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.

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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.

One of the benefits of a home exchange is the comfort with which you have access to free internet, in the majority of cases.

A large number of homes available at homeforhome offer wifi or even the use of their home computer. This is great if you are someone who has to keep up with work whilst on holiday. It’s a lot more comfortable than going to a wifi or internet cafe, and it takes the hassle away.

Also, for those aspiring photographers, we all know what it’s like to have the titillating opportunity to take photos of new and undiscovered surroundings. But one of my biggest fears of being pick-pocketed whilst in a foreign country is that my camera will get nicked before I´ve had the chance to develop or save the photos. If you do home exchange you can anull this risk. Kill it, dead in the water.

After a day of taking photos and enjoying the sites, you can come back and in your own time, at  your own ease you can upload the photos whilst you´re getting the dinner on in peace.

Other benefits of having all of the home utilities are obvious. A common hassle of travelling is running out of clean clothes. With home exchange, generally you will have all the cleaning facilities you would have in your own house. This makes a big difference to your comfort and day to day well-being. Clean underwear! Reliable and nice washing facilities! A private space! A drying area! A secure place to leave your things!

They may be little details, but when you add them together they contribute to quite a substantial change in the general ambience and the feel of the holiday.

Security is something that worries us all.

Whether it be about thieves in the night, the salt content of our diets, or people rummaging through our stuff when we do a home exchange, we want to feel safe.

When you look at it objectively, it’s a very sensible idea. Avoiding unnecessary dangers. Not taking risks. Taking precautions against what might do us harm.

So, definitely a good evolutionary feature. We’re not about to turn around to you at HomeForHome and tell you that life is nothing without takings risks (even though there may be a few grains of truth of that.)

With every holiday you take, there is an element of risk. That’s a given. Not something we can guard against. But in terms of the primary concern that people have with home exchange, that an unknown family might look through their personal things, we can offer you an effective strategy against this.

Depending on the size of the house, you can designate a place - or even a room - to putting your private and or most valued things.

These may be photographs, jewelry, ornaments, valuable documents, laptops, specialist equipment. Generally our most valuable possessions are not littered all over the house. With a little bit of organization it’s the easiest thing to manage. Put all of your things into the attic, a safe, a wardrobe, a locked room or even a friend’s house. This way you will free yourself form one of the biggest fears that grips people who aren’t quite sure about home exchange. It’s safe, it’s protected, and you’re not putting anything at risk.

With a bit of forward planning, everything is possible.

What is the biggest security risk to your home when you go away?

Well if we`re talking natural disasters, that obviously depends very much upon the area in which you live.

But generally speaking, leaving an empty house is the biggest risk to your property when you go away on holiday.

So what shall we do? Get the house sitters in? Pay them? You could get the neighbours to come round everyday to open and close the curtains every morning and evening. To pick the post up and put the newspapers in a pile. To feed the cat. To turn off the burgular alarm if it goes off for no reason.

It would be a whole lot easier to do a home exchange. You wouldn`t only be saving hugely on the costs of the holiday, but also on money for the house sitters, or the favours that you would be asking of the neighbours.

It´s like free insurance. Some people worry about the security of risks of home exchange. When in fact, if you consider it objectively, it gives you a much securer way of leaving your home when you go away.

You would be in the other family´s house. So there you have it, bound by mutual interest to respect and treat the other person`s home as if it was your own.

On top of this, they will be the general task managers of keeping everything in order for you, and keeping your fortress occupied and protected from harm whilst you`re away.

A win win situation!

It´s normal for people to have a few questions on their minds before doing a home exchange. Some of the most commonly asked questions are:

1. Will my home insurance cover my holiday exchange?

We can tell you that the majority of insurance companies recognise the importance of ensuring that your property is not left unoccupied for long periods of time. The damages caused by break-ins, fires and natural disasters are generally always guaranteed, even if the house is occupied by third parties. It is also important to remember that an occupied house is a lot more secure than an empty one in terms of break-ins and robberies. So, having people staying in your house provides a good safe-guard against theft.

And we mustn´t forget that when people are in our home, we´re in THEIRS. So we´re providing a mutual service! You can always call your own insurance agency and ask for more detailed information about your particular contract.

In general, the areas covered by home insurance are:

• Fire, explosions and lightning

• The costs of putting out a fire, and recovery of the damage

• Rain, wind, hail and snow

• Collisions

• Planes falling

• Sound waves

• Smoke

• Acts of vandalism

• Flooding

• Costs of extracting and repairing the damage caused by mud

• Water damage

• Electrical damage

• Aesthetic damage

• Loss of clients

• Reproduction of lost documents

• Fridge contents

• Fracturing of mirrors, glass, marble, ceramics, granite, natural stone, and china

• Break-ins and thefts (covering furnishings, cash, credit cards, damages, replacement of keys and locks, and annexed properties)

 
2. How can I guarantee that my house will be secure in the hands of unknown people?

We always ask our users to do an evaluation after doing a home exchange. This ensures that any user who shows the remotest sign of bad behavior will be automatically eliminated. However, in the history of property exchange, there have been almost no cases whatsoever of bad conduct. This is because it´s rooted in the notion of mutual trust and respect. Also, we are always here to help the exchange and communication between two prospective exchange partners, and this interaction is an essential part of making a good exchange.