ExchangeHomesBlog.com » Guest Authors

A Home For a Honeymoon

Anne — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:04:41 +0000

Looking for a way to circumvent unreasonable honeymoon expenses? Perhaps it’s time you considered putting your house on the market.

Not for sale, of course; but rather, for exchange. No nascent practice, people have been swapping their houses for nearly six decades. According to ExchangeHomes.com, home exchange has “been around since the 1950′s, when teachers in Europe began swapping homes as a means of affordable travel during the long summer school vacations.” This ever-burgeoning practice would eventually come revolutionize low-budget international travel, as home exchanging networks gained momentum in recent years.

For honeymooners, this is cause for considerable celebration, especially for those, er, imprudent couples who exhausted their funds on the wedding itself. Therefore, instead of abandoning that incredible European itinerary or unprecedented Australian getaway, honeymooners can list their home on the internet, and commence their home exchange pursuit. Honeymooners can search a myriad of home listings with appropriate dates, destinations, and amenities, and contact those prospective candidates whom they feel are satisfactory.

Typically, there is a small annual fee for the home exchange service, and most prospective exchanges require membership. But information is confidential, and the actual services incredibly safe; in fact, many home exchange programs have yet to see a single perilous encounter. This is probably attributed to home exchange’s common objective-to travel abroad, travel safely, and most importantly, travel cheaply. In addition, home exchange functions much like a dating service; honeymooners can build relationships with potential partners, achieving sufficient levels of comfort prior to swapping homes.

Though a honeymoon in another person’s home may sound unusual, in actuality, more than 50,000 people participate in home exchanges each year. It may turn out to be an incredible experience-especially if it’s in a coveted destination you couldn’t otherwise afford.

Enid Glasgow is a travel writer who writes about [http://www.exotichoneymoonvacations.com/]honeymoon vacations with Big Five [http://www.bigfive.com/]luxury tours.

Save Money by Avoiding Extra Luggage Fees

Anne — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:08:55 +0000

By Guest Author Sarah Wells

At first, airlines started charging passengers for a second bag of checked luggage. Now, some are even charging for the first. If you are taking an extended vacation, these extra fees can quickly add up. So how do you eliminate them?

For starters, you must know that the fees exist. An increase in fees is not something an airline wants to shout from the rooftops. Most travelers showed up for their flights to learn, for the first time, it would cost $30 roundtrip for their only suitcase. Imagine the anger. Although these fees are well-known now, you still need to look for them. Know if your airline charges you a fee for your first or second suitcase and how much.

As for how you can avoid or lessen the impact of these extra baggage fees:

Pack your carryon bag full. Most airlines outline rules and restrictions for carryon bags on their websites. You should know ahead of time how big your bag can be and how much it must weight. Use a ruler and a bathroom scale to ensure you are just under. If traveling for a two to three day trip, you can get away with using your carryon bag alone, provided you pack wisely.

Speaking of packing wisely, do it. Only bring what you need. Having four pairs of shoes for your trip to Hawaii is nice, but do you really need them all? You should be able to get away with a pair of sandals and sneakers. Also, research your hotel or resort ahead of time to see what you are supplied with. Is there a curling iron and hair dryer in your room? If so, don’t waste valuable space by bringing yours from home.

Watch the weather. Knowing the weather forecast for your vacation destination makes it easier to pack wisely. If you are traveling to Hawaii, see what the weather is forecasted to be like. If rain is predicted, bring a raincoat. If the temperatures will be above 70 your entire trip, live the winter coat at home. Pack only what you need, especially in terms of clothes and accessories.

Opt for large suitcases. Most airlines have strict rules on carryon luggage, but they are more lax on checked luggage. Do you need two suitcases to hold all your clothes? Are they small suitcases? Head to your local department store and purchase a bigger suitcase. Most airlines charge $25 one-way for a second suitcase. For $50, you can easily purchase a larger suitcase that you can reuse, making it a wise investment.

Share luggage with family. If you are traveling with your romantic partner or with your entire family, condense luggage. This is best when charged for each checked suitcase. Does your ten year old really need to have his own suitcase, especially if it is only half full? Have all members of your family condense luggage into as few suitcases as possible. Depending on the size of your family, this could save you $100 or more a trip.

Use space saving bags. Because the commercials for Space Bags appear like infomercials, many consumers believe they don’t work. They actually do. Not only that, but they have bags designed for air travel. With these bags, you place your clothes inside and apply pressure by leaning. Watch your clothes as they shrink in size. You can use this approach to eliminate a second suitcase. For short trips, use these space saving travel bags in your carryon; you may not even need to check a suitcase!

Sarah Wells is a full time travel consultant in Florida. Check out these great Free Travel Articles resources and guides covering every aspect of travel and vacations. http://www.freetravelarticles.info

Important! Travel Tips For All Travelers

Anne — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:17:18 +0000

Even if you opt for cheap travels, it should remain fun and exciting. The way to enjoy your cheap travels is to travel smart. One of the most important considerations when traveling is money. You can save money by selecting cheaper accommodation and airfares.

And on your travel, it is extremely important to keep your travel money safe. Most seasoned travelers and travel experts recommend keeping valuables in a hidden wallet or travel pouch, either wrapped around your waist under your clothes or hung around your neck under your shirt.

Another great travel tip is to reduce the chance of theft by keeping majority of your cash in the hotel’s safe. Take out enough for each day to pay for necessary items. When using credit cards, make sure that the establishment or shop looks alright. Credit cards provide valuable consumer protection and the best currency exchange rates as well.
By Guest Author Lizzie Scott

Here is one very valuable travel tip to keep a lost or stolen wallet from bringing your vacation to an abrupt end. Many seasoned travelers pack an extra wallet in their suitcase or backpack. This wallet will contain only a credit card or two and perhaps an ATM card. That way, if you lose your primary wallet, you still have access to ready cash for the rest of your cheap travel.

It is also a good idea to make an itinerary and leave it at home with family members or a trusted friend. This way, they can contact you in the event of any emergencies. You could also keep copies of your identification papers, travelers check numbers, and a photocopy of your passport, at home.

Some travelers carry their passport with them all the time. The reason for that is because the passport provides an additional piece of information and that is important if your wallet is lost or stolen while on your cheap travel. Since it is impossible to board a plane these days without ID, having an extra form of ID can make your life a lot easier.

Another travel tip is to make several copies of your important travel documents – flight reservations, hotel confirmations, rental car receipts, etc. Put each copy in a different place – one or two in different parts of the suitcase or backpack, one in your back pocket, one in your purse or carry-on, etc. Also record important phone numbers in the address book of your cell phone for easy access.

Always remember to have the basic medical information such as blood type, allergy (if any), medications, etc. If you need your medication frequently, don’t pack them in your checked luggage. Instead, always have them with you in your hand-carry luggage.

With these important travel tips, you should be on your way to enjoying safer and smarter cheap travels.

Free travel tips for everyone. Discover cheap travels and go to your dream travel destinations at http://cheap-travels.blogspot.com.

Tips to Save Money in Travel Insurance

Anne — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

By Guest Author – Mike Simonds

Traveling is inevitable part of our lives and there are so many uncertainties associated with travel that it becomes imperative that we seek suitable travel insurance before starting our journey. Since most of us are oblivious about the nuances of such insurances or we simply practice complacency; these result in our failure to trim down the price which we can so easily do and avail a really cheap travel insurance deal.

There are few things if we keep in mind then we can get the cost of the insurances significantly lowered.

Do not go overboard in estimations Many companies claim to provide exaggerating sum on various covers that are embedded in the travel insurance cover like medical expenses, personal liability, cancellation, baggage, cash and legals. And in most of the times these figures are inflated so as to increase the premium. It is better to do a decent cost estimation which will surely bring down the insurance policy coverage amount and save some bucks on the premium.

Get the covers that are reasonable and necessary

It is foolish to get the cancellation coverage for a flight that is really cheap. Because even in case of the cancellation all you would get in return through the coverage will be peanuts. Likewise you must weigh and give serious thought to things you really need to include in the coverage.

Plan in advance

It is good to plan your journey well in advance and to garner the maximum coverage you must also avoid last minute cancellations due to illness or any other unavoidable circumstances. If possible it is to book an entire tour package and to use your credit cards in the transactions. This will be of great assistance in gaining the maximum return if the travel arranging company or the airline companies goes bust.

Compare, compare and compare

This may require some efforts but comparing various insurers can be the most productive option because this will enable you to permeate some real cheap travel insurance quotes.

About the Author

Mike Simonds is expert in writing articles on comparison i.e. cheap home insurance quotes, compare financial services etc. To know more about cheap life insurance quotes visit NextGenCompare.co.uk

Traveling On A Budget – Part 1

Anne — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

By Guest Author – Greg Tilder

Here’s to finding some savings and cash tips as you explore these pages and the world!

Maybe you are in the early phases of planning or booking your trip, shopping around online or checking some websites or travel magazines. Some of us might even be thinking of calling some travel agents to do our homework upfront.

Perhaps you have not taken a trip in a very long time and find yourself in desperate need of a good breakaway vacation to remember. Maybe you are a young student backpacking and exploring some corners of this wonderful world we live in, or a retired couple enjoying the travel scene together.

Whatever your situation and reason for travel, we trust you will potentially find something in these pages that will inspire you and save you some money in the process.

To get us started, here is the first tip for all the procrastinators, impulse travel buyers, discount bargain hunters and vacation shoppers amongst us.

“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, learn about them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable.” Denis Waitley

TIP # 1: Make a list of some; any or all of the destinations you would like to visit in your lifetime… and then plan to get to at least one this year!

Like anything else in life, travel needs to be planned for somewhat. It is almost like setting a short-time ‘SMART’ goal for leisure and vacationing. Marketers of time-share and destination vacations, often refer to this as an argument to invest in a travel solution.

People often suggest that we treat travel or vacationing, like any other planned financial decision in life. This is all irrespective of whether this includes house, car, tuition, health, insurance or other life-expense. Travel and vacation is justified and ‘sold’, as just another important item on the list to think about and budget for.

Setting goals is described and accepted as a powerful tool to achieve success and keeps people motivated.

Out of the list of dream destinations you just made or have in mind, you cannot possibly achieve reaching all of them, and nor should you perhaps. One can but wish and dream … Going after these dreams in a planned fashion, will mean a significant investment of time, money, energy, talent, and opportunities. You will need to prioritize.

Prioritizing should include travel items, trips, goals and destinations that you really desire to visit, see, conquer, treasure, explore and would love to achieve in your lifetime.

Realizing of course that these ‘dreams’ though, might not all be achievable immediately, or at all. You need to view this as a wish list, shortlist eventually becoming checklist! Then, move on to making at least the first goal or location visit on the list happen this year! (Alternatively, as soon as funds allow and you are able to make it happen).

Hands-on work, defining and planning for travel in such a way that it will convey an actual goal or goals, destinations, budgets and periods.

About the Author

Check out >>> http://www.engagednow.com

Plan a romantic Bahamas Honeymoon

Staycations – The Budget Weary Travelers Guide to Relaxing Without Going Anywhere

Anne — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:00:35 +0000

By Guest Author Wendy Mitchell

If you are desperate to get away this summer but no matter what you do, there just does not seem to be any way to find extra money in your budget to afford to travel to your destination of choice. While you could always put your trip on credit, the unsavory acts that are being done by nearly all banks can make what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation anything but. Although you may be feeling like you will never have the time or money for a vacation, there is an alternative that comes in the form of a staycation.

While you may have heard this term mentioned once or twice on your local news, these vacations are becoming more and more popular with the budget weary traveler who just can’t seem to plan the cheapest trip possible no matter how hard they try. Staycations are a form of vacation you take while staying at home. You will need to take time off work or any other responsibilities that come along with your daily grind. A staycation is a time for you to just relax.

The best way to make a staycation a success is to plan for it like any other vacation. Block the time out in your schedule and find attractions in your area that you want to visit. It can be as simple as a park or museum that has been around the corner from your house for years and you always said you would visit, only when you were able to find the time in your busy schedule. A staycation allows you to do just that. You can plan everything you want to visit without having to travel anywhere. You can even complete the resort feel by spending some money on luxury linens for your bedroom so you can make it feel like you are staying in a 5 star resort without having to pay the resort price.

While you may have never considered staying at home for your vacation, it can be quite relaxing to take a break from your day to day stresses without having to travel anywhere. Invest in some luxury linens and find some attractions that you have always wanted to visit in your city or town and you are well on your way to planning the perfect staycation that is sure to be the cheapest trip you ever plan.

To Get More Tips On How To Get The Cheapest Trip Every Time You Travel Please Visit Deals-Trips.com

Budget Friendly Travel Ideas – How to Have Fun Without Breaking the Bank

Anne — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:00:16 +0000

By Guest Author, Wendy Mitchell

If you are looking to plan a fun vacation for either you or your family odds are you budget is weighing heavily on where you go and how much you can comfortably spend. With so many options available it can be difficult to plan a fun vacation that will not put you in the poor house. While you may be feeling like a fun vacation is not in your future, here are a few budget friendly travel ideas that help you meet your vacation needs while allowing you to plan the cheapest trip possible at the same time.

First, consider renting your accommodations. While you may be assuming that you have to stay in a hotel once you get to your destination of choice there are other options available. Consider renting a condo or cottage in the area you are planning to visit. Renting helps you save hundreds on your travel plans and the best part is your accommodations comes equipped with a kitchen which can save you even more by allowing you to cook meals instead of going out to dinner all the time.

Second, sign up for email alerts from various travel sites. If you are flexible with your travel plans and do not have a specific date or location in mind these email alerts can help you save hundreds on your travel air fare, but the key is these rates normally do not last too long. If you find a deal you really like you need to act fast or possibly risk losing the deal. So unless you are a spur of the moment type of person, this may not be the best idea for you.

Lastly, consider package deals. If you are set on traveling to a specific destination on a certain date then you may want to consider a package deal. Many travel sites will allow you to package your airfare, hotel and even car rental for one price, eliminating the need to purchase each item separately from different sites. Just make sure you do your research and don’t jump at the first great deal you find. If you have time, make sure you comparison shop so you are sure you are getting the best deal possible.

These are just a few budget friendly tips that allow you to plan the perfect vacation without putting undue stress on your budget. Take the time to shop around and be flexible and you are sure to find the best deals that will allow you to plan the cheapest trip possible.

To Find Out How You Can Get The Cheapest Trip Always CLICK HERE

Hospitality Exchange Programs – Free Accommodation For Travelers

Anne — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:00:55 +0000

By Guest Author Thomas C Carroll

When you want to travel you might become discouraged over the high prices of hotel rooms. $100 a night just for a place to sleep can put a huge dent in your travel budget (besides, you want to spend time enjoying the area, not spending all day in a hotel room, right?)

There are travelers all over the world that feel the same way you do. Thankfully, by networking with other travelers, there is a way to avoid hotel costs. You can find a place to stay for free!

Hospitality exchange programs, also known as home stay networks, have lists of people (usually other travelers) that are willing to let travelers stay at their homes for free. A member offers a place to stay at his or her home to other travelers, in exchange for similar offers from the entire network of travelers.

You can find several of these clubs by doing keyword searches for “hospitality exchange” and “couch surfing.”

There are several exchange networks that connect hosts and guests worldwide. Most of these groups let you sign up for free on their websites. Some networks just ask you to fill out a form to join, while others require more verification.

Once you’ve signed up to a network you can search the website to find free places to stay during your trip. Hosts may offer the traveler a room, a bed or a couch. Most hosts have a wealth of information about the local area and are willing to show the traveler around a bit. An additional bonus is that some will even provide free meals!

You can read reviews about a host left by other travelers to get a feel for what their experiences were like at the host’s home. When you have found an offer that you like you’ll need to contact the host a few days or so before your arrival.

Don’t forget your friends and family. They may be able to offer you a free place to stay as well. It is a good idea to develop your friend network by meeting other travelers and participating online at social sites and forums. Be sure to keep their contact information current and drop them a note once in a while. They’ll be invaluable travel aids and you can return the favor. Travel often enough and eventually you’ll collect addresses from people across the globe.

When participating in any home exchange, remember that you are a guest. Try to abide by your host’s house rules to make things more comfortable for everyone. Help out with the daily duties when you can. If you are staying at a home in a foreign culture it is wise to learn about their customs. Sometimes what is perfectly normal to you can be very offensive to your host. Be courteous and polite. Most hosts expect you to stay for about three days, but it really depends on each individual. After your stay don’t forget to send some kind of thank you note for the kind hospitality.

Using hospitality networks takes very little planning. Once you have signed up to a few of the networking sites that you like best, it will usually be easy to locate free places to stay all over the world. Not only will you save a lot of money, but you may also come away with valuable friendships.

Thomas Carroll shows you how to travel the world for just $1,000 a month or less and how you can get paid thousands of dollars a month while traveling on his website.

How To Easily Make Friends While On Vacation – 2nd Article

Anne — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:19:06 +0000

The second article in this series. This one written for us by Travis Casey, from Bexhill-on Sea, Sussex

People who enjoy travel are usually curious people by nature. This curiosity lends itself to making friends easily while on vacation. Those who are willing to step out of their comfortable environment are ready to take the chance on seeing new places and meeting new people.

With this in mind, people who travel are easy to approach. They already possess an interest in the world outside of their own and have a natural interest in people outside of their hometown.

I would give approachability to people on vacation nine out of ten.

Another factor is that people tend to be more relaxed on vacation. The guard is dropped a bit and we are not suffering from the stress that we normally do in everyday life. For this reason, we are more open to meeting new people. If we ourselves take the initiative to start the conversation, it is seldom met with resistance.

When in an environment foreign to your normal living surroundings, it is quite natural to try to find out more about the area or place you are in. This is easily done by striking up a conversation with someone else who is in the same environment and asking them questions about what they have done in the area or plan to do. These are non-threatening questions to either party, thus making it easier to start the conversation

Opening lines are endless. It’s not like trying to chat up a man or woman you fancy where the opening line is crucial and will decide your fate as to whether you advance with that person or not. No. Holiday opening lines are more like: Have you been here before? Where do you live? Isn’t it beautiful around here?

It’s not like the usual American ice breakers: What’s your name? What do you do for a living? What kind of car do you drive? Although these questions get to the point very quickly when assessing someone as a potential friend, it is not very subtle. On vacation, let these question be answered when the opportunity presents itself.

If you meet someone else staying in the same hotel or resort, then you already have a common thread by choosing the same accommodation. This would suggest that you already share some of the same likes and dislikes, giving the potential friendship a head start before you even speak.

Sharing experiences, not only about where you are at the time, but also where each party comes from and learning a bit about their part of the world. Vacation gives people an opportunity to talk about their favourite subject. Themselves. That’s how friendships are struck up. You talk about yourself. They talk about themselves. And then you make a judgement if these are the kind of people you wish to associate with. Sometimes I may have very little in common with the person except for travel. But travel does offer common ground for the conversation and friendship to flourish.

I would say that people who travel are generally interesting people and are also interested in other people themselves. This lays a good foundation for making new friends easily. Well travelled people are easy to talk to because they have so many experiences at their disposal to talk about and keep conversations going. It is easy to make friends when the recipients are willing participants.

How To Easily Make Friends While On Vacation

Anne — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:35:12 +0000

This is the first of a series of articles I shall be posting from guest authors whose work often appears on the Internet. The subject throughout will be “How To Easily Make Friends While On Vacation”. Home Exchangers are, by nature, gregarious folk, but it occurred to me that some additional advice could help, especially for people embarking on a home exchange for the first time.

This first article is written by Simon Wright from Falkirk, Stirlingshire GB

Making new friends whilst on vacation can really enrich that holiday experience and will help to ensure that the vacation lives long in your memory. It may also lead to lasting friendships and possibly even romance. However, for many of us, there comes a time (usually after childhood) when making new friends seems to become increasingly difficult. It’s for this reason that it may be useful to consider some techniques and tactics that you can use to increase the probability of making new friends.

Firstly, be open to the idea of speaking to new people, even if they are from a different country. Those of us who are from English-speaking backgrounds are incredibly lucky, as so many people from other language backgrounds have English as their second language and often put us to shame with their level of competence. I’ve started with this point about openness as too often we shut ourselves off both by our actions and body language from other people. It is only if you have embraced the possibility of making new friends that you are likely to succeed in this regard.

Moving on then to actions that you can take, here are some ideas:

1. Sign up for activities and excursions:

When I was holidaying in Malta, I saw that there was a day trip, by boat, around some of the local islands and that included a swim in a place called the Blue Lagoon. My wife doesn’t like boats but was happy for me to take the trip, whilst she occupied herself with other things back on terra firma. A minibus arrived at our hotel to collect those who had signed up for the boat excursion and I found myself joined by a German couple. Given that they were from the same hotel, I said hello and asked them whether they were looking forward to the trip. We then ended up sitting together on the boat and it helped make the excursion more enjoyable. Indeed, it ended up being quite a sociable day, featuring a jeep safari and a nice lunch and I ended up chatting with quite a lot of people, from various nationalities.

Another example that I can think of was a time when a friend and I went camping in France and the camp site arranged a tennis tournament. The fact that we joined in on that event provided an opportunity to get to know some of our fellow campers.

2. Share a table with others in the hotel bar or at local bars:

Thinking, again, of that Malta holiday, the hotel that we were staying in had live music most nights in their bar. The music was very good and attracted a lot of guests and there were more people than seats. Therefore, if we found ourselves seated at a table by ourselves, the chance would be that another couple or group would ask if it was okay for them to sit at the spare seats. The combination of music, drink and the holiday feel-good factor is conducive to chat and this can be a great way to get to know your fellow holidaymakers.

On another occasion, I can remember a friend and I going to one of the local bars in Iceland. After a few beers, we found ourselves joined at the table by some locals and once they discovered that we were from the UK, they were keen to chat to us (in near perfect English) about music and sport and all the usual topics of conversation. It was a very good night, even if I did get lost on the way back to the youth hostel, but that’s a story for another time!

3. Be open to other opportunities to make friends:

Whether we’re talking about vacations or just day-to-day life, there are often many opportunities to speak to new people and potentially to make new friends. Perhaps, you’re having lunch in a caf and you see another person sitting alone who is reading a book by your favourite author. A comment on their good reading taste might lead to a conversation and, if not, then there’s nothing lost. Vacations mean we often do cultural things such as visit museums and art galleries. These are great for making friends as you will at least know that the other people presumably share a same interest.

Making friends is, of course, however not just as straightforward as taking the trouble to speak to a stranger. The other person may or may not be receptive. For example, they might think that you are hitting upon them romantically! The psychology of making friends is quite complex and it probably isn’t relevant to go into too much detail on it in this article. Suffice to say that there are subtle elements that will determine how successful individuals are at making new friends. Your body language and tone of voice are probably as important (if not more so) than what you actually say. On an aside, that’s why for romantic introductions it’s often not the quality of the chat up line that determines whether a couple fall for each other.

There’s no doubt that there are people (usually extraverts) who are better at making new friends than others (typically introverts). These people tend to be less anxious or stressed about introducing themselves and will therefore come across as more open in their body language and this (plus their confidence) may reassure us that they are not a risk. This is not to say that introverts can’t also make new friends. It’s just that we have to work a little harder, remembering to be open to the possibility of new friendships and to force ourselves to speak up when we have something interesting or relevant to say!

It’s also often possible to draw attention to ourselves (without the need to speak) through the way we dress.

For example, being Irish, I could wear an Irish rugby top and this might prompt people to speak to me who are interested in the fact that I’m Irish. Having holidayed in the US previously, I know that there were a lot of people who were interested to hear what Ireland is like and many of them said they had Irish links! That’s just one example but hopefully illustrates that we are often drawn to speak to people based on an element of curiosity or attraction. The attraction doesn’t have to be romantic attraction; we may just feel that someone looks quirky and fun from the way that they dress and behave.

In summary then, it is possible to make new friends on vacation and they may turn out to be lifelong friends. After all, the chances are that they share the same interests as you since you both chose the same holiday destination. That friendship might even lead to romance and more than a few marriages have started from holiday friendships. Making friends comes easier to some than to others but there are things that even the most shy of us can do to make it easier to make new friends. These include signing up for group excursions and activities, socialising in bars, and simply being open to the possibility of making new friends. Hopefully, the friendships that you make will be extremely rewarding and may even provide you with a network of friends all around the world, which is great for future holidays!