Last time I went on a summer vacation I got several rainy days. As I was in the beach, my optimism prevented me from making plans for such a situation. I was expecting many hours of sun and sand, which I got after a malicious storm decided to give me a break. So, with no backup plan, I had to come up with activities not no sleep all day, which was the option when the sky turned grey

With a nice little bookstore nearby, I got out of the situation with several crossword puzzles, a fantastic short stories book and a couple of magazines, and there was even time for board games. To help you have some backup ideas in case the climate does not match your home exchange activities schedule, I thought of these:

Bring a good book or magazine, even if the climate is not hard on you, there may be some quiet time for you to catch up with your favourite reading. Your favourite DVDs would be a good idea too, and they do not take much space.

Pack a couple of board games, specially if you are travelling with children. There are tons of websites with ideas for games or even crafts that will keep the youngsters entertained.

Image by Suat Eman /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When you go grocery shopping, remember to pick up your favourite tea or chocolate (isn’t it great to enjoy a cup of chocolate when it rains?), and the ingredients for baking a homemade cake, or cookies or even something as simple as pop corn. Cooking is also a top choice if you have children, specially combined with their favourite movie afterwards, or an indoor picnic! There are tons of websites with easy recipes out there, give it a try.

Last but not least, for a great rainy day there’s nothing better than to step outside and play with the water: splashing, jumping, making paper boats, playing with water balloons, anything you can think of. Just be careful to do so when the weather is nice and warm, no thunderstorms, please.

Image by Salvatore Vuono /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I gave my HomeForHome profile a tune-up, I prepared myself to find my home exchange opportunity for this summer vacations, but I didn’t know where to go. So, as I was trying to find a great destination I came across an interesting feature of the famous TripAdvisor website: Travel Inspiration. If you are lacking ideas for your next vacation, flipping a coin will not solve the situation, but somehow you can still leave it to fortune, but not completely, because TripAdvisor bases its results in thousands of reviews made by travellers like you and me. The Travel Inspiration section allows you to choose (1) What You Like and (2) Where You Want To Go. Of course you can select “Anywhere” in the second one if you want the “full surprise” deal.

After making your selection and clicking the “Inspire Me!” button, you get your results with a brief description about each destination and many links to find out more.

Maybe my results can inspire you today. Let’s see. I tried:

1=Adventure + 2=Anywhere and the top results were:

1) San Juan, Puerto Rico, Caribbean
2) Bali, Indonesia
3) Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
4) Kailua-Kona, Island of Hawaii, USA
5) Thailand

My second try was 1=Family Fun + 2=Mexico, Central & South America, and I got these:

1) Playa del Carmen, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
2) Cancun, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
3) Puerto Vallarta, Pacific Coast, Mexico
4) Ixtapa, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Pacific Coast, Mexico
5) Los Cabos, Baja California, Mexico

Then I decided to search for a place to lay down in the beach and I thought about the Caribbean, so I tried this last search: 1=Beaches & Sun + 2=Caribbean, and when I clicked the “Inspire Me!” button again I got:

1) Dominican Republic
2) U.S. Virgin Islands
3) Jamaica
4) Aruba
5) St. Maarten/ St. Martin

Try it and find your own inspiration (or just have some fun)

Image by Tim Seed /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Something caught my eye today while surfing the web, GrindTV.com features a story about a teenage girl sailing solo around the world. Abby Sunderland is a 16 year old girl trying to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted. But this is not all, there’s yet another girl trying to make the same quest: Jessica Watson, an Australian teenager only five months older than Sunderland, is expected to complete her nonstop circumnavigation attempt in late May. She has been sailing since October 2009.

What about that! They have the spirit and even if not this time, they will get their way around the world. But for those that don’t know how to sail, there are other ways to make a quest around the globe. With HomeForHome offering thousand of homes from all over the world, you can start your own “home exchange worldwide adventure” and solo or not, it does seem enticing.

If you want to be inspired by these young adventurers, visit their official websites and follow them as they sail around our world:

Abby Sunderland & Abby’s Blog - “It has been my dream since I was 13 years old and began single-handing, to one day sail solo around the world. I am 16 years old and this blog will contain the story of my attempt to become the world’s youngest solo circumnavigator.”

Official Jessica Watson Blog & Jessica Watson - “Inspired in her turn by Kay Cottee, the first woman to sail solo non-stop unassisted around the world and by Jesse Martin, the youngest person to do so, Jessica Watson has set her sights on shattering Jesse’s record.”

Photo by air babble /flickr.com

The 2010 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships started this week and will continue until May 2nd. More than 800 European gymnasts will participate representing over 30 nations, including: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.

Competitions include: team and individual events, both for men and women, as well as seniors and juniors. The juniors events will qualify for the First Youth Olympic Games taking place in 2010 in Singapore.

It is not the first time Birmingham is hosting an international sporting event, as recently it was the home of the 2004 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final, the 2006 Trampolining and Tumbling World Cup Final, the 2007 European Indoor Athletics Championships and the World Half Marathon Championships in 2009. If you miss this year’s event, you may want to start your HomeForHome search for a home exchange deal to attend the 2011 World Championships in Trampolining, Tumbling and Double Mini Trampoline, that will also take place in Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena.

If you want to plan an escapade to Birmingham, during the Gymnastics Championships or later on, HomeForHome is the perfect place to find a home exchange opportunity, with over 40 homes in the region. For more ideas to plan your activities while in Birmingham visit:

http://www.visittheheart.co.uk/
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/
http://www.visitbirmingham.com/

Harewood Bird Garden is part of the 100 acres of garden grounds in Harewood House, a spectacular treasure house in Yorkshire. Built in the 18th century, the house itself is spectacular and holds a magnificent collection of art, furniture and artifacts. Its beautiful surroundings are stage to a variety of open-air events that take place throughout the year, making it a perfect destination for families, or anyone interested in cultural and outdoor activities.

The bird collection at Harewood Bird Garden is one of the most important across England. More than one third of its species are vulnerable, endangered or vulnerable in the wild and Harewood Bird Garden is involved in several conservation projects. For those who want to support the garden’s conservation efforts there is an “Adopt a bird” programme.

Some of the beautiful birds you can admire at Harewood Bird Garden are: Owls, Penguins, Flamingos, Macaws, Waterfowls, Red Kites, Parrots and Ostriches. Visitors are able to stroll through the park, learning about birds from different continents from the detailed information presented in the labels of each aviary, but there are also guided tours.

If you want to search for a nearby home exchange opportunity, we have this valuable information for you:

Photo by garybembridge /flickr.com

- it is 7 miles away from Leeds and Harrogate

- it is 5 miles from Wetherby

- it is 22 miles from York

- it is 9 miles from Leeds/Bradford airport

Currently there is a special offer for green travellers choosing to take the bus: those who choose to get to Harewood House by bus get a half price discount. There are other special offers and promotions throughout the year. Get ready and enjoy a delightful trip to Harewood House, the House, Gardens, Grounds, Bird Garden, Adventure Playground, cafes and shops are open daily until 31st October 2010.

Today we continue with our introduction to home swapping and HomeForHome for those that are just discovering this way of travelling.

Does it have to be simultaneous? No, home exchanges can be arranged at different times, specially if you are exchanging a second home or you make your home available during an already planned trip (like a business trip).

What happens to my pet? Should I leave it at home? There is flexibility here, you have to discuss this with your home exchange partner considering your pet’s needs and your partner’s exchange preferences. The options could be to arrange a “pet exchange” having both take care of one another’s pets, take your pets with you, or have your pet stay with a friend while you are away.

What is car exchange? Car exchange is including your car in the home exchange deal, saving money from car renting as well. As with pets, you should discuss this with the other swapper, considering both parties preferences and taking into account the use you are going to make of each other’s cars.

Image by Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For a short reminder of how home exchange works and some of the options available through HomeForHome between this one and our previous post, we probaly covered enough. Join HomeForHome, the fastest growing worldwide community of home exchangers. We would love to see you around!

Every once in a while it is a good idea to refresh the basics of home exchange for those who have just discovered this exciting way of travelling.

How much does it cost? Nothing. HomeForHome offers free registration and does not charge you for using the service.

Image by djcodrin /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Who can exchange? Everybody! Home exchange can benefit families, retired people, single people, people with pets, groups of friends, even people that are not home owners. For example, tenants could swap, because there is no financial transaction involved and the exchange cannot be interpreted as sub-letting (it is advisable, for courtesy, that you let the home owner know about this). Another example: if your parents or grandparents have a vacation home, you could ask them to publish it as available during the time they are not using it and that way you can “use” their second home to swap to different places. However, they should participate in the arrangement as HomeForHome intends this to be between owners, and it should be clear to your fellow swapper who is going to be staying in their home.

What are the rules to participate in a home exchange? The basic rule is that you have to leave the home exactly as it was found. But of course we expect some flexibility, things could be misplaced during cleaning, cooking, etc. The details of every particular home exchange are left to the participants to agree on during their personal communications, which should take place before the actual exchange is arranged. Clear communication of each other’s expectations is the key to a successful exchange.

We will continue with these basics in our next post. If you just can’t wait: check out our FAQ section or contact us to learn more about home exchange with HomeForHome.

Image by Conspirator at flickr.com

Do you remember the days when summer was synonym of three months off school? If your answer is “yes, oh yes, I remember those sweet days” (some could had “it was so long ago!”), well we are sorry your summer vacations are a little shorter now, but there are people that don’t need to remember: school teachers. For those of you that don’t need to remember the old days and still enjoy those months off, home exchange can be a great opportunity to plan a few trips during the summer to start your next school year renewed!

A vacation doesn’t need to be long to help you relax, and certainly three months without work doesn’t mean that you will be able to recharge your batteries. To help you relax and really enjoy your summer, HomeForHome has offers from all over the world. You could easily combine a couple of short stays nearby with a longer trip to a foreign country without spending a lot of money. Remember, home exchange lowers your lodging budget to zero! So, why stay home?

HomeForHome’s forums can help you find other home owners in a similar situation, wishing to swap their homes for a long period over the summer, in your own country or abroad. You could start a topic to find people that share your profession and who will also have a long summer vacation. To do that visit the “Community” tab and find the right forum to start your topic.

Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland… Where do you want to go?

Leipzig is located in Saxony, Germany. It’s name is associated with culture, as it was the birth place of composer Richard Wagner, and notorious residents include Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

The high points of a Leipzig tour are:

Image by Mara ~earth light~ (flickr.com)

St. Thomas Church: Johann Sebastian Bach performed as a chief singer (cantor) and is now buried in this late-Gothic hall church.

St. Nicholas Church: the place where the “Peaceful Revolution” began with the prayers for peace, leading to the reunification of Germany in 1989.

Battle of the Nations: one of the largest monument in Europe, with a 91 metre high viewing platform, built to commemorate the victorious battle against Napoleonic troops in 1813.

Auerbachs Keller: the restaurant where a young Goethe ate and drank while studying in the city, he later used this venue for a scene in Faust.

Grassi Museum Complex: located on Johannisplatz, it includes the Musical Instrument Museum, the Museum of Arts and Crafts and the Museum of Ethnology.

Leipzig Botanical Garden: the oldest botanical garden in Germany, it is maintained by the University of Leipzig and holds 200 species of butterflies.

Leipzig Book Fair: the second largest German book fair.

Gewandhaus Mendelssohn Festival: not much to say, it is a great opportunity to enjoy Felix Mendelssohn’s works.

Leipzig Zoo: worth visiting, it holds one of the world’s largest facilities for anthropoids “Pongoland”.

Leipzig Pop Up: an annual trade fair and music festival for independent music, takes place every May.

Drallewatsch: this term relates to the custom of going out at night, and reflects the custom of going from place to place in a particular area of the city where pubs, restaurants, bars and clubs abound. Nightlife in Leipzig has many options for different tastes.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, for more ideas to plan your own Leipzig tour, visit the city’s multilingual official website http://www.leipzig.de/int/en/ (English version) or the German National Tourist Board’s official tourism website http://www.germany-tourism.de/index_ENG.htm (in English). As always, to find your home exchange opportunity, you have HomeForHome.

Summer is approaching the Northern hemisphere, a time where most people will be enjoying their annual vacations. Naturally, those who are travelling in the following months are searching for places to stay in their chosen travel destination. This natural increase has raised the topics created by HomeForHome users looking for specific home exchange opportunities, so it is a good idea for those who are already registered in HomeForHome to check the forums more often.

If you are not familiar with our forums, lets give you a quick tour. You can find HomeForHome’s forums in the Community tab. Some of the recently opened topics also appear in the right side of our home page, as a preview, and by clicking on their titles you access the comments on that particular topic. As you click in the Community tab, you view all the forum categories, there is a short description of each under their titles. In this case, as we look for home exchange opportunities, we should choose “Exchange Requests” or “Other exchanges” to view topics created for that purpose.

Image by Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The forums are intended to provide our users with the chance to interact, so as you enter a particular topic, you will find a “Reply” button to add your comments, also, there is a link to each participant profile, so you can quickly check their home and preferences. Once in their profile, you can also contact them directly or send them an exchange proposal.

Another option is to create a topic of your own, describing your exchange proposal so others can reply or maybe offer you similar alternatives. If you still have any doubts about how the forums work, please contact our support team or try asking your question in the “Help” forums.