After a quick reminder about the advantages of home exchange, we are back on music road…

It is going to be one of the most important, if not the most important, music event of 2011: Rock in Rio’s return to its birthplace. There is a notable list of confirmed performances, including the best of Brazil’s musical scene plus: Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Shakira, Evanescence, Mana and Jay-Z. Quality and variety.

There are over one million followers in the social networks that just can’t wait to be a part of it. The festival’s theme is “For a Better World” and since the first edition the organization has been taking actions to make of this statement a reality, applying sustainable practices and supporting educational projects through music and activities that arise environmental awareness.

With more than one month ahead before the festival starts, the tickets are completely sold out for the event but nothing can stop you if you want to start your preparation for the next editions, Rock in Rio Lisboa 2012, Rock in Rio Madrid 2012 or Rock in Rio 2013!

We are going to share more about this festival in our next posts, so you find a way to enjoy Rock in Rio even if you are not one of the lucky people with a ticket.

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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)

Image by djcodrin /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When one first comes across this whole “home exchange” deal, the first one wonders is “Would this be right for me?” In past posts we have often pointed out good qualities a swapper should have: patience, flexibility, communication skills, thoughtfulness, a sense of adventure, curiosity, honesty, respectfulness, among others. But first things first: if you just can’t help thinking about the terrible things some strangers may do while in your house, then probably home exchange is not right for you. To be confident that you can to create a solid “bond” with someone to trust them with your house is the foundation to hold your swap “career”. If this is not your case, then you will have to pass on this and choose a different mean of accommodation. Hey, we don’t have anything against what hotels, home rentals and resorts offer, we just prefer home swapping to those options.

Now that we established some ground, I think there’s another pillar to succeed at home exchange: patience. You will need it for many steps along the road: to set your HomeForHome account, to add your home to our listings, to surf the site looking for interesting offers, to participate in the forums, to evaluate proposals carefully, to arrange  the swap details once you get lucky, and maybe to wait enough time for your first opportunity in the home swap world to crystallize.

We are not discovering anything recommending patience as a “must” virtue for any traveller, anyone that has been to an airport recently should know what this means, right? But let’s leave patience in the airport for next time.

You’ve long been waiting for your adventure across Europe and everything is planned out already. Everything is in its place but you suddenly stop to think of things: What if a snow storm comes and I get stuck at the airport in Prague? What if someone gets sick while you and your family are staying in your home swap in Barcelona? What if my travel bag gets lost in the baggage department in the airport in Copenhagen? Sounds crazy but possible, right? So what do you do for a better peace of mind? Get a travel insurance.

Travel insurances normally costs around 5 to 12 per cent of your total trip cost. But is it worth it? I say yes. There are many travel insurances available; you can browse the web for various companies and agencies offering travel insurance. Choose a company that is well-known or is recommended by most travelers. Remember to closely review the insurance policies they have too, as most of them have their perks and downsides. Choose what you think works for you and would suit your needs best. Most travel insurance packages covers trip cancellation or interruption, medical insurance, evacuation insurance, baggage insurance, flight insurance. It’s better to read closely and understand the mechanics of each aspect of the insurance package. Ask someone knowledgeable about the policies for any unclear issues you have.

Travel insurances doesn’t cost much, but will definitely be of big help in case any undesirable circumstance arises. It sure will cost you a price but you won’t regret it. Keep in mind that you are paying for your safety while traveling, and is not just something you are wasting your money on. It is better to be prepared for these undesirable situations than to regret you never considered thinking about safety.

When someone talks about Cannes in France, I usually only think of one thing: the Cannes International Film Festival. Every year, the festival is celebrated and the best films from all around the world are given recognition and honor. Movie buffs anticipate this event held every May. But is there more to Cannes than just the host for this wonderful festival?

Well, yes. Cannes is a city with overflowing culture and rich history. The city is located in the French Riviera, south east of France. The name “Cannes” has unknown origins, but suggested that it may have been derived from the work “canna”, meaning reed. As early as 2^nd century BC, Cannes was already established as a fishing village until Romans have since then occupied the city. The Spanish and British armies fought over the Lerins Islands in an attempt to gain control of it during the 18^th century.

Cannes is perfect for any outdoor activity, as the city has its share of the warm Mediterranean climate. Cannes has long been famous for its climate, as more tourists come here to spend 30°C Summer days. La Croisette is surrounded by beaches open to the public. It also is the place for boutiques, cafés and restaurants. La Croisette also houses several museums including Musée de la Mer, Musée de la Photographie and Musée International de la Parfumerie among others. La Suquet is the village overlooking La Croisette, this is where grand residencies were first built.

Grand residentcies or not, you are sure to find a home exchange available here. If not, you can also have home swapped in the nearby cities as going to Cannes is very quick and easy. Cannes is just an 8 hour drive away from Paris, as same as to Monaco and Nice. Brussels is a 6-hour travel via the railway system while 5 hours for Milan.

So next time someone says Cannes, it’s not just the film festival that you should think of, there are a lot of things to know and discover in Cannes. You might want to consider giving in to the idea of a visit there.

Are you eyeing to spend your vacay outside Europe? Here is a suggestion: visit Australia. If you want to discover a diverse culture and beautiful sceneries, you won’t regret spending some time here. Australia is an English-speaking country, with a very competitive economy. Discovered and written about by Europeans since the 17^th century, Australia was always a place of different discoveries and stunning beauty.

Although the country is largely composed of vast deserts, Australia has its share of mountainous regions and tropical rainforests, meaning this country has a lot to offer in biodiversity. Some species unique to Australia include koalas, platypuses, wombats and different species of fresh and saltwater crocodiles. A visit to any zoo here will definitely be as entertaining and amusing. There are a lot of things to do and places to go in Australia even if you are traveling on a budget. Depending on what part you are in, you surely will still have your share of fun and the best out of Australia. If you are on the Gold Coast area, the beach is definitely a place to go. Swim, surf, jump waves or paddle swim your way to the best waves in the world. If you are in Sydney, a visit to museums and parks and the famous Sydney Opera House is a must. Don’t forget to take a picture of you with it on the background! And if you are on Melbourne, a free ride in the City Circle Tram will show you the best attractions in this side of Australia.

Although far from Europe, Australia is not excluded from a home exchange option. In fact, there are homes ready for a swap. You can check out Homeforhome.com for some options.  So if you want to have something different, then go for Australia!

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Everyone loves a good time, especially when on vacation. For most of us, chilling out might be something like hanging out with friends and enjoying a couple of beers or even partying out like a rock star on the coolest clubs in the city. Having a few drinks and taking the time out isn’t bad at all, but we need to keep a few things in mind, especially if you’re in a vacation in a different country.

The legal drinking age varies from country to country all over Europe. There are different policies regarding drinking too. Blood alcohol concentration limit also varies too, averaging from 0.2 to 0.8 ranges. Some countries even have zero alcohol tolerance. Zero tolerance on blood alcohol concentration applies on countries like the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Croatia. It would be a good idea to know the alcohol limit or tolerance of the country you are in to avoid mishaps. Better yet, don’t drink too much. It would also be a good idea to carry around an ID or maybe a passport to prove your age especially if you are going to purchase alcoholic beverages. Of course we know that not being able to prove your age means refusal to sell beverages to you. Bringing identification is always a good idea. Just don’t lose it when you already have had a few drinks! For some countries, there are two legal ages for drinking; one would be for purchasing beer and wine, and one for buying stronger spirits.

Don’t throw a party on a home swap. Unless you are risking to pay for any damage that might occur on your home exchange partner’s property. You don’t want a cocktail-stained carpet or your favorite furniture’s leather covers ripped when you get home, do you?

Lastly, know how much drinking your body can tolerate. Think of your safety first before anything else especially that you are in a foreign place. If you can’t take in much, then don’t drink at all.

Planning out a family trip is a quite tedious job. You have to ensure that everything from the vacation destination down to the expenses of daily activities will benefit everyone. What kids want usually goes into priority in considering a vacation for the family. Of course, the reason for having vacations is to have quality time with the kids to make up for them; and the primary goal is to make the time worthwhile and worth remembering.

Plan out according to the activity they want and the destination second. It would be a good idea to ask what the kids want to do rather than dragging them into a place that neither of them wants to go to. Let the kids decide. This will make them all excited and would make them be more involved with family decisions. (This is also a good way to start opening up communication lines between kids and parents!) Let them think of the activities that they want to do while on vacation. You could suggest too as parents. Visiting theme parks and historical sites are quite worthwhile and enjoyable for everyone. Sightseeing around the countryside or city destination of choice is also a worthwhile and inexpensive thing to do!

If you plan to stay on a long vacation, it would be more practical to go for a home swap or home exchange. This cuts off pricey hotel accommodation expenses and will leave more budget allotment on other things or activities. There are a lot of options for home exchanges at Homeforhome.com. Look for posts of available home swaps that would accommodate the size of your family in the place you are staying. This also lessens the hassle of booking for an accommodation at a hotel in advance, just contact the home owner and talk things out in advance.

For more tips and ideas about family trips and vacations, you can check out http://www.familytravellogue.com.

We hope that it won’t happen but…What can we do if we get ill right before our home exchange holidays and we have already bought the flight tickets?

The probability of cancelling a trip is very low, but it can always happen that you feel sick at the very last minute.

If we have already bought our tickets then we may lose our money. And if it’s true that nowadays we can change our flights till the last minute, we should remember that maybe if we are ill we won’t be able to know exactly which dates will be suitable for our new journey. So…How can we avoid to worry about this problem?

The best solution can be assuring our trip. After a research in the web we saw that there are plenty of travel insurance offers. You normally can choose what areas you want to cover: medical and other expenses, cancelling and cutting short your trip, etc. Furthermore you decide if you want to cover a one-off holiday or lots of trips throughout the year.

To share with you an example, we considered the offers found at www.moneysupermarket.com/travelinsurance. This site gives us the comparison between different insurance companies and helps us to find the best offer.

In our example the parameters we entered were:
• single trip for two people (30 and 34 years old) to Australia, from the 20th of February to the 5th of March and the cheapest resulting travel insurance cost was £19.39. And, for instance, the cancellation trip insurance alone covers up to 3000 pounds. Other sections covered are:

1. Passport and Travel Documents
2. Medical and Other Expenses
3. Cancelling and Cutting Short Your Trip
4. Personal Cash
5. Personal Liability
6. Personal Belongings and Baggage

The countries included in this policy are: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Balearics, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Corfu, Corsica, Crete, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Eire, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Holland, Hungary, Ibiza, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kos (Greek Island), Lanzarote, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Majorca, Malta, Minorca, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, San Marino, Sardinia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tenerife, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Yugoslavia (Former).

The different companies give you plenty of options to customise your policy. You can choose additional covers (baggage, money, winter sports) and a number of excess options. You only pay for the cover you need. In the case of a house swap the most useful cover may be the trip cancellation one: it is likely that our flights are the most expensive part of your holidays given that we don’t have to pay for our accommodation.

Have good and safe home swap holidays.

Do you know how much is the average price for a lunch or dinner at the restaurant?

We did a little research about the cost of eating out, since when we’re on holidays we usually like (or we’re obliged) to get out to eat: in fact very often the meals are not included in the hotel’s price.

Well, looking for the Italian restaurants prices it seems that an average price would be around 20 Euros, depending on the popularity of the city we’re in (Florence is much more expensive than Taranto for example); in UK the prices are higher: in London, the so called low cost restaurants, can give us a meal for 13 pounds, thought the average of normal restaurants in London is around 37.72 pounds… A quite big amount of money for a middle worker. In France, if we consider the popular Paris, the prices vary from 20 to 50 or more Euros. For sure there are a lot of Mc Donalds all around the world, but you can’t require from your stomach to relax on holidays eating always at Mc Donald. On holidays one needs also to eat well, with pleasure.

And if a lucky family can maybe afford eating out every day on holidays, the average current family can’t. At most, once or twice a week. Do your accounts: eating out every day in Italy, considering only dinner (therefore supposing not to be hungry at lunch!) would cost –for two people, for 7 days and taking into account an average price of 20 Euros- 280 €. If after that you wanted to have something for lunch too, the price would be quickly doubled…If you think of numerous families then…

Well, think that this cost potentially –in a home exchange- can be deleted. And if it’s true that, on one hand, cooking your own food sometimes can be tiring and boring, on the other hand, the money saving and the tranquillity or comfort you get from cooking and eating in a fully equipped kitchen is worth the effort. At least 280 Euros saved.

The cost of a shopping at the supermarket is much cheaper: with the same amount of money an entire family could eat abundantly and in a well balanced way for more than a week, without giving up sweets or tasty morsel.

How much can you save then house swapping? A lot: not only in accommodation, not only thanks to a possible car exchange, but also in food, since we can eat comfortably at home, without having to spend a lot of money for restaurants. It’s sure that sometimes it’s a pleasure going out to have dinner and being served: but what a home swap gives us is the possibility to choose what to do and to save some money in case we had the need or the desire to do that.