So stress.

What is it? The adrenaline that our bodies produce when we`re in taxing situations? The rush of blood to the head, the dilation of the pupils, sudden ability to hear tinkles and scratches happening a mile away?

Stress and anxiety, in fair measures, are some of the things that have stopped us from winding up like all the rest of the animals. (Subordinated, no tools, no things like medicine and trains and culture etc.)

But as we`re no longer hunter-gatherers, sometimes the stress builds up inside of us when we`re in the supermarket, in the bank, in the office, at the doctors… And we just don´t have the life-style any more where we can go racing after, for example, a buffalo, and have all the physical exhileration that releases those pumping endorphins and gives us that natural euphoric relief.

So the stress spreads…. and we carry it around. In our bellies, mounting with little globules of fat from all of the nervously eaten packaged crap that comes out of the vending machine. We carry it around… In our heads. In our skin. In all the parts of our body that don´t get that rejuvenating surge of blood pumping furiously around, recharging the organs, vessels and layers of flesh that make us.

So we have developed a buzz word “stress”. It´s a catch all term really. But then again, there`s an awful lot to catch. Everything is “stressed out”, or “because of stress”, or “getting stressed”, or “stress related”. There`s a good reason for this. We don`t have very effective outlets for the physiological strain that plagues our bodies and causes us so much damage.

So how do we deal with this modern concept of “stress”?

With another modern concept. “Home exchange!” Yes that`s right. It`s a widely known fact that holidays are a proven and sure way of eliminating stress. And we have to make time for, and in this weirdly stunted matrix of an economy that we`re planted in this days, money is something we have to fight against. So just like we`ve conceptualised “stress”, we`ve made exchange into the perfect way to combat the minetraps set out in modern life to riddle us with cortesol. (Cortesol = stress hormone ;-))

Home exchange is to the modern human what hunting and gathering was to the hunter-gatherer. Fight the health hazards of the modern life by giving yourself the option of plenty of relaxing holidays. All made possible with home swap

In the days before 24 hours news, people tended to worry less, let´s say. Going out bike riding in the country wasn´t riddled with so many dark fears of harmful predators lurking in the bushes. Similarly, the reign of the indoor multimedia exercise-killers wasn´t so rife. Video-games, DVDs, television, games consoles and the internet weren´t there to distract us and our children from getting outside into the clear air in order to enjoy being alive. But now, times have changed. It is often reported that our children are a little on the flabby side, unfit, and declining in strength and motivation. So taking your kids away on a holiday is something that can not only stimulate their interest in sport and outdoor activities, but it can also spark their interest in playing and seeing children and things from different parts of the world. Just by playing with kids, and showing them new sites, smells and sounds, you set astir their imaginations.

Home exchange is a very safe and cheap way of taking your kids abroad. You can watch over them in the home, go on bike rides together, go and see the local sites, integrate into the local neighbourhood so that they can make new friends…

In order to maximise your trip if you´re travelling with children, we suggest that you:

Plan lots of breaks in the activities that you do, and aim for less activities than you would if you were only going with adults.

Make sure you include plenty of stops for meals and drinks to stave off dehydration and keep the energy levels up.

Keep the adult activities for the morning, and do the less demanding children´s activities in the afternoon.

Take advantage of the local activities such as swimming, parks, playgrounds, theme parks, cinema or attractions.

Plan relaxation time for yourself. Remember to organise some activitites where your children are looked after by other people, or playing with other children, so that you can pack in a break for yourself too.

If your children aren´t yet at school age, you can always take a holiday outside of the peak seasons. Home exchange is flexible and you can do it whenever is convenient for you and your exchange partner. This way you can get cheaper flights, and attractions will be at off-peak rates.

Involve the kids in the planning of the holiday. Whilst taking a vacation is very exciting, it can sometimes make children a little nervous, especially if they find changes in routine difficult. So often it can be a good idea to show the children some photos beforehand, and get them involved in the planning. If you´re going to a foreign country, you can teach them some words and phrases before you go. This way, they can really get engrossed in the trip. They can point out to you things that appeal to them, and this way you can make plans that will keep everybody entertained.