How To Save Up to 75% Of The Cost Of Traveling To Almost Anywhere
How would you like to visit Paris in the spring? Sample
local wines in Tuscany in September? Enjoy the English
countryside in the summer? Sound like a dream? It
doesn't have to be.
You can travel to some of the world's most exotic and
beautiful locations, and stay in an Italian villa, a
Parisian pied-a-terre, or an English manor and you'll
only pay for airfare, dining out and tourist
attractions!
How? By using a housing exchange service. Some of
these companies have been around for 50 years, and are
widely used in Europe, Asia and Australia.
It works like this. You pick what country you want to
visit, when you want to go, and how long you want to
stay. Arrangements are made, and you exchange homes
with someone else.
This is a wonderful way to drastically cut costs, and
yet see exciting, wonderful places. By staying in a
home, you're not paying the high cost of hotels (which
can run upwards of $125 a night) or dining in
restaurants, saving you hundreds, if not thousands of
dollars!
Plus, you get the added benefit of living like the
locals do. You enjoy total immersion into the culture,
and rather than being treated like a tourist, you have
the opportunity to make new friends and participate in
your surroundings as a member of the community. With a
"homebase" you have the choice of how you want to
explore the region.
You also have the peace of mind that comes from knowing
that your home is being carefully looked after, your
plants are being watered, and your pets are taken care
of.
So, how do you get started? Do an Internet search for
"housing exchange." Find a company that you're
comfortable with. Sign up and join the housing exchange
list. (Some companies have over 10,000 members!)
Decide where you want to travel, when and how long you
want to stay. Then, with a click of your mouse, you
can find information of other, like-minded travelers,
who want to visit your area.
You can look at pictures and read short bios about the
homes, to help you make your decision, and then contact
the owners to reach an agreement.
Here are some of the things you'll want to agree on:
Total number of adults and children staying in the
home
Use of the vehicle and it's maintenance
What linen will be provided in house, and how will it
be cleaned?
Care of pets
Long distance phone calls
Don't worry though. Your housing exchange company can
help you put together a list, and give you ideas for
preparing for your guests.
Instead of going to a cold, impersonal hotel room, you
go "home" and are welcomed by your next door neighbor,
who gives you the house keys and invites you to dinner
the next evening, telling you to call them if you have
any questions.
When you enter the front door, there's a bottle of wine
and fresh flowers on the table to welcome you. You
find a note on the fridge, telling you how to heat the
light meal that's been prepared for you. On the
kitchen counter is a pile of brochures and maps, giving
you insider information about where to go and what to
see.
Over the next week, you visit the places you've only
dreamed about during the day, making new friends and
building memories that will last a lifetime. And every
night when you come "home" you get to relax and unwind,
without stress or worrying about anything.
You can have the vacation you've always dreamed about,
and save thousands of dollars at the same time! Bon
voyage!
Add to Onlywire
About the author
James Yee is the webmaster of
http://www.yeearticles.com/. His Free Weekly Travel Deals is available at
www.yeearticles.com/travel/
German
Spanish
French
Italian
Portuguese
Dutch
Greek
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Chinese
