It has been some time now since the last time we mentioned of the greatest advantages of home exchange: you can take your pet. There is also the alternative of having a pet exchange, but it would be much more fun to take your buddy with you, not to mention if you are dealing with a long term home exchange.

We have covered pet carriers, pet safety during transportation, how to keep your pet comfortable during a road trip, getting your pet used to travelling in a car, and even airlines dedicated exclusively to pets. If you haven’t read those posts you can find the using the search box or clicking on the pets category in the right panel =>>

Some are:

• Animal Airways
• Four-legged Travel Buddies
• Animal Anxiety

Image by Maggie Smith /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But there’s yet another important detail you should be aware of that we haven’t stressed enough: your pet needs to be checked by a vet before he/she can travel. For example, most airlines will require a certificate indicating that your pet has not been sick in the past 30 days and has received all the required vaccines. Also, for his/her own sake you need to consider a visit to the vet to check your pet’s health status before embarking in any trip.

We also have some new resources to refer you to so you make sure you do not miss anything:

http://www.myplanninglists.com/how-to-move-with-a-pet-cat-or-dog.php
http://www.petzbackhome.co.uk/terms.html
http://www.thepawblog.com/how-to-travel-safely-with-your-pet/

Image by Salvatore Vuono /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We are really happy to announce that HomeForHome has reached 15,000 registered homes available for home exchange. We keep growing and growing and we are just thrilled!

Last March we announced the accomplishment of the 10,000 mark and just four months later we are announcing this new stunning mark of 15,000 homes registered in the website. Thank you all for making HomeForHome your preferred home exchange portal. Keep enjoying our free services and the many advantages of home exchange:

- Registration in HomeForHome is completely FREE.

- Home exchange is the cheapest way to travel, as the cost of accommodation is zero.

- Home exchange is simple: home owners agree on exchanging their homes during a certain period of time.

- The “golden rule”: treat the house or flat in your destination as your own and leave it exactly how you found it.

- Home exchange is very flexible, with the possibility for car exchange, travelling with pets, family travel, non-simultaneous exchange, long term exchanges, permanent exchanges, study exchanges, weekend exchanges, local exchanges, international exchanges, chained exchanges and many other options.

- The keystone: communication.

If you are new to home exchange, please visit our FAQ page or read some of our previous posts to learn more about this way of travel. If you want to give it a try, we would be glad to have you as a member of our swapper community.

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!

Warmer times are heading our way. It’s time to wave the winter goodbye and step outside to regain our contact with nature. Most people are already searching HomeForHome to find their perfect home exchange deal for the summer, putting some time in front of the computer. If you are answering questions from other swappers or sending out exchange requests, you could probably take a vacation preview to help you cope with the anxiety. That’s why we have a few outdoor suggestions for the spring ahead:

Image by Simon Howden /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Gardening - if you enjoy feeling the earth on your hands, it’s time to do some gardening. Soon, gardens will be filled with blossoming, deliciously scented flowers and you don’t want to miss out. Maybe you can start by doing some weed pulling. Save some time to visit a nursery to pick up your favourite plants and grab those garden tools. If you don’t have a garden but you do enjoy their beauty, there’s probably a nearby garden open for visitors where you can spend a delightful day surrounded by daffodils, bluebells, azaleas, primroses, magnolias, orchids, tulips, hyacinths, camellias and violets.

Visit a farm - no doubt this would be most enjoyed by children, as many farms open their doors for baby lambs to be bottle-fed. Of course, there are other animals for kids to admire and learn about keeping livestock (cattle, pigs, horses, hens, ducks, rabbits, geese, etc.) or vegetables to be collected.

Fresh air down the coastline - it’s too cold to swim yet, but since most beaches are uncrowded, it’s the perfect time to take a walk and let the fresh breeze fill your lungs. With no people around, it is also a good time to enjoy the beach with your pet, specially dogs, since sometimes their presence could be uncomfortable for others during high-season, or you may be required to use a lead. If you want to learn more about beach walks with your dog, here’s a useful link.

We hope you find your outdoor treat. If you want to make it an overnight stay, consider home exchange!

For many people, home exchange has solved the troubling idea of not bringing an important member of the family on their vacations: their pet. But sometimes, the possibility of travelling with your pet doesn’t solve a major problem, how can we avoid the trip being a bad experience for them? Your pet may be used to short distance car drives or you can train your pet for a long distance drive by taking trips of longer distance every time and even check with your vet for advice to make the trip an enjoyable one, but what if you need to take a long distance flight to your destination?

Well, for this particular issue, there’s a new solution called “Animal Airways” that provides many pet travel services. Their idea is to help people make the best arrangements to assure their pets will travel as comfortably as possible. For example, they can advise you on the most suitable airline and route for the particular destination you’ve chosen. It seems as their service was first intended for people relocating, but it may as well help people travelling for a different purpose.

Here is their basic service description:

“1. Tell us your plans - talk to us or fill-in your flight, pet and personal details, so we can identify the most suitable solutions for your family and pet travel plans.
2. Explore your options - Our representative calls to talk with you about your plans and explain the different options.
3. Choose your flight - After taking into account your comfort, budget, and your pet’s safety, our flight managers assist in choosing a flight that’s just right for you.
4. Get ready - We inform you of all regulations and how to prepare yourself and your pet for the flight. We prepare all the necessary documents.
5. Fly! - Sit back. Relax. Enjoy your flight.
6. Support - Our 24/7 call center is available to answer your questions and put your mind at ease.
7. Settle in - We confirm that you and your pet have arrived safely and give advise on how to ensure a healthy stay for your pet.”

They have other solutions so if you want to learn more about them just visit Animal Airways, and to find your next home exchange visit HomeForHome.