Home exchange cuts your total travel expenses to less than half compared with hotel stays and similar means of accommodation. One reason that explains such huge savings is that with home exchange you have a full kitchen available and you can cook your own meals. But you would probably want to spend very little of your vacation time in the kitchen to enjoy other activities to the fullest. What to cook while on vacations to save time? Here is our idea for today, it is not new but it is helpful: Sandwiches.

Image by healingdream /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fast preparation is the best feature of this tasteful dish, but it also allows for innovation. You can put almost anything between two pieces of bread and it could taste good. To make it more sophisticated, use french baguettes, to make it healthier use whole grain bread. To have a side dish, you can open a bag of potato chips or if you want something healthier you can use crunchy vegetables. For example, carrots, broccoli and celery are all quite tasty and crunchy. Exchange the burger and fries for a chicken sandwich with a side of crunchy veggies.

Some say that what makes a great sandwich is the condiment selection, but that is a whole different chapter. The basic and simple mayonnaise will do for most people

During your home exchange trip, sandwiches would also be useful if you plan a whole day away in a nearby (or not so nearby) attraction and you do not want to buy food or you just do not know if you are going to find a restaurant you would like to try. You are going to need a cooler to keep your sandwiches fresh (specially in the summer) and you can even pack the ingredients (remember to wash the vegetables before you go and bring some extra water just in case) and prepare your sandwiches in your destination. Find a park or another open area and combine your main activity with a small picnic. If you have children, they would love it.

An interesting fact: In the UK there is even an organisation that sets standards for sandwich manufacture and encourages innovation in the sandwich making industry: the British Sandwich Association (http://www.sandwich.org.uk/)

HomeForHome has many homes in Wales. Do not waste another minute and start looking for your home exchange partner to make Wales you next swap’s destination. Then, to plan your activities, you can use “The official getaway to Wales” (http://www.wales.com) where you will find these great itinerary suggestions:

“Wales in a week” - Seven days with the best that Wales has to offer.

“Cardiff, our capital city” - The capital and largest city, “Caerdydd” is the perfect gateway to Wales. If you plan to fly to Wales you are going to start in Cardiff and if you can arrange a home exchange before August 31st, you will visit the capital during Cardiff Festival 2010 (link below).

“Food trail” - The best Welsh flavours in three days of pleasure.

“Parks and gardens” - In this four-day itinerary, one of the beautiful places suggested for you to visit is the National Botanic Garden of Wales, home of the largest glass single structure in the world: “Great Glasshouse“. If you take a look at this suggested itinerary, you will probably agree with me that four days are not enough!

“North Wales coast” - Nothing says “vacation” more than barefoot walking in the beach.

“Myths and legends” - Three days getting to know the settings of some of the most famous Welsh folk stories.

“The trail of King Arthur” – King Arthur, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table… Truth or myth? Find out yourself.

“Haunted Wales” - Take this four day suggestion and become a ghost hunter (if you dare!)

Image by Matt Banks /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Our suggestion to plan your home exchange is to visit http://www.wales.com and take a little from each of the above suggested itineraries to make your own custom made unique tour.

Cardiff Festival - http://www.cardiff-festival.com/
National Botanic Garden of Wales - http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/
Visit North Wales - http://www.visitnorthwales.co.uk/
http://www.visitwales.com/

If you are not an active traveller and you would rather spend your vacation time in a “resting” state, there are many things you can do in Wales while you take advantage of the huge savings home exchange has to offer. For example, Wales has 641 castles and three World Heritage Sites you can visit. The three World Heritage Sites are:

Image by Tom Curtis /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd: Beaumaris Castle, Caernarfon Castle, Conwy Castle and Harlech Castle.
2. Blaenavon Industrial Landscape: evidencing the importance of the region’s industries to the 19th century’s Industrial Revolution.
3. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal - Truly a monumental piece of civil engineering, both creative and majestic.

Other “slow” activities you can enjoy in Wales, and specially recommended for wildlife lovers, are birdwatching or admiring the rare bottle nosed dolphins, basking sharks, leatherback turtles and Atlantic grey seals that can be spotted in the Welsh marine environment. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park,  is the perfect place to do this.

You can also find a list of attractions that can be visited for free if you are looking for a low budget holiday. The list includes museums, art galleries, parks, exhibitions, festivals, castles and trails. Navigate through http://www.visitwales.com/ to find more details.

As you can imagine, Wales is a great destination for family vacations. Three family friendly features of Wales:

- Perfect place for outdoors activities.
- Several free-entry attractions.
- 1,200 Km of coastline: sand and sea are a perfect combination to entertain the little ones.

Find more information in the links below and more ideas in HomeForHome’s next post.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park - http://www.pcnpa.org.uk/
http://www.visitwales.com/
Cadw (the historic environment service of the Welsh Assembly Government) - http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/
Southern Wales - http://www.southernwales.com/
Mid Wales and the Brecon Beacons - http://tourism.powys.gov.uk/
Visit North Wales - http://www.visitnorthwales.co.uk/

A few weeks ago we invited you to take a “tour” through Scotland, and this week we are going to do the same through the best that Wales has to offer. Read on and then explore the home exchange opportunities we have waiting for you in Wales.

Wales is located in the island of Great Britain. It has only one land neighbour: England, and the rest of its borders are 1,200 Km of coastline. So beaches and mountains abound, but there are also smooth hills and valleys, specially in South Wales.

Easy accessible from within the UK, if you are travelling form overseas you may arrive directly to Wales for your home exchange or use the transport connections from the rest of the UK’s main airports.

There are only five cities in Wales that have UK City Status. They are Bangor, Cardiff, Newport, St David’s and Swansea. If you add that there are three National Parks (including the only coastal National Park in the UK in Pembrokeshire) and five Areas of Outstanding Natural beauty in Wales, you will probably understand why it is mostly considered a destination to get in touch with nature and enjoy stunning landscapes.

What can be done in Wales? Golfing, hiking, cycling, camping, mountain climbing, mountain biking, surfing and any other activity that implies contact with nature. If you want to try a local “invention” you may go for Pembrokeshire’s Coasteering. According to “Visit Wales” (http://www.visitwales.com/) coasteering is “a wild combination of scrambling, climbing, traversing, cliff jumping and swimming“

If you are into golf, you may want to attend the first Ryder Cup to be held in Wales while you enjoy your home exchange. When? Well, you better hurry because 2010 is the year! Yes, the Ryder Cup will tee off the first day of October 2010 in The Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.

If you are a less active traveller, there are other things you can do and we will let you know all about them!

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park - http://www.pcnpa.org.uk/
http://www.visitwales.com/
http://www.rydercup.com/2010/
http://www.welcome2wales.co.uk/the-2010-ryder-cup/

We continue with our tour through Scotland’s best. Today: Castles and Edinburgh.

Image by Tom Curtis /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There are several castles in Scotland, so if you are looking for a piece of history combined with beautiful architecture, landscapes and decoration, here are some suggestions:

- Airth Castle (near Stirling)
- Birkhill Castle (Fife)
- Caerlaverock Castle (Glencaple, Dumfries)
- Culzean Castle (near Maybole, Ayrshire)
- Drumlanrig Castle (Dumfries and Galloway)
- Duart Castle (Mull)
- Dunvegan Castle (Isle of Skye)
- Edinburgh Castle (Edinburgh)
- Falkland Palace (Fife)
- Fyvie Castle (Aberdeenshire)
- Glamis Castle (Angus)
- Hermitage Castle (Roxburghshire)
- Inveraray Castle (Argyll)
- Kildrummy Castle (Aberdeenshire)
- Stirling Castle (Stirling)

If your home exchange destination is in Aberdeenshire, you may enjoy the only Castle Trail in Scotland, with 14 castles marked by white on brown signs with a blue castle logo. This is a hihgly recommended activity for families with children, as the younger ones would enjoy discovering secret passages, dungeons, haunted rooms and ghost stories. Visit Scotland.com - The official site of Scotland’s national tourism organisation has a Castle Trail leaflet with all you need to know to plan your own Castle Trail tour.

The Festival City

Edinburgh - The capital is one of the single most attractive spots in Scotland, the 12 major annual festivals that take place in the city account for its nickname: the Festival City, and its spectacular architecture make it an art piece on itself. As we mentioned, there are countless cultural events that take place in Edinburgh, the main being: Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. We did not count them all, but there are probably hundreds of events that take place in this cultural hub, and you could certainly find one that matches both your interests and your home exchange calendar so we will refer you to Edinburgh Festivals to prepare your trip.

Of course this is just peek of Scotland’s vast offer to enjoy your home exchange vacations, so imagine all the things you will discover on your trip!

If you are looking for a different experience for your next home exchange, Scotland sure has some ideas for you.

Green Tourism in Scotland

Photo by lmnyberg /Flickr.com

First things first. Over 700 businesses are registered members of the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) and are assessed for their energy efficiency and efforts to reduce their environmental impact, to sustain the quality of Scotland’s natural treasures. As a visitor, your support is required to preserve the quality of Scotland’s environment. So look for the identified businesses while you tour through Scotland.

Whisky Tourism in Scotland

There are 42 distilleries open to visitors, because not only it is one of the country’s most important exporting industries, it has also become an attraction to visitors and whisky fans from around the globe. The tourism and hospitality sector has joined the distilleries’ efforts to arrange a memorable experience adding other attractions to the “Scotch Whisky Trails“. The most complete online reference on this subject is ScotlandWhisky but you should also check out The Whisky Coast, The Malt Whisky Trail, and for information about the industry visit Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

Just to give you a taste of what you can find:

Speyside is home to half of Scotland’s whisky distilleries, so if you care for a tour covering the different traditional distillation processes, this is the spot. Some of the tourist-friendly distilleries in the area are: Benromach, Cardhu, Dallas Dhu, Glen Grant, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and the Strathisla Distillery, home of the renowned Chivas Regal blend.

Campbeltown is home to the oldest independent family owned distillery: Springbank Distillery. This is not the only fact that sets this distillery apart, it is also one of the two distilleries in the country that carries the complete process from barley and water to bottled Scotch whisky in one single site and it is also the only one that produces three different single malts using three different production methods: Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn.

“The Enchanted Forest”

An award winning outdoor show, that uses sound and light to tell the most amazing of all stories: the Earth’s history from the beginning to the modern era. Definitely a must if you arrange your home exchange in the area.  The Enchanted Forest is part of the Highland Perthshire Autumn Festival so visit http://www.pitlochryautumnfestival.co.uk/ to find our more and plan a fun-filled autumn home exchange vacation.

“One for All”

All in one: Cairngorms National Park includes the Aviemore, Angus Glens, Royal Deeside, Donside, Glenlivet and Speyside areas. You can find almost anything here, from family attractions to extreme sports there is definitely something to keep you entertained whether it is cold, warm, hot or even raining. Also, businesses in the park operate under the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) guidelines.

More information:
http://www.visitcairngorms.com/
http://www.cairngorms.co.uk/

The United Kingdom has a strong presence in HomeForHome, and over 50 of those houses that are ready for home exchange are located in Scotland. In this week’s posts, we will invite you to discover this land full of traditions, history, myths and beautiful scenery that goes from moorlands to mountains and rocky coastlines to peaceful lochs.

Photo by conner395 /Flickr

Scotland occupies the northern third of the Great Britain island and over 700 islands. Its official language is English, but Gaelic and Scots are also spoken; the first prevails mostly in the Highlands and Islands of the North and West, while Scots is spoken in the Central Lowlands.

The summer days, long and warm, present visitors with a range of events that would assure you find a fit for your particular interest: music, performing arts, sports, outdoor activities, you will find something for your own taste. Here are a few of the many coming entertainment events:

Edinburgh International Festival - Three weeks of performances from international artists, in one of Europe’s great festivals offering opera, dance, theatre, music and visual arts. This event alone accounts for a doubling in Edinburgh’s population during the Festival. More details at http://www.eif.co.uk/

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo - A three-week long festival where international military musicians take the stage with the majestic backdrop being Edinburgh Castle. The famous ending with the performance of the Lone Piper seems to be the distinctive mark of this world class unique martial music event that takes place every August in the Castle’s Esplanade. Over 100 million people watch the event on international television. For more information, please visit http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/

Aberdeen International Youth Festival - Starting with a colourful parade, this festival allows you to enjoy the best performances from young artists in ten days of literally all kinds of cultural expressions. For more information, visit http://www.aiyf.org/

Arbroath Sea Fest - An annual, 2-day festival to celebrate the Sea. More in http://www.arbroathseafest.co.uk/

The Braemar Gathering -  A series of traditional competitions with a member of the royal family present on the site to support the athletes. More information at http://www.braemargathering.org/

Piping Live! - This international piping event in Glasgow, features several styles from traditional to techno piping. A week of concerts, workshops, masterclasses and street performances, in an energetic environment. Details in http://www.pipinglive.co.uk/

Largs Viking Festival - The place and time for those who wish to know more about the Viking heritage of this area. It includes a Viking Village where the Swords of Dalriada live as the Vikings did, giving first hand entertainment and teaching at the same time. More at http://www.largsvikingfestival.com/

Events about Scottish foods and drinks: Tarbert Seafood Festival, Scottish Food Fortnight, Highland Feast, Whisky Live Scotland, Flavour of Shetland, Taste of Grampian Food Festival.

If you do not find a home exchange opportunity to experience this year’s events, you may want to check next year’s dates in the links provided and mark them in your calendar.

Germany is everywhere these days! Their football players keep scoring too many goals in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they keep advancing in the tournament and somehow they managed to be present in this new travel destination review in our blog. Why? Because we thought that even though you may not be in the mood to think about partying in Oktoberfest, there are still other great possibilities for you to take advantage of the large amount of German users registered in HomeForHome. For example, if you were unable to schedule your vacation days to travel during the Summer, you may reach October in a rest-only-no-party mood and Germany could still be the destination of choice. While beer and party fans head to Munich, there are other places to enjoy a more quiet home exchange:

Hamburg - Architecturally, Hamburg has a lot to offer, like the five high spires of its main churches that dominate its skyline: St. Peter’s Church, St. Jacobi Church, St. Catherine’s Church, St. Michaelis Church and St. Nicholas’s Church (which was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876). Also, there’s the Reeperbahn which is Hamburg’s most famous street for being located in the city’s red light district, where there are countless nightclubs and bars. Hamburg receives millions of visitors every year, many attracted by the varied cultural offer, with music performances leading the way.

Leipzig - Another cultural pearl which we reviewed a couple of months ago: http://www.homeforhome.co.uk/destinations-leipzig/

Oberammergau and its Passion Play - In the seventeenth century, the villagers of Oberammergau pledged to perform a Passion Play every ten years. Why? A pandemic outbreak had killed one-fifth of the population and they wanted to prevent that from happening again. To this day, residents who were born or have lived in Oberammergau for more than 20 years participate in the Passion Play to keep their ancestor’s promise. Oberammergau’s Passion Play is taking place now and will last till October 3rd. If you are around, you should not miss it. It takes place only every ten years! For more information, visit the Oberammergau’s Passion Play Website.

To learn about the many attractions waiting for you in Germany you may visit the Official Tourism Website of Germany at http://www.germany-tourism.co.uk/

After all the time we waited for the Summer to arrive, it is probably not the best idea to discuss anything related to the coming Autumn. But, since to be successful in the home exchange world you have to think ahead, it is always a good thing to remind you of the activities to come. Something like the HomeForHome coming attractions

If you are a regular visitor of HomeForHome, you probably noticed at our homepage that Germany is one of the countries with the most registered swappers. If you hadn’t noticed this, you should take advantage of this wake up call and start making plans to spend the coming Oktoberfest in Germany!

Starting September 18th (a few events will take place on the 17th, but the traditional official tapping of the first beer barrel will be celebrated on the 18th at noon), this year the party will last till October 4th and it seems like they have planned it “Longer, bigger and with more attractions than ever before!” to celebrate the festival’s 200th anniversary. This may be worth a home swap, don’t you think?

Besides, if you are not much into beer, you may be into Munich and its cultural side. Or in case you were wondering, there are several attractions that will make Oktoberfest appealing for families with children, like the different rides, and also the tents which are not only about beer… Just check out the past years’ Oktoberfest posts and you’ll see.

The countdown is on in the Oktoberfest.de website so make your move and find your swap. If you already made plans to visit another country while Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, you should know you can find Oktoberfest elsewhere as well, since there are several cities worldwide that host their own beer parties in October, and some are just as legendary:

- Blumenau, Brazil http://www.oktoberfestblumenau.com.br/ (in Portuguese)

- Cincinnati (Ohio), United States http://www.oktoberfestzinzinnati.com/okt.aspx

- Belgrano, Argentina http://www.elsitiodelavilla.com/oktoberfest/(in Spanish)

Doing some research to write the previous posts, it was interesting to find a simple yet FUNtastic game that most children really enjoy and never get tired of, so it deserved a post of its own: BUBBLE BLOWING!

It is unbelievable how many websites have information about this classic game.

Image by Dino De Luca /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You can buy a bubble-blowing kit or have your children make their own bubble-making tools with everyday materials. The second option is much more fun and allows your kids to come up with some creative ideas, so before you close your bags and head off to your home exchange destination, be sure to pack any items you may need to make your bubble-blowing tools during your swap.

First, take notes about the basic recipe to prepare the bubble making solution: add 2 teaspoons of dish soap to 1 cup of water. If you want long-lasting bubbles you can add 1 teaspoon of glycerin to the above recipe. Glycerin is inexpensive, non-toxic and can be purchased in most pharmacies. Baby shampoo can be an alternative to replace the soap for younger children as it won’t cause irritation if some bubble solution comes into contact with their eyes. Wearing pool goggles during a bubble battle can be fun too! You don’t know what a bubble battle is? Just a battle in which your objective is to have your opponent surrender to your bubble-making attack.

Everyday use items that can be turned into bubble wands:

- Cloth hangers (adult supervision should be a must to work with these).

- Plastic cookie cutters.

- Drinking straws.

- Strings. Cotton strings seem to work just fine. Tie the ends together forming a loop (try different lengths for different bubble sizes), soak the loop in the solution, stretch it and then blow through the film caught in the loop.

- A variety of empty containers can have their bottoms removed or portions cut off to become a simple bubble-making device: cans, yogurt containers, plastic lids. (We would also recommend adult supervision if you choose these items)

- A funnel.

- An old racket.

- A balloon. It is hard to get the hang of it but you can use an inflated balloon to “blow” your bubbles.

- An interesting item that seems to be excellent for younger children is a fly swatter. Its small holes are perfect for the little ones to make dozens of bubbles with just one swing!

- The simplest bubble wand: your hands. And a tip we found at http://www.bubbles.org: “… it is dryness, not sharpness, which pops bubbles. This means that if you get your bubble tools wet, you can touch a bubble without popping it” (where bubble tools means your own hands).

There are many options and all you need is creativity, you can also come up with competitions like: the biggest bubble, the longest lasting bubble, who can blow the most bubbles in one minute… Have fun!!!