Home exchange is a rising trend. Every day more people decide to try this way of travelling and enjoy its many benefits. HomeForHome is the fastest growing online home exchange service. Why should you try home exchange? Why choose HomeForHome ? Read on…

Home exchange is very simple.
HomeForHome offers you the tools to make it even simpler.

Home exchange is fun and exciting.
In HomeForHome ’s community forums you can have a lot of fun meeting people from all over the world.

Home exchange offers a lot of different alternatives.
HomeForHome makes it easier for you to find people sharing your same interests: long-term home exchange, short-term home exchange, weekend exchange, car exchange, permanent home exchange, study exchange, exchanges for families, travelling with pets…

Home exchange is the best way to lower travel costs.
HomeForHome takes the word cheap to its lower level: everything is free.

HomeForHome has a few extras, including these:

• Our Support Team can offer you guidance to complete the registration process and get acquainted with the website’s tools and resources.
• It has a built-in translation tool so you can receive and answer messages and requests in many languages.

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/

Image by Evgeni Dinev

Today we have a tip for those who use home exchange as part of their efforts to travel green. We have posted before on how home exchange itself helps reduce the environmental impact of vacation (or any) traveling, and we mentioned as well that planes have the highest rate of CO2 emission per traveler.

But sometimes you just have to fly. When you face such a situation it is best to choose a non-stop flight. This lowers CO2 emissions because there is extra fuel consumption during take-off and landing. There are several ways to find and book a non-stop flight, but for the Internet fans here is a list of search engines to help you find the best non-stop flights:

FareCompare - http://www.farecompare.com/ The option to view nonstop flights only is given in the results page.
Kayak - http://www.kayak.com/ Just mark the “Prefer Nonstop” checkbox. It has a downside: it shows best fares found by other Kayak users in the last 48 hours, so seats may not be available.
ITA Software - http://www.itasoftware.com/ You do not need to register, you can use the search engine by logging in as a guest and then mark “nonstops only“.
Travelocity - http://www.travelocity.com/ You will need to use the Advanced Search Options and mark “I prefer nonstops“.

Another plus of this list: They all allow for “wider” flexible travel search which means you can save a lot of money too. Usually, flight search engines offer a flexible search option but narrowed to a few days around your given date, but not these. For example, Travelocity allows you to select “Exact dates” or “+/- 1 to 3 days” or “Flexible dates” which shows you fares up to 330 days ahead. In ITA Software you need to select “Month-long search” for their flexible search.

Other options for non-stop flight search:

Bing - http://www.bing.com/travel/flights
BookingBuddy - http://www.bookingbuddy.com/
Expedia - http://www.expedia.com/
Orbitz-  http://www.orbitz.com/
Trabber - http://www.trabber.co.uk/
SideStep - http://www.sidestep.com/

We looked around for a while and we finally made our choice. Our first recommendation for this summer is the Black Sea Coast.

Being a summer destination it needed to have water. And being we are expecting a hot summer, the more water the better! So, what does the Black Sea Coast have to offer?

Photo by Petro Vlasenko

- Miles and miles of clean sandy beaches
- Warm sunny climate
- Ancient sites
- Small towns
- Mineral baths, thermal springs and even some famous rejuvenation treatments
- Stunning landscapes, with mountains rising behind the shoreline
- And it goes easy on the budget!

The Black Sea Coast has been steadily growing as a touristic destination since the end of the cold war. There are several cities and towns along the coast. Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey are the countries that share the privilege of having Black Sea shores. To help you with your HomeForHome search, here are just some of the many cities lying along the coastline: Sevastopol, Sochi, Batumi, Samsin, Burgas, Varna, Mariupol, Constanta, Novoazovsk, Odessa, Yalta.

There is also growing interest for archaeological exploration, since the Black Sea has excellent conditions for preservation of submerged materials and was sailed by several ancient seafarers, including Greeks, Persians, Scythians, Romans, Byzantines, Goths, Huns, Ottomans and Hittites.

Do you need anything else? Start your search right now and prepare your home exchange to the Black Sea.

Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When you think of a great beach vacation you probably think of the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, the Mediterranean coast or a similar location. But which is your favourite UK beach? With the word “crisis” still in the air, it may be a good idea to keep an eye on the holiday budget and there’s no better way to do that than to combine home exchange with a domestic trip (or a even a few) to save both on accommodation and transportation.

They may not be the as dreamy and warm as the Caribbean’s, but there are hundreds of beautiful beaches in the UK’s 19,000 miles of coastline just waiting for you.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) through its Good Beach Guide gives the following recommendations to enjoy your time at the beach:

* Check the public notice boards for information on water quality, currents and emergency phones.
* Follow any advice from lifeguards and understand the system of safety flags.
* Never leave young children unsupervised.
* Do not swim when the sea is rough, or where there are known currents or riptides.
* Do not use inflatable beds or toys - currents can easily take you out of sight.
* Swim parallel to the shore rather than out to sea.
* Do not swim immediately after a meal and never after drinking alcohol.
* If you’ve been ill after bathing report the illness to Surfers Against Sewage Tel: 0845 458 3001
* If you see someone in trouble, alert the lifeguards, or contact the Coastguard (999) - DO NOT ATTEMPT to rescue them yourself, unless you are qualified and have help.

The MCS also has a list of recommended beaches based on water quality, so it may be a good idea to check if your favourite beach is in their list!

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?

Being eco-friendly does not mean you need to spend extra cash to lower your impact on the planet. In fact, it could even result in the opposite: you may end up saving money by using resources more effectively.

Here we present you some cheap ideas for travelling green as you swap:

- Borrow travel books or guides from your local library or from a friend. Another option is to buy a used travel guide or trade a previously purchased guide. The later is a different but equally effective kind of exchange.

- As we have mentioned before, reducing your luggage eliminates CO2 emission from the extra fuel needed to carry the weight travelling along with you. For example, there are many items that you will be able to use during a swap that you would have to bring along if you had chosen another mean of accommodation (hotel, etc.).

- If you have not included car exchange in your home exchange deal and you need to use a car, choose the model wisely. For example, a small car would be the most appropriate for a couple, compact cars are almost always cheaper and more fuel-efficient, and finally an hybrid vehicle could help you cut on gas adding to the savings. You should choose the smallest car that’s suitable for your needs.

- If you are travelling in your own car, prepare it beforehand. Take it for a tune up and check the tires. There are other ways you can improve your car’s fuel efficiency, check your owner’s manual or search the web. There are many tips and ideas that are easy to apply and can help you save money and improve your car’s performance. For example, a user submitted the following tip to Whatprice.co.uk:

“Use your gears wisely.
Driving in the highest gear possible without labouring the engine is a fuel-efficient way of driving. A vehicle travelling at 37 mph in third gear uses 25 percent more fuel than at the same speed in fifth gear.”

Image by prozac1 /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

- Avoid over-using disposable items if you are staying in an area where there’s no recycling plan. Plastic bottles may take over 1000 years to decompose, so if they end up in a landfill the bottles you dispose will be here much longer than you! You could bring your own re-usable bottle and buy drinks in larger returnable containers. That way you will avoid leaving plastic bottles behind and you will save money as the price per volume is less when you buy in bulk.

Send us your ideas for a greener home exchange!

Author: Tom Curtis / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you are already planning your future summertime home exchange, you may have noticed our community has kept growing over the past few months, so the options have widened. There are HomeForHome users all over the globe and in the most varied locations.

There are homes in big cities, like London, Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, New York, Madrid, Barcelona, San Francisco, Melbourne, Sydney.

There are homes by the beach, homes near famous locations, homes near touristic hot-spots…

But today we wanted to point out a less known environment: farm homes.

There are various farm houses listed in HomeForHome, and there is probably one near your own location. Farms are a great idea for a family vacation. Most children will be very excited to explore the countryside and it may turn out to be an experience they will never forget.

The tranquility, the animals, the garden, the chance to take a long stroll into the natural wild or a nice picnic by a creek, maybe fishing. The options depend on what is available in and near the farm, but chances are you will relax no matter what. If there are animals in the farm, or a vegetable orchard, you may have to take care of them while you are in charge of the farm, your swap partner may provide you with some basic instructions on what needs to be done and you may have your children collecting eggs, feeding baby lambs, collecting fruits, etc., experiences that would make them more aware of our relationship with the natural environment.

If you are venturing with the family into a farm stay, you may want to bring along some board games, puzzles or card games for them to enjoy in the evenings as well.

Another advantage that would result attractive is that you will not have to buy tickets or souvenirs as you probably would if you get involved in a costly attraction-filled trip. When you are staying in a farm, you are staying in the attraction, with no extra cost!