffer anxiety, tension, trouble sleeping at night and even headaches or back pains are common symptoms among people consulted. Where to go, what to bring, things you can’t forget, everything starts to pile up in the “to do” list and you end up wanting a vacation from vacation planning! What about an easy way to shorten that list?

Home exchange is a secure way to diminish the stress that comes when you go through planning your next vacation since it is very much like going to your own home away from home. Everything from the “daily use” list will be there already, expenses will be very similar to your home’s, you can choose from thousands of places, you can ask for details in advance so you don’t find any surprise upon arrival, and the options are unlimited. Depending on your chosen destination, you may end up with a very short list: transportation and clothing! It is an exceptional option for a short weekend trip (or repeated short weekend trips). You choose the destination, you look up the options from our listing, you contact the other party and you are on your way…

So even for health purposes and stress relief, Home for Home is a top choice!

You’ve long been waiting for your adventure across Europe and everything is planned out already. Everything is in its place but you suddenly stop to think of things: What if a snow storm comes and I get stuck at the airport in Prague? What if someone gets sick while you and your family are staying in your home swap in Barcelona? What if my travel bag gets lost in the baggage department in the airport in Copenhagen? Sounds crazy but possible, right? So what do you do for a better peace of mind? Get a travel insurance.

Travel insurances normally costs around 5 to 12 per cent of your total trip cost. But is it worth it? I say yes. There are many travel insurances available; you can browse the web for various companies and agencies offering travel insurance. Choose a company that is well-known or is recommended by most travelers. Remember to closely review the insurance policies they have too, as most of them have their perks and downsides. Choose what you think works for you and would suit your needs best. Most travel insurance packages covers trip cancellation or interruption, medical insurance, evacuation insurance, baggage insurance, flight insurance. It’s better to read closely and understand the mechanics of each aspect of the insurance package. Ask someone knowledgeable about the policies for any unclear issues you have.

Travel insurances doesn’t cost much, but will definitely be of big help in case any undesirable circumstance arises. It sure will cost you a price but you won’t regret it. Keep in mind that you are paying for your safety while traveling, and is not just something you are wasting your money on. It is better to be prepared for these undesirable situations than to regret you never considered thinking about safety.

When someone talks about Cannes in France, I usually only think of one thing: the Cannes International Film Festival. Every year, the festival is celebrated and the best films from all around the world are given recognition and honor. Movie buffs anticipate this event held every May. But is there more to Cannes than just the host for this wonderful festival?

Well, yes. Cannes is a city with overflowing culture and rich history. The city is located in the French Riviera, south east of France. The name “Cannes” has unknown origins, but suggested that it may have been derived from the work “canna”, meaning reed. As early as 2^nd century BC, Cannes was already established as a fishing village until Romans have since then occupied the city. The Spanish and British armies fought over the Lerins Islands in an attempt to gain control of it during the 18^th century.

Cannes is perfect for any outdoor activity, as the city has its share of the warm Mediterranean climate. Cannes has long been famous for its climate, as more tourists come here to spend 30°C Summer days. La Croisette is surrounded by beaches open to the public. It also is the place for boutiques, cafés and restaurants. La Croisette also houses several museums including Musée de la Mer, Musée de la Photographie and Musée International de la Parfumerie among others. La Suquet is the village overlooking La Croisette, this is where grand residencies were first built.

Grand residentcies or not, you are sure to find a home exchange available here. If not, you can also have home swapped in the nearby cities as going to Cannes is very quick and easy. Cannes is just an 8 hour drive away from Paris, as same as to Monaco and Nice. Brussels is a 6-hour travel via the railway system while 5 hours for Milan.

So next time someone says Cannes, it’s not just the film festival that you should think of, there are a lot of things to know and discover in Cannes. You might want to consider giving in to the idea of a visit there.

Staying at a new and foreign place is pretty exciting. We get amused at the things we see, the feeling we get when we are there, the things we want to experience. It’s always a good feeling to be carefree, but on a vacation on an unfamiliar place, we should always think of our safety; don’t get caught off guard, you never know when danger will come.

Not trying to sound crazy here, but you can never really tell if there’s harm coming your way.  The place you are in might be beautiful and the people seem to be so warm and welcoming, but that does not mean that there isn’t anyone with wrong intentions roaming around. Remember: they are everywhere. And to someone who’s unfamiliar to that place, you are a perfect target. Foreigners are most likely to get attacked or robbed because a.) they think they could get some loot out of you; and b.) you are not familiar with the place which is an advantage for them to get out of the situation easily. You have to be street smart at all times. Don’t act around like you are lost or you don’t know what to do. Always be ready with the situation, don’t be a “deer in headlights” when danger comes, because that half second that you are taken aback is a full advantage for your attacker. As much as possible, don’t show off anything that could become possible loot for pickpockets and robbers. Keep your wallets/ money close to you, and gadgets such as laptops and cell phones should always be tucked in safety.

As much as possible, try to talk to someone you can trust in that place if you need some help. Don’t talk to some random people just because you need to ask for directions. Ask an authority as much as possible. And if you are on a home exchange,better to ask your home exchange partner some information beforehand regarding safety. It is never wrong to ask this information. Always be safe and be street smart.

Are you eyeing to spend your vacay outside Europe? Here is a suggestion: visit Australia. If you want to discover a diverse culture and beautiful sceneries, you won’t regret spending some time here. Australia is an English-speaking country, with a very competitive economy. Discovered and written about by Europeans since the 17^th century, Australia was always a place of different discoveries and stunning beauty.

Although the country is largely composed of vast deserts, Australia has its share of mountainous regions and tropical rainforests, meaning this country has a lot to offer in biodiversity. Some species unique to Australia include koalas, platypuses, wombats and different species of fresh and saltwater crocodiles. A visit to any zoo here will definitely be as entertaining and amusing. There are a lot of things to do and places to go in Australia even if you are traveling on a budget. Depending on what part you are in, you surely will still have your share of fun and the best out of Australia. If you are on the Gold Coast area, the beach is definitely a place to go. Swim, surf, jump waves or paddle swim your way to the best waves in the world. If you are in Sydney, a visit to museums and parks and the famous Sydney Opera House is a must. Don’t forget to take a picture of you with it on the background! And if you are on Melbourne, a free ride in the City Circle Tram will show you the best attractions in this side of Australia.

Although far from Europe, Australia is not excluded from a home exchange option. In fact, there are homes ready for a swap. You can check out Homeforhome.com for some options.  So if you want to have something different, then go for Australia!