We said it yesterday, this week is all about entertainment. Today we are going to show you some of the things you could expect if you swap houses with someone in or near this cities: Las Vegas and Atlantic City (we are leaving Monte Carlo for tomorrow).

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is an iconic place for adult entertainment. It is not only about poker, black jack, roulette and slots, Las Vegas has a very wide offer of stage shows, performances, sport events, and “wild” architecture - is there another adjective more accurate for Las Vegas’ architecture? Surrounded by the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas has an Eiffel Tower replica, a Castle, a Palace, its own Statue of Liberty, a volcano, a pyramid accompanied by a Sphinx replica, glittering lights and stars… Some stars that had or have shows in Las Vegas include Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Cher, Céline Dion, David Copperfield, Criss Angel…

Going down “The Strip” on Las Vegas Boulevard you will get first hand contact with everything we have been telling you about. Are you ready for your Vegas adventure?

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is located in the coast of New Jersey and it has a beautiful shoreline that is an attraction in itself, but has the additional attractive that it can be enjoyed from the longest boardwalk in the world, for locals “the Boardwalk”. Other major attractions of this city are the shopping areas, the restaurants, the spas, the nightlife, water sports (mostly in the Summer), golf courses, museums and the Atlantic City Aquarium. This destination seems to have everything you need to relax, have a family vacation and why not try your luck in the casinos.

HomeForHome can bring you closer to the most fun vacation you could ever have. Register, swap and go!

One of the reasons why HomeForHome has become so popular since it started to offer its services, is that it helps you save money from your travel expenses no matter where you want to go, by making it easier to swap houses. That is really all we can do (and we are good at it). One of the things we cannot do is telling you what to do with the money you save, but sometimes we have made some suggestions. For example, you can travel more often, or farther away, or spend it in entertainment options. This week we are going to suggest a few destinations where you can use part of the savings from switching to home exchange to test your luck: places with casinos.

We are not going to take a virtual trip to just any place with casinos, we are going to tell you about the top areas with casinos and we are going to choose a few exotic destinations also known for having these entertainment facilities.

Tomorrow we are going to take you to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the two most popular places with casinos in the USA, and also to Monte Carlo in Monaco. Then, on Sunday we are going to write about some less known but interesting locations: Macau, Portugal, some places in the Caribbean and maybe another surprise. Since we don’t want gambling to be the main activity during your trip we are going to tell you about the other attractions that await in these locations.

Sometimes it is not about what to read but where to read. The perfect book cannot be properly enjoyed in an uncomfortable location. Of course you can read almost anywhere, but a good state of the body and soul add up to the pleasure of reading. That’s why people often choose to read a book while they are on holidays, the tranquillity makes the book even more enjoyable.

It is hard to think of the best place to read in 2011, because there’s probably a location that’s the perfect fit for each combination of book and reader, but we can tell you which city will be officially the World Book Capital: Buenos Aires. Since 2001, the UNESCO and the main associations in the book industry, the IPA, the IBF and the IFLA, designate a city to be the year’s World Book Capital and in 2011 the honour has been awarded to the Argentinian capital city.

The other ten cities that have received the honour of being World Book Capital are Alexandria (Egypt), Antwerp (Belgium), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Beirut (Lebanon), Bogotá (Colombia), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Madrid (Spain), Montreal (Canada), New Delhi (India) and Turin (Italy).

The “book year” hasn’t started yet, and Ljubljana will still be the World Book Capital until April 23rd when Buenos Aires’ turn will start. The city is preparing many events to celebrate the year, so this year it will be tango, football and books. Not a lousy welcome pack for a very promising house swap.

For more information about how to enjoy Buenos Aires as World Book Capital you may visit the official website: BACML2011. Unfortunately there is not much information in English but there’s always automatic online translation to make the trick

The Leipzig Book Fair is just two months away so it may be too close to make travel arrangements and find a house swap partner, but fortunately there is another and even larger book fair in Germany that takes place in the last quarter of the year: the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The Frankfurt Book Fair takes place each October. It is one of the most prestigious events for the publishing industry and it has an additional interesting thing in its programme: every year it has a Guest of Honour, a country that can present its literature and culture to the world. Last year, Argentina was the Guest of Honour as they were having their bicentennial celebration and this year it will be Iceland’s opportunity. Icelanders have chosen to present their culture to the world under the motto “Fabulous Iceland“. Certainly, an extra-interesting attraction for this year’s edition.

The good thing about this year’s edition is that you won’t have to book you accommodation because you have HomeForHome to arrange your international home exchange. Remember that many users may be interested in a weekend home swap, or perhaps you can have a longer vacation in October to add a small tour through Germany to your presence in the Frankfurt Book Fair.

To learn more about the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair and this year’s Guest of Honour, please visit the following links:

http://www.book-fair.com/en/fbf/
http://www.sagenhaftes-island.is/en

Where do you want to travel to in 2011? What do you want to see in 2011? Which event would you like to attend? We can help you with the accommodation plans, as home swaps and international home exchanges are our specialities but we also want to provide some ideas for events you can attend in 2011. This week we have some events that are probably not in the “likes” list of some people, but those who enjoy reading are going to just love: the Leipzig Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair. Two book fairs, two beautiful locations in Germany.

The Leipzig Book Fair takes place each Spring and it seems like the perfect way to take the first strolls after a long, cold Winter. This year, it will start March 17th and it will end on the 20th. What makes this fair special is that it is more visitor-oriented than trade-oriented and as such it has a more festive tone that may be more appealing for the general public. Some of the interesting things you will find in the fair are the audio-books nights, the comics in Leipzig section, the Leipzig Antiquarian Book Fair and the buch + art - All about art and books exhibition which is related to book illustration.

We are in mid-January so you have plenty of time to plan your next house swap and maybe you won’t visit any of the places we have been suggesting, maybe you will add one of these events to your itinerary, but you are certainly going to stay there the cheapest way possible with HomeForHome.

For information about the programme, tickets, how to get to the Leipzig Book Fair click on this link to access the official website.

We know that sometimes cold weather is not a fun thing and people do not want to do much when it is so cold outside, but throughout the years, people have come up with several ideas to enjoy the cold weather and have fun with it. These fun ways to enjoy the Winter are what we want to highlight, because not everyone gets to know how much fun you can have in a snowy slope or a frozen lake. Today, we are moving from snow to ice:

Switzerland: “BERN IS READY” is the greeting you will find in the 2011 European Figure Skating Championships website. The city is ready to receive participants and people that want to be a part of this event that starts next week and will continue till the end of the month. It is probably not much time to prepare a home swap but maybe if you already swapped houses with someone near Bern, you could try to arrange a new weekend swap because as you may be eager to attend the event and get in touch with all that Bern has to offer, your partners may be looking forward to a getaway from all the fuzz.

The 2011 European Figure Skating Championships are really close, but it you are interested in visiting Bern, the Bern Tourism website has many ideas to relax, for families, for entertainment, to go sightseeing, shopping, clubbing and more… HomeForHome can help you get there, the rest of the plan is up to you

We are going to continue today with HomeForHome’s “what to do in 2011″ guide. Last time we brought you a list of ice sculpting festivals and we felt it was a good idea to continue with more icy and snowy activities that are scheduled for 2011.

Norway: Oslo is going to host the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships from February 23rd to March 6th. Could there be a better place for Nordic skiing? If you are a fan of this sport, you could get to visit the redesigned Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Winter in Oslo has many other interesting experiences prepared for you besides ice skating, sledding and skiing. In Oslo you can enjoy great restaurants, nightclubs (imagine the special nights during the Championships!), museums and many outdoor attractions. One attraction we want to highlight is the Vigeland Park, half park - half museum, this beautiful are is a combination of green areas, fountains, bridges and art. Over 200 sculptures made by Gustav Vigeland were distributed in the park by the artist himself in an harmonious combination that can be separated in five areas: the Main Gate, the Bridge, the Fountain, the Monolith, and the Wheel of Life.

If you fin all this appealing and you can take a few days off work, or you are on sabbatical, or you want a weekend adventure with your family, then swap houses with someone close to Oslo and have a great Winter escapade!

Our final post of this week is dedicated to ice. As we promised, we are going to list several Ice Sculpture Festivals that take place around the world so you may find a closer exchange partner to swap houses with. Let’s start with a festival that is taking place right now:

Belgium: The 2011 Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival in Bruges started last November and will end next weekend. It seems like this year, the theme is “Around the World” so the sculptures will take us in a journey visiting over 20 countries. The artists are inspired by the new wonders of the world and the UNESCO lists of cultural and heritage sites. So you can swap to visit Belgium but you are going to be in an Ice Museum that takes you in a much longer trip. If you miss it this year, you may wan to schedule it for 2012.

England: the 3rd edition of the London Ice Sculpting Festival will take place from January 13th till the 15th, in Canary Wharf.

Japan: the Sapporo Snow Festival is Japan’s largest winter festival attracting millions of people every year. Ice sculptures and snow statues are the main attraction. This year, the event will start February 7th and it will end the next Sunday. It is probably the most magnificent ice and snow event.

United States: There are many places in the USA that host events involving ice and sculpting. There is even a National Ice Carving Association (NICA) that provides information on events when the competition is ruled by their judging criteria. For more information about these events you may visit their website: http://www.nica.org/ There are events is nearly every State that’s cold enough to have ice and also in Canada.

Russia: Three events:
– To open the year: the Cap of Russia on Snow and Ice Sculpture in Perm (January 16th to 23rd)
– In the middle: the International Ice Sculpture Contest in Khabarovsk (January 20th to 24th)
– To end 2011: the Ice Sculpture Grand-Prix of Russia 2011 (December 29th to January 6th)

We also have a traditional one that already had its 2011 edition:

China: the Harbin International Ice Sculpture Competition http://www.hiissc.com/

Other countries that have these events are: Latvia, France, Norway and of course Canada. And we are leaving out snow sculptures. Maybe we ought to do another post!

Today we continue with our tour, presenting you the best times to travel to each country with another couple. It is the turn for Brazil and New Zealand, again two countries located in the Southern portion of the world. Both countries are preparing themselves to give visitors and unforgettable welcome, Brazil does it each year when it is Carnival time, but the kiwis are getting ready to receive visitors for their event in a way that fascinates them so they come back every year.

Brazil - Without a doubt, the best time to visit Brazil is during the frenzy of Carnival. Many cities party everyday during “Carnaval” and it is the place to be if you want fun, dancing and samba! Letting yourself be caught by the magic of Carnival is probably the best way to get immersed in the Brazilian culture. Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Salvador de Bahia are the best locations to experience the Carnival each February, but smaller cities may provide the best combination of Carnival and sandy beaches for families that want to swap houses with their families and don’t care much for the late hour parties.

New Zealand - The kiwis are preparing a great welcome as the Rugby “world” travels to their land to celebrate the 2011 World Cup from September 9th to October 23rd. Eleven cities will be receiving the best teams in the world to play the game, but the whole country will engage in a celebration that they have called “The REAL New Zealand Festival”, that will include events (right now there are over 300 events registered and the count goes up each day). All that is Kiwi will be there: flavours, music, entertainment, arts, heritage… Can you think of a better time to discover New Zealand with a home swap?

As the year starts, travel reviewers and specialized websites always come up with list of the best places to travel during the next 365 days. They often include a “classic” destination (any of the “must see before you die” locations), a few exotic ones, many in tropical areas with lots of sun and sand and so forth. We are going to do a similar thing this year, but HomeForHome style. We are going to present you with the most important event (or events) taking place this year in each country so you can plan your home swap then

Here we start:

Australia - It is probably not the most important event of the year, as it takes place every year, but it is the starting point of the tennis year and will commence really soon: The Australian Open. The best players in the world compete to be at the top in Aussie land. Before this Grand Slam, there are other “smaller” tournaments that serve as preparation for the players to get in shape for the first big test of the year. As it is summer in Australia when the year begins, it is a very good time to attend not only the tennis matches but also to visit the beautiful Australian beaches during your house swap and you are going to find many entertainment shows to attend as well: music concerts and festivals and even a carnival.

Argentina - It turns out we continue with anothee sport related event: the Football American Cup. Argentina will receive Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay, Venezuela and special “guests” México and Japan. The locations were the matches will be held are quite interesting: La Plata, Cordoba, Santa Fe, San Juan, Salta, Mendoza, Jujuy, and the Final Match in Buenos Aires. If you tour through this locations you will get to know how varied the Argentinian landscape really is.