We started our special on Valencia with something that can conquer all: food, but this city has attractions and spots to entice people of all ages and preferences. Whether you share your home swap trip with children, teenagers, young adults or older adults, your companions will find a favourite place. If you are looking for adventure or you want discover ancient treasures, there is something for you. If you want to play sports and get energized that way or enjoy marvellous sunsets to power up your senses until your next vacation, in Valencia you will find your spot.

Beaches and dunes:
When you are ready to find your home exchange partner in Valencia, look for this beaches in the nearby attractions or description: Arenas, La Malvarrosa, Cabañal, or beaches in the Albufera Nature Reserve (El Saler or Col-Legi). La Malvarrosa lies in the city itself and has the infrastructure to receive many people in its miles of white sands. Arenas and Cabañal, in the southern part of the city, have golden sand and many interesting features like restaurants, bars, promenades and events.

Parks and sports:
As mentioned in the beach and dunes category, you can visit the Albufera Nature Reserve, and in the area you will find El Saler, a blue flag beach that looks like a dream! There are also entertainment parks, like Gulliver’s Park for children, the Botanical Gardens and the Bioparc, a modern zoo based on the concept of immersion. Regarding sports, you will find a place to move your body: hiking, golf, kayaking, sailing, horse riding, scuba diving, windsurfing, paragliding… Or an event for watching-enjoyment: Valencia FC, Formula 1 Racing or World Championship Motorcycle Racing.

Image: Hakilon / Wikimedia Commons.

Another year has ended and with the new year comes a time for plans, resolutions and hope. We hope it comes with many house swaps in your travel plans. There are many users that have written us to let us know that they already arranged all the house swaps they wanted for 2012, and we are looking forward to reading their feedbacks and reviews. For those still searching or just getting started, we know you will find what you are looking for, explore our tools and contact our Customer Service team if you need help.

As for the blog, 2012 finds us in an exciting tour along the European Mediterranean coastline, that we hope will be useful for users that are exploring options in this vast area. We are encountering destinations that would be perfect for next Summer, but that are not to be dismissed by those considering a winter-swap.

Marbella, Malaga, Almeria and Alicante have been the main spots we covered, with many smaller picturesque cities and towns nearby that may as well deserve a visit, like Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Benidorm, Torrevieja or Torremolinos. If you have not found your next home exchange destination among them, just wait and read… Next stop: Valencia.

Image: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We’ll probably return to London for part three, but right now it’s time to explore the options elsewhere so everyone can start making plans for next holiday season. A varied selection today, with two music festivals, different continents and in two very different cities.

Chickasha Festival of Light
What: A festival that gets national attention within the USA and receives over 300,000 people each year. Lights (millions of them), displays, holiday music, a musically-choreographed light show, rides…
Where: Shannon Springs Park, Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA.
When: November 22nd to December 31st.
If you would like to know more about this festival, you can visit http://www.chickashafestivaloflight.com/

Via Magna Festival
What: Vocal music in the incomparable setting of Madrid. Different styles, different places and different artists for everyone to get a little bit of Christmas spirit. Carols, gospel, pop, flamenco and classics with renowned interpreters and new rising talents.
Where: Different locations in Madrid, Spain.
When: Activities everyday from December 10th to the 20th.
You can download a PDF file with the program at http://www.festivalviamagna.com/

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is time to continue with our suggestions for next Christmas in London. Today, we have some music events that might not be 100% Christmassy, but still very joyful. Check them out:

Rihanna at The O2
What: A live performance of one of the most popular artists these days, presenting her tour Loud.
Where: The O2, Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX.
When: Dates near Christmas are 20-22 December, 2011

Thriller – Live
What: A tribute to Michael Jackson, where you will be able to enjoy two hours of his most popular songs and choreographies.
Where: Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, St James, London W1D 7ES.
When: Several dates near Christmas, from Tuesday to Sunday, highlighting dates on December 24th and 26th.

Christmas with the Rat Pack
What: This one is today’s Christmassy event, with season’s classics as they became famous in the voices of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. Just like if you were in Las Vegas.
Where: Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DA.
When: Dates starting December 20th, from Tuesday to Saturday.

We hope you find time during your next house swap to add some music to your trip with any of these fabulous shows.

Image: Public domain image taken from Wikimedia Commons.

We were going to continue with our suggestions for next Christmas in London today but we will leave it for the next post instead because we have an interesting tip to share with you to check out another feature available in HomeForHome that can help you find house swap partners or interesting destinations:

In our home page, we have an area in the right-hand side panel to show “Opinions on Home Exchanges” where there are usually two or three of our users’ comments about their last home swaps. But, if you want to see all the opinions, you can use the “See more opinions” link below these comments.

Every user that has accepted a home exchange proposal will be asked to share their opinion about the experience. Opinions and ratings are very important because they become part of the presentation letter of your exchange partner.

Since we do not want to leave you festival-free today, we have a reminder:

Oktoberfest 2011
What: A lot of fun!
Where: Munich, Germany.
When: Now, until October 3rd.

If you are near Munich, it could be worth a visit

What does London has to offer for Christmas 2011? A lot! Here are some ideas if you are planning to swap houses with someone in London during the holiday season:

Christmas at Westminster Abbey
What: A series of live performances, with classic choral pieces, carols and concerts.
Where: 20 Deans Yard, London, SW1P 3PA.
When: Starts November 29th and ends on Christmas Day with the Sung Eucharist.

Raymond Gubbay Barbican Christmas Festival
What: Varied performances, like Mozart by Candlelight, ballet with artists from the Russian State Ballet of Siberia, the traditional New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Galas, seasonal favourites, Lee Mead and apparently a special appearance of Santa Claus.
Where: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS.
When: Activities during one month from December 2nd, 2011 till January 2nd, 2012.

Royal Albert Hall Christmas Festival
What: Christmas carols, sing-alongs and festive songs with performances from the London Philharmonic Choir, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the King’s College Choir.
Where: Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP.
When: December 2011, from the 12th till the 24th.

We have more events to help you plan your swap’s fun activities and we’ll keep sharing them. If you have ideas, let us know!

Image: Lokal_Profil photo taken from Wikimedia Commons.

We are going back to music related posts during September. A couple of weeks ago, we said we had more to share in our ideas for a house swap involving music, and we were not lying, we do have some interesting ideas to share. We just don’t want to insist too much to prevent you from saying “that’s enough! I can’t take it any more!” So, we are doing it bit by bit, step by step, note by note

For example, what are your plans for the next Christmas season? You may have thought of a nice family dinner, or to go to a special place, maybe a vacation or travelling, perhaps you’ll continue with the family tradition like every year, but have you thought about the music?

Christmas is a season of celebration and music goes perfect with it! So, next week we are going to share some ideas to fill the season with music, with festivals all over the world. Different styles, competitions, beautiful scenery, we’ll have something to suit every taste.

Image: Public domain image taken from Wikimedia Commons.

After a quick reminder about the advantages of home exchange, we are back on music road…

It is going to be one of the most important, if not the most important, music event of 2011: Rock in Rio’s return to its birthplace. There is a notable list of confirmed performances, including the best of Brazil’s musical scene plus: Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Shakira, Evanescence, Mana and Jay-Z. Quality and variety.

There are over one million followers in the social networks that just can’t wait to be a part of it. The festival’s theme is “For a Better World” and since the first edition the organization has been taking actions to make of this statement a reality, applying sustainable practices and supporting educational projects through music and activities that arise environmental awareness.

With more than one month ahead before the festival starts, the tickets are completely sold out for the event but nothing can stop you if you want to start your preparation for the next editions, Rock in Rio Lisboa 2012, Rock in Rio Madrid 2012 or Rock in Rio 2013!

We are going to share more about this festival in our next posts, so you find a way to enjoy Rock in Rio even if you are not one of the lucky people with a ticket.

Image: anankkml / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

France is one of the preferred tourist destinations worldwide. The romantic Paris with its myriad of attractions like the Louvre Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower, to name some of the most famous, is a hotspot for tourists and receives millions of visitors each year. But if you want to visit France and do something different, why not choose a music or art festival? Here are some interesting options so you can start making plans.

France Festivals is the French federation of international music festivals and its website gathers informations about the festival offer all over France. It is a good resource to find an event near your home swap destination and allows to search by Date, Style or Region, and it even has a map search feature. Here is the URL of France Festivals: http://www.francefestivals.com/uk/

We also have two hand picked festivals for you:

Besançon International Music Festival, one of the oldest classical music festivals, will have its 64th edition in 2011.
When? From September 16th till October 1st, 2011.
Where? Besançon, Franche-Comté, France.
More info about the festival (website content in French): http://www.festival-besancon.com/

Rock en Seine Festival
When? Three days in August, 2011: 26, 27 & 28.
Where? Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, near Paris, France.
Interesting performances: Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, My Chemical Romance, Death in Vegas.
More info about the festival: http://www.rockenseine.com/en/

Image: Photo by Michael Maggs, Wikimedia Commons.

What about enjoying music in a foreign land with a foreign language? You can have a different festival experience by attending any of the events we have for you today.

Benicassim Festival: music, dance, films and sunbathing in the Mediterranean coast.
When? Starts July 14th and closes July 17th.
Where? Benicassim, Castellon, Spain.
More info about the festival: http://fiberfib.com/ (click on the English icon on the right-hand corner of the homepage)

Creamfields Andalusia
When? One weekend in August 2011, Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th.
Where? Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Andalusia.
Interesting performances: Paul Kalkbrenner, 2ManyDjs, Eric Prydz, DJ Gonçalo from Portugal, and The Prodigy.
More info about the festival: http://www.creamfields-andalucia.com/ (in Spanish but there are some sections in English, just look for the flag)

Now you know, if you are planning a home swap with a partner in Spain, check with them if there is a music festival in the area to have some extra fun to your next home exchange.

Image: Public domain licence, taken from Wikimedia Commons.