Green Theme International Multilingues et Yahoo

Pour plus de six ans Green Theme International Home Exchange a offert des pages multilingues de leur site web GTI Home Exchange (Echange de Maison GTI). Maintenant Yahoo! Search vous offre la recherche multilingue (encore en Beta). Si vous voudrez l'essayer allez au Yahoo France et cliquez sur le bouton 'la recherche multilingue' des options de recherche.

Yahoo! Search - Essayez la recherche multilingue !

Plus besoin de parler cinq langues pour profiter de ce que le Web peut
offrir ! Vous tapez vos mots-clés en français, et la recherche multilingue
de Yahoo! Search les traduit en différentes langues puis donne
les résultats traduits en français.
o Découvrez des sites que vous n'auriez pas pu trouver autrement.
o Mots-clés, titres, descriptifs, tout est traduit en français.
o D'un clic, accédez aux sites en VF et en VO.

Une simple option à cocher

Pour activer la fonction, il suffit de taper vos mots-clés dans la boîte de
recherche, de cocher l'option " Recherche multilingue " et de cliquer
sur le bouton " Rechercher ". Par cette simple action :
o votre requête est traduite en plusieurs langues (pour l'instant,
anglais, allemand, espagnol et italien) ;
o la recherche s'effectue sur chacune des traductions ;
o les sites trouvés sont traduits dans l'autre sens et affichés en français.

Des résultats plus nombreux et en français

La recherche multilingue de Yahoo! Search permet à la fois de trouver
plus de résultats qu'auparavant et d'y accéder en français.
o Plus de résultats : 5 fois plus de langues, c'est potentiellement 5 fois
plus de résultats. Voyez la différence s'afficher avec le nombre de
résultats trouvés.
o V.F. et en V.O. : la langue d'origine de chaque site est affichée.
Vous pouvez choisir directement la V.O., mais vous pouvez aussi voir
la page traduite, et grâce au système d'onglets, naviguer sur le site,

The Home Exchange Poacher

The purpose of home exchange agencies is to put you in touch with other people interested in exchanging homes for vacations. A good home exchange agency will have spent many years building an extensive member base in many countries, creating an attractive web-site to attract a constant stream of new members and initiating improvements to the web-site to make it very easy for their members to use. A good home exchange agency will build up a dialogue with their current members to provide them with lots of help and be available to answer their questions promptly.

As a result of this close relationship GTI Home Exchange members are usually prompt in advising us if they receive any unsolicited mailings from people who are trying to abuse our system. It has recently been brought to our notice that a lady by the name of Ans Lammers has been sending unsolicited messages to some members to join her new home exchange agency. The only way that this lady could have gained access to the email addresses of our members is to have joined under a pseudonym, as there is no one by that name registered on our database. When questionned, our members are certain
that she could not have obtained their names and email addresses elsewhere(especially for such a targetted mailing as would be necessary to reach members who are interested in home exchange).

Occasionally new agencies trying to establish themselves will offer free membership for a limited period, but it should be appreciated that free membership does not always attract the type of people you would wish to exchange with: if someone is not prepared to pay a small fee to join an agency, consider whether they may be genuinely committed to arranging an exchange. Whilst we cannot, of course, prevent members from joining another agency if the offer seems attractive and they wish to do so, we would hope that members would be cautious in supporting someone who is prepared to adopt such underhand methods to poach another agency's members.

Generally it is best to stay with an established home exchange agency that you can see has a good range of up-to-date exchange offers, and which operates a private, members-only site for extra safety.

A GTI Home Exchange Member's generosity

GTI Home Exchange members, Rayne and Bob of Seattle, generously offer non-reciprocal hospitality when their planned exchange does not work out.

"We had an exchange planned, but because of the vagarys of e mail, it didn't work. We were very disappointed. Within a week we received a query from a family in England. We live north of Seattle. It was too late to buy affordable plane tickets to be able to do an exchange, but I thought what the heck, let's invite them to stay here for a few weeks. They could use our home as a base during the week when we are at work and on the weekends we could take them on our favorite hikes and to favorite fishing spots.

"I was at a point in my life when I really needed to have a new experience and I thought it would be interesting to invite a family from so far away, that we had never met and take the risk. It paid off wonderfully. Our familys were as compatible as if we had been life long friends. Meryl and Chris were relaxed, friendly and very interesting. Their 4 teens were active in a diverse range of things. We had nice interaction with each one of them. Danny, the youngest, might remember the funny american lady (me) who would punch him on the shoulder affectionately every now and then. Ruth and my kids played soccer and Adam and my 17 year old discussed regae music for hours.

"One of my favorite memories was canoeing with the Dad, Chris. The water of the lake was clear and the sunlight reflected thru the depths. Chris is a sound recorder and has worked from Barrow Sound, Alaska to the Antarctica. I asked him if by chance he had ever met Dervla Murphy, my favorite travel writer, and he had !

"Meryl and I did the household chores together and got on in quiet a sisterly way. She and I both have hectic lives. Chris is gone for long periods and so she is on her own with a full time job and 4 kids. To see her canoeing on the lake, by herself, in peace is something I remember often.

"So Kath, best wishes in your business, you can tell it brings a lot of people joy, in an affordable way !"

Rayne

"Dervla Murphy's latest travel book Through Siberia by Accident"

Great Times on Home Exchange - Final Part

John & Val's GTI Home exchange partners, Gavin and Ailsa, comment on their first Home Exchange experience.


Gavin & Ailsa outside John & Val's home

This was our first experience of a home exchange of this nature and it proved a magnificent way to enjoy an extended visit to another country. Without it, we could never have stayed for as long as we did. It was made even more enjoyable when we overlapped in Hong Kong and were able to meet Val and John and have a meal together; it blew away the thought of strangers living in our home. The actual exchange of home and car was for 3 months and was completed very successfully. We recommend the concept to others.

Gavin & Ailsa

Great Times on Home Exchange - Part IV

Towards the end of our stay we flew to Australia for about 5 days stay in each of Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast at Surfer’s Paradise. We experienced sunny 20-25C temperatures for most of our antipodean trip. Then very regretfully it was time for the long flight home via Singapore.

We have always found everything in order on our return and even though we may move things around a little where we stay to suit, we replace them. Online banking and Visa take care of cash flow. Any problems and there is always a relative nearby to contact, or one can email the exchangers. We always leave guide notes to operate equipment etc., emergency contact phone numbers and details of places of interest.

We don’t regret for a moment the time and money we have spent traveling abroad over the years. Home exchange is such a rewarding, stimulating and enjoyable way to experience the world and its people.

Great Times on Home Exchange - Part III

Our trip to New Zealand via Hong Kong

A year ago we decided to visit New Zealand this year for three months (Mar-May 2005) and soon contacted a retired professional couple, again through Green Theme, who were interested in visiting the UK to do some more detective work on their family history. As usual we only made broad plans here. Invariably it is best to book flights on the net, especially any internal ones. This time we decided to fly Singapore Airlines by recommendation, and to spend 10 days in February in Hong Kong on the way. There we met our exchangers on their way to our home and had an enjoyable meal together.
Val & John enjoying a meal with Ailsa & Gavin at a restaurant in Hong Kong

Our visit to a Ceremonial Tea House in Macau









Then on to New Zealand and Auckland where we got a shuttle bus to Hamilton. On the way we chatted to a fellow passenger who was head of a technical college there and he generously offered to lend his holiday home on the Coromandel Peninsula for a few days. Hamilton is a lovely city with a beautiful park; river walks; and of course a rugby stadium. The modern exchange home was in a leafy suburb close to the city centre and the country roads south. We got to know our neighbours and after a couple of weeks we began our grand tour of North and South Islands, seeing over 1800 miles of stunning scenery. Highlights included a railway trip in the mountains near Christchurch; bathing in open air thermal pools; boat trips on lakes and fiords; experiencing Maori culture; Art Deco architecture in Napier; geothermal activity at Rotorua; close-ups of many of their unique animals; and an underwater world in Auckland.

Next stop Australia....

To be continued ...

Great Times on Home Exchange - Part II

Northern California - Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia)- US

Then it was time to fly off to Ottawa having kept in touch by email, and we were met at the airport by our exchanger’s son. Her apartment was well situated in the suburbs on a scenic bus route into the centre through parkland by the river. There we saw the colourful Canada Day celebrations outside the Parliament Building including a display by the Royal Mounties.

Later in our stay we visited Toronto by train. We also drove down to Gananoque near Kingston for a boat trip amongst the Thousand Islands, of salad dressing fame. Our longest excursion in the Mazda sports car was east to Montreal, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia where we stayed in a tiny cabin set in the grounds of a palatial residence where we went for breakfast.

Our return route was across the border through the US seeing F. D. Roosevelt’s home and the Frederic Remington Art Museum on the way. All too soon after that we returned to the UK, via a rescheduled flight, having had a wonderful trip. We finally met our Canadian exchanger when she revisited England last year, having kept in regular contact since our exchange.
To be continued .....

Great Times on Home Exchanges - Part 1 - UK North Oxfordshire to USA Northern California

John & Val's Californian Odyssey

We have now enjoyed three very good long term exchanges because we wanted to spend long enough in other countries to get to know the people and their way of life by living there like residents through a home exchange. We decided that we didn't mind someone else living in our home for some months, but wondered if ours was good enough. Our home is in a good location in the South Midlands close to Oxford, Warwick, Stratford upon Avon, the Cotswolds and on the main road and rail transport systems for London, Birmingham etc., which attracted our exchangers.

After some research, Val, my wife, chose Green Theme International as our home exchange agency and we haven't been disappointed. Through their website we posted details of our semi-detached "cosy" home in North Oxfordshire with various stipulations as to where and when we wanted to stay and for what length of time. As we wanted to stay in the USA and Canada we decided to go for broke and to try to do these consecutively. From the offers we received we were able to stay two months (April and May) in Northern California followed by a further two (June and July) in Ottawa before returning home. With a real sense of anticipation we started planning a year in advance so we had time to get to know our exchangers by e-mail. One benefit of an exchange is that it prompted us to get the home up to scratch, clearing clutter and creating storage space. We have very good neighbours who welcome our exchangers with the key and help them to settle in, even give driving instruction where necessary. We usually buy the Lonely Planet guide to get a feel for the country and to get some ideas of the places we most want to see, but we don’t finalise the itinerary until we get there. Then we have a good chat with locals who love to suggest things whilst getting to know us, quite often coming up with the detailed road maps too. Car exchange is also convenient and cost-saving even though we have to pay extra on our insurance.

Our first exchanger’s red Ford Thunderbird enabled us to travel round California, Reno, Lake Tahoe, the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. We also met up with a couple in Sacramento who Val had got to know on a previous visit. Other outings included supper at a llama farm, a tour of a gold mine and a rodeo near Grass Valley. We were also introduced to a local group of hikers and saw much of the beautiful scenery close up and went for an exhilarating swim in the Yuba river. So the two months flashed by. Then it was time to fly off to Ottawa .....
To be continued ...

Comment ajouter vos photos sur votre page du siteweb Echange de Maison GTI

Question

bonjour,
nous étions précédemment inscrits sous le numéro ID:HE14632;
Mais nous avons effectué une nouvelle inscription, cette fois sous le numéro HE17428. Nous voudrions faire quelques modifications sur cette page, mais ne réussissons à y accéder, car ayant choisi le même code secret, nous sommes ramenés sur l'ancienne.

Aussi merci de supprimer notre ancienne inscription et de nous indiquer comment faire pour ajouter des photos?

Réponse
Cher Bernard

Merci pour votre email conçernant votre reinscription avec Nom de Utilisateur: HE17428
et votre problème avec accés à cause de duplication de votre code secret. J'ai supprimé votre ancienne inscription comme vous avez voulu et maintenant vous ne devriez pas avoir difficulté à accéder la partie administrative du site qui vous concerne, utilisant le même code secret.

Au sujet de l'emplacement des photos, voici le procédure à suivre:

Entrez dans la partie administrative vous concernant par cliquant sur le 'link' Login au-dessous du titre 'Members' Area' sur la page en anglais ou sur la page en français pour arrivez au page:

http://www.gti-home-exchange.com/ihea/memberlogin.cfm

Entrez votre adresse email dans la première boite suivi par votre mot de passe dans la seconde. Cliquez sur le hyperlink 'Manage your Photos'. Vous arrivez à la page où vous pouvez ajouter ou modifier vos photos. Notez, s'il vous plait, que toutes photographies doivent être en .jpg format et, si possible, pas moins de 220 pixels en taille, afin de maintenir la qualité des photos. Photos avec une largeur plus
grande que l'hauteur sont les mieux.

Souvenez ce que vous avez intitulées vos photos, et le titre du dossier où vous les avez garder sur votre ordinateur.

Utilisez le bouton 'Browse' pour choisir une photographie de votre ordinateur. Marquez la photo numéro 1, 2, 3, 4 ou 5 qui convient, et puis cliquez le bouton 'Upload'. Bientôt vous verrez la photo pour l'image que vous avez selectionnée dans la boite pour cette photo au-dessus.

Pour remplacer une photo, il faut supprimer la vieille photo avant d'enregistrer une nouvelle photo. En cette instance, vous retrouveriez peut-être que la vieille photo apparaîsse encore une fois après que vous avez cliqué le bouton 'Upload', mais actuellement elle a été remplacée, et quand votre 'session' à ce moment sur votre ordinateur s'est terminée, vous verrez la prochaine fois que vous entrez le site que la nouvelle photo est en place.

N'hésitez pas à me contacter si vous avez besoin de renseignements complémentaires.

Kath Botterill

Home Exchange at Christmas

With Halloween's witches and hobgoblins now back in their hideouts for another year, thoughts naturally turn to the Christmas festive season, and if you have not yet made your plans and fancy a change of scene there are a number of home exchange opportunities available on the GTI Home Exchange website.

If the lights and markets of Paris appeal, New Yorkers might well wish to consider Harry and Isabelle's offer, HE17340.

"Apartment overlooking Paris (Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame... )next to Père La Chaise cemetery, 20 minutes from city centre (Les Halles) with direct metro line. Lively quarter with cheap restaurants, a lot of shops and markets. Nice neighborhood, a lot of friends and a janitor in the building always ready to help you !"

"We hope to spend Christmas in New York, December 19 until Tuesday, December 27 and need an apartment for this period. We can leave ours even longer, because we can go to Normandy."

Another Christmas offer comes from Spain, HE13924

"We offer a lovely cottage near Seville(km), with a large garden and a beautiful decoration. During Christmas lovely city center located appartment available. 2 adults (seniors) and 2 young people,of 24 and 18 years old."

And another from Arnhem in Holland, HE16553 whose owners are interested in England, Italy, Finland and Europe in general. We are open for offer around Christmas time, one or two weeks.
"Comfortable house with a large living, 3 bedrooms and a garden, build in 1974, in Arnhem, on the edge of National Park De Hoge Veluwe, one of the Netherlands' oldest and largest national parks. Together with the Kroller-Muller Museum and the sculpture garden it offers a unique combination of nature, art and architecture. Arnhem, fames from World War 2 “A bridge to far” is one of the fascinating cities of the East of the Netherlands near the German border and has everything to make your stay unforgettable. If you love culture, a walk, ride a bicycle, if you want to visit the large attractions, pleasantly go shopping or go out to the woody surroundings. Children welcome. We have a 5 years old boy, toys available for use and two large playgrounds behind our house and the a big sandbox."

Home Exchange - Let's go skiing

Following up on the 33rd Daily Mail and Ski Board Show last week, I thought it was appropriate to draw attention to home exchange ski opportunities which occur on the GTI Home Exchange website. Holidays relating to a particular theme are easily found by using the Detailed Search and clicking on the appropriate Theme from the drop down list. In the case of skiing, there are no fewer than 184 listings which mention the possibility of skiing. For example:


HE13107
Apartment of 2 rooms situated at the 1st floor of a pretty chalet with a balcony giving a magnificent view of the Alps.




HE17293
80m2 flat situated on golf course with view of the Alps. 10 minutes walk to village via the golf course. Country skiing directly at the door. Downhill skiing up to 3000m altitude. Also possibility of exchange of our house in San Jose, Costa Rica during school holidays.

Home Exchange Agreements

Believe it or not, very few members take the precaution of completing our simple Holiday Agreement Form, so it is gratifying when one does occasionally drop through the letter box. The Holiday Agreement Form is provided for members to exchange with each other, sending a copy to us to hold on file. It not only helps to clarify the terms of the exchange arranged, but also means that in the unlikely event of the need to make a claim against your travel insurance, evidence of an exchange having been arranged is held by a third party (ie GTI Home Exchange).

Having received the Holiday Agreement Form from Barry and Joyce of Rotherham, we are aware that they are off to Queensland, Australia, in November to enjoy Christmas down under in Gladstone. The Great Barrier reef is accessible by launch from the marina or by road from their exchange home. The beach, where there are bbq's, tables and play areas, is a short drive. As well as the family’s new car they will have the use of a Pajero 4WD with fridge, small boat and all fishing and camping equipment.

Meanwhile their exchange partners will spend what will probably be a somewhat cooler festive season in South Yorkshire, compensated by the fact that they will be able to spend Christmas with the family. Needless to say it was important for Terry and Patricia from Queensland to be in a comparatively precise location within easy access of Sheffield where the family live. So, whilst we recommend that the most successful exchangers are people who are able to be flexible about destination, we have proof here that you can be quite specific about a destination, and with ‘Lady Luck’ on your side, link up with compatible exchange partners using the GTI Home Exchange system.

We hope everyone has a really splendid time and look forward to hearing from you on your return. (Don't forget the Exchange Feedback Form is available for you to give us your feedback about your exchange experience. You may either copy and paste it, and send it to us saved as an MSWord .doc file attached to an email, or post it to us).

GTI Home Exchange 2 Year memberships

GTI Home Exchange member, Catherine, has just renewed her membership for our Membership option Plan 2 which gives her membership for a further two years at a discounted subscription rate.

Catherine says: "We did a home exchange to France this past summer and are hooked! You may view our listing HE15845. Please contact us with questions!"

From the picture that Catherine has posted on her listing, Davis, a sunny university city in California, certainly looks a lively place to visit. She says "It's a great place for touring Northern California; 10 mins to Sacramento (state capitol); 1½ hrs to San Francisco, the wine country, the Pacific Ocean; and 2½ hrs to the Sierra Nevada mountains (hiking, 1849 gold rush sites, Lake Tahoe, and Reno casinos)".

Contacting GTI Members

HE16210
Some time ago I received a message from a GTI Home Exchange member stating that they were having difficulty making initial contact with 2 other members, as their email address as available for their listing via the members' area appeared to be incorrect. As a result both of their messages to these members were returned unopened to them with the standard sort of ISP message ie:
"I'm sorry to have to inform you that the message returned below could not be delivered to one or more destinations".

Neil, who brought this to our attention, said "We have double checked that the address we sent to is as listed on the GTI site and they match so should have got through."

Members and visitors to the weblog yesterday who read the post about the recent GTI website upgrade will note that we have tried to address this problem of members' changing their email addresses and forgetting to update them on the website, by allowing members to include an alternative email address. For your security and to avoid spam, both addresses are available only to other registered members.

At the time that Neil sent us his message he was looking for an exchange in Denmark, and a new listing in Aarhus has just been added to the website:HE17356.

However, Neil's listing currently carries the heading 'Exchange Request Fulfilled".
If you have used the facility whereby you can indicate that your Exchange Request has been fulfilled and you do not wish to receive further offers for the time being, it is very important to remember to uncheck this box when you are ready to receive further offers of exchange.

Green Theme International Home Exchange Website Upgrade

We are pleased to advise members and visitors to the GTI Home Exchange website that our programmer has just completed a further upgrade to the site. We are always looking for ways to enhance the site, make it easier to use and add new features, many of which are incorporated as a result of member’s feedback. Although some of the changes are concerned with administration and will not be immediately noticeable to members and site visitors, you will see some additional options on the membership form, in the search pages and in the member area. If you are a current member you may wish to log on to your member area to check out the changes on the form (View/alter your details) and make additions/amendments as appropriate: (please do not forget to click on ‘Continue’ at the end of the form to save any changes):

Changes on the Membership Form

1 Mailing address is no longer a required field (although it is still useful as another means of contact, but not compulsory if you prefer not to include yours).

2 New box to add a second email address. (Members sometimes change their email address and forget to immediately change it on their GTI membership form, so preventing other members from making contact. It can be useful to have an additional address (perhaps a free web based one like Yahoo or Hotmail). Also occasionally members’ exchange offer messages are blocked and undelivered by a member’s ISP. Again, for this reason it can be useful to have a second email address to use, but it is not compulsory.

3 Type of Residence – Motor Homes/Houseboats have been added to the drop-down list.

4 Type of Exchange – Non-simultaneous Exchange possible (additional tick box option).

5 Ages of Children – As well as the number of children in your exchange party, you can now also include their ages.

6 Dates of Exchanges – You are able to indicate a specific range of dates for two separate periods. If you wish to be more flexible, use the tick-box option Open to offers.

Additional Search Functionality

We have included a new Advanced Search option, Type of Residence, a drop-down list.

Additions to your Member Administration Area

You will notice the following additions to your Member Area:

1 a direct link to View Your Listing (allowing you to easily view how your listing appears to visitors/browsers if you have made any additions/amendments to it).

2 a Member Logout link on all pages once you are logged on (to save having to click back to your member area to log out after browsing listings.

3 all the listings have individual page titles: much better for bookmarking!

GTI Home Exchange 1st Blog Anniversary

It hardly seems possible that it's almost a year since I started the Green Theme International Home Exchange blog, the time has flown. If you haven't yet discovered the GTI blog, please be quick as I believe items retained in the Archives will begin to fall off the blog very soon.

It has been a little disappointing that not more GTI members have come to terms with the technology of blogging, or at least made comments on the GTI blog, as hoped, to create a superb member resource for relating their experiences or discussing travel items of mutual interest. It's appreciated that some of us may not be in the first flush of youth and able to absorb all this technology, as Jo Chambers wrote:
"Hi Kate,
Now I know I went to Aus but the blogspot is just now perhaps a step too far, I do this in the library and hotmail does not like me visiting a site outside hotmail!!. Where would you like our news of our exchange to Australia, as I am disabled, using an electric scooter, we thought it might give confidence to others? Hope more people get inspired to put their experiences on line."
So I posted Jo's article about her trip to Australia for her and she was very pleased. "I think my article looks really good, though I say so myself."

It is in fact very simple to post your comments on the GTI blog. Just click on the Comments hyperlink below the relevant article, and again on the hyperlink Post a Comment. So here's hoping for some feedback.!!

GTI Home Exchange Newsletter - Autumn 2005

The GTI Home Exchange Autumn Newsletter 2005 was published on 21st September (the official date for the beginning of Autumn, I believe). Articles featured in this issue included:
-- A Topical Pilgrimage to Cape Trafalgar?
-- Home Exchange Matchmaking
-- Combining Home Exchange, Hospitality Exchange & Rental Options
-- Dipping into the GTI Home Exchange Archives
-- Question & Answer Session
-- Member Suggestion
-- Rare Home Exchange Opportunities not to be missed
-- Exchange within your Own Country
-- World Atlas

If you are not registered to receive your issue of GTI News by email as soon as it is published, you may read it by linking to GTI News. If you would like to receive the newsletter by email, please subscribe to the mailing list on the front page of the GTI Home Exchange web-site.

School Holiday Dates - Les Vacances Scolaires

A new listing from Karine HE17280 prompted this post: Karine mentions in her summary "Nous recherchons des échanges pendant les vacances scolaires de la zone 2." Most people outside of France would not know that different regions of the country have differing dates for school holidays, and it would perhaps not be easy for families to find out when the dates holidays might fall for the region in which an exchange offer is located to see if they are compatible with their own children's school holiday dates. I thought therefore that the following link to the French school calendar would be useful to enable families to check if their dates are compatible before pursuing the possibility of an attractive and interesting exchange offer, only to be disappointed.

If other members know of an easily accessible source of reference in their country for school holiday dates, please post them on this School Holiday Dates blog. I am sure the information will be much appreciated and very useful for people seeking to arrange family home exchange holidays.

If you are not sure how to make a comment or add the information, the procedure is simple: just click on the Comment hyperlink on the blog, register with a username and password and then post your comment. Failing this, just send the information to me with the appropriate URL reference, and I will post it for you.

Know Before You Go campaign

This may be a repeat post on the GTI Home Exchange weblog, but the information is very important worthy of consultation on a regular basis, and of course, just before you travel.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Know Before You Go campaign to help British travellers (and any others who may wish to make use of the information) stay safe overseas. Before you go overseas, check out the FCO website which is packed with essential travel advice and tips, and up-to-date country information.

Home Exchange Match Making

Question: A journalist asked this question this week, in preparation for an article he was writing on home exchange.

Does “like seek to exchange with like” when considering a home exchange?

Answer: Whilst many people would prefer and are often able to exchange with owners of a property similar in standing to their own, this is not something which is set in stone with regard to home exchange. Some people may be motivated more by the location of an exchange offer rather than the fact that the property should offer exactly the same facilities as their own home. There have been many examples of this: one which comes to mind is that of Trisha, a long-term member of GTI Home Exchange, with a beautiful property in Australia, who recently wrote in response to our renewal reminder: “I am in the UK at present and have been so busy with two children getting married within weeks of each other that I have put all else on hold. I do intend to renew our membership and will do so on our return to Australia when I have more time to sort things out.” Trisha was in UK and needed to be in specific locations for the weddings of her children. Similarly Winnie Larsen HE16500 wrote “We are going to a wedding in Edinburgh the 2nd of July and we are looking for a house exchange within that period. Winnie’s example above also indicated that sometimes it is the dates for which the exchange is offered that are equally as important.

Nevertheless, it is probably true that the most successful and carefree exchanges often take place when “like exchanges with like”. For example it is far more likely that a young family will find that their exchange meets their needs and matches up to their expectations if they are able to exchange with a family whose children are of similar ages to their own. There will be toys and facilities that meet the needs of the youngsters of the same age group and it often removes the need to take essential bulky equipment such as buggies etc.

Similarly other specific groups such as Seniors may prefer to exchange with people of their own age. Their properties are arranged more for the convenience and tastes of their group, perhaps with expensive décor, even antiques, and may not be set up to withstand the impact of more vigorous age groups such as families with teenagers. For people wishing to limit their search for an exchange within the Seniors group, they simply need to click on Detailed Search and check the “Seniors/Over 55's” box.

Of course, the final answer is not to close any avenues which you think may lead to the exchange you want be it for a particular reason or the holiday of a lifetime, but to earn a reputation of being an ideal home exchange partner by preparing an enticing exchange offer, and giving the time to getting to know and becoming comfortable with your prospective exchange partners before agreeing to a definite arrangement.

Home Exchange, Hospitality Exchange and Rental Options

Charles' house in OBEILAR, Province of Granada, Spain

GTI Home Exchange member, Charles G sent us the following email on his return from a three/way holiday after setting up a combination of home exchange, hospitality exchange and a rental via our linked rental site Holiday Homes Direct.

"Please renew our membership. Its been a great success. We just came back from nearly 4 months in the Far East and Australia, one month of which was exchange, and the remainder on exchange hospitality, plus a rental in Bali HE15761 (Holiday Homes Direct Property reference 1288. Note 20% discount offered to GTI Home Exchange members.)
Holiday Homes Direct Property 1288


"In future we will go city centre exchanges, since it's easier to travel out on excursions. We were outside Melbourne for a month, but made an excellent city centre contact for a future exchange".

Regards, CHARLES

Thank you, Charles, it's always nice to receive feedback, especially when things go so well!!

A Fishy Tale

In answer to the question on our membership registration form, 'Where did you hear about Green Theme International Home Exchange?', I was surprised to see someone had entered Carp Magazine. Whilst we receive much good publicity in all sorts of magazines, this was not one which had immediately sprung to mind, even though I know that angling is a very popular pastime. Great, I thought, our Themed Holiday Search in Advanced Search must really be reaching its target if we are being mentioned in such specialist publications. Still a little bemused, I thought I would try to find out a little more about Carp Magazine and perhaps even read the article. Imagine my embarrassment when on looking for information on Yahoo I found that CARP in this instance actually stands for Canadian Association of Retired Persons and the magazine referred to was the Carp 50+ Magazine.

At GTI Home Exchange anyone wishing to conduct a search based on a particular holiday theme may do so by clicking on Advanced Search , and then clicking the Theme drop down menu offering the choice of boating, fishing, golf, horseriding, skiing, tennis, walking.

Home Exchange - Short or Long Term

Question:
We would like to offer our house by the beach on the Costa del Sol, Spain, this autumn, for 1-3 or 4 months, in exchange for a country house/cottage in Berks/Oxon/Hants. How do we need to proceed?
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
CJ
Answer:
Dear CJ,

Thank you for your enquiry. Membership of GTI Home Exchange covers both short and long term exchanges, however the majority of home exchanges are indeed shorter term. Having said that, you may find that your minimum period of a month still attracts this type of exchange member. The choice of longer term members is generally more limited, which you might expect. Most members also like to allow time to get to know their exchange partners via e-mail or phone, and make the accompanying necessary arrangements for car hire/exchange, travel etc, so the likelihood of your finding a suitable exchange could depend to some extent on what time in the autumn you are looking for.

We cannot offer a guarantee of success in finding a suitable exchange partner, however your chances are probably greater as your property is in a popular area of the world. If you are looking to exchange in early autumn, you may wish to consider allowing more flexibility in terms of the length of time you could exchange for, in order to increase your chances further of finding an exchange partner. This would also give you the opportunity to try out home exchange as a holiday option if you have not done so before. Remember, your membership lasts for twelve months (or longer depending on which membership option you choose) which could give you the potential of further exchanges during this period.

All joining instructions are on the website, however, I have included below more detailed instructions which may help. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. In the meantime, I hope that we will be welcoming you as a member of GTI Home Exchange in the near future and look forward to hearing from you soon...

Alison
Green Theme International Home Exchange

The cost of membership is just GB£21.00 or Euros 30,00 approx for a full 12 months membership, providing you with password access to the full database of exchange offers with member contact details, and a listing of your own home exchange offer together with 5 photographs (free of charge).

You may register on-line by clicking on the green Join tab at the top of the Green Theme International Home Exchange home page or by clicking the 'Join Now' hyperlink at the top of the right-hand menu. At the next page, click on 'Join Now' again, which will move you forward to the Membership Registration Page.

Choose your membership option (ie Plan 1 for 12 months, or Plan 2 for
24 months membership) and then complete the form with all the information relating to your own exchange offer. During this process you will create your password for later access to the web-site. When you have completed the form, click on 'Continue' at the bottom of the page to save the details you have entered to our database, and then proceed to the secure payment page (choosing your preferred card for payment, and currency). Once you have successfully completed the payment procedure, your listing will be on-line for all other members to view, and you will have access to the database to be able to view all other members' listings with their full contact details.

There is a considerable amount of information on the site concerning the concept of home exchange and help and advice about setting up a successful exchange. If you click on the hyperlink 'Exchange Advice and Forms' under the Members' Area heading in the right-hand menu, you can read this information but there is other information elsewhere such as on the pages Frequently Asked Questions and Member Testimonials regarding their experiences.

Stop Press! Rare Home Exchange Opportunities

A rare destination, not very often available via home exchange, has just been added to the listings. Whilst Turkey has been featured occasionally before in our listings, this very attractive offer features a substantial house in Fethiye, Mugla, Turkey, GTI Home Exchange reference HE17141.

Sheila describes her home: "3 bedroomed villa built 2004 in beautiful location 8 minutes walk from beach, restaurants and bars. The property is located 10 minutes by local bus or 25 minutes by Boat Dolmus transport to Fethiye Town where there are shops, banks, restaurants, boat trips, cinema etc. and all the emenities of a large town. The surrounding area has numerous sites of historical interest and entertaining day trips. Also nearby is the blue flag resort of Olu Deniz and the nightlife area of Hisaronu".

Another rare opportunity just added to the listings is a house in Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, HE17154 - a fully furnished, well kept tropical paradise home on Sunny Dutch Caribbean Island of Curacao (15 minute flight from Aruba). Luxurious tropical garden with pond/fountain,/BBQ facilities, full modern convenience (TV/Cable/VCR/DVD). Home property attached to private school property; ideal for smaller children with "private" playgrounds/basketball courts etc. which would be closed to others during the holiday period. Although a Dutch island nearly everyone speaks English (and 2-3 other languages).

Exchange within your own Country

Pete and Maureen Whetton, HE15760 have just renewed their membership, and their destination requests this time prompted me to remind members that many people are seeking exchanges within their own country: viz Pete and Maureen's request for Queensland Coast, Perth, WA, Sydney, Melbourne, as well as Asia and New Zealand. Similarly the length of exchange often dictates the distance people wish to travel, and therefore many people seeking short breaks or weekend exchanges will be seeking to do so within their own country.

Compagnie de Danse "Oural" de Tcheliabinsk

It is not often that I feel impelled to post a blog article which has nothing to do with home exchange, but this week has prompted one such occasion. Taking time off to enjoy a performance by La Compagnie de Danse "Oural" de Tcheliabinsk from Russia in our neighbouring village, I was so impressed by their performance and the beautiful traditional costumes worn by the group that I felt I must mention it so that anyone else spending time in France in the vicinity of Confolens might go along and enjoy their performance too. The Festival of Confolens is a well-known summer festival of Dance and Music of the World, taking place this year between the 9th and 15th August, but prior to the festival many of the groups offer performances in the local 'Salles Polyvolantes' of the surrounding areas. The company has been described as the Bolchoi of traditional dance and you cannot imagine anything better or more realistically representative of the tradition and music of the great region of the Oural. The orchestra too is composed of artists who play an extraordinary number of popular instruments, 'chalumeau, gusli, domra, balalaikas and many others. If you have the opportunity to see La Compagnie de Danse "Oural" de Tcheliabinsk, be sure not to miss them and enjoy!

A Picture is worth a 1000 Words

As those of you who visit the GTI Home Exchange web-site on a regular basis will know, the Feature Listing on the left of the homepage is rotated virtually on a daily basis. However, the listing must have at least one photo in order to be promoted as a Feature Listing. Those without a photo have to be rejected for this purpose. However, from time to time I come across a listing which I think might benefit from some extra promotion, and write to the owners to see if they might like to provide a photo so that they may appear as the Feature Listing. One such listing was for a bungalow in Doncaster, not the first destination that comes to mind for anyone visiting the UK.

I was surprised and delighted to receive the following reply.

Dear Kath......

Many thanks for the e-mail. We have had about twenty five or more enquiries, not to mention the replies received to ours. We are off to Australia in about five weeks time, and looking forward to it. And next weekend we are going to Cheltenham for a long weekend. When we joined we thought that we would not get anybody interested in Doncaster. I have only just changed the listing to see if we can get someone next year. I have not got a scanner so cannot put the photo's on the listings.
Many thanks for your concern.......
Clifton and Paulene.

Hi Cliff

Even though you don't have a scanner, I would be happy to scan photos for you if you would like to send them to me. But it's not urgent, and can wait until you return from your trip to Australia. Safe journey, and write and tell us about it on your return.
Best regards
Kath

Summer Silly Season

Although we are not in the midst of a heatwave/canicule, it seems nevertheless that we are in the midst of the Summer Silly Season. This week brought a spate of enquiries from people who seem to think that an exchange can be arranged at very short notice: for example, an enquiry from a young Italian lady who was interested in a hospitality exchange for a month to any city in the UK, but wishing to travel within the first few days of August; another from a young French person who very specifically wanted to visit Sitges for the month of August. With home exchange it is very necessary to think and plan ahead, and there is almost no chance of making arrangements for either home exchange or hospitality exchange at such short notice. Whilst this may appear to be discouraging, we nevertheless prefer to be honest and not mislead anyone on their chances of arranging a successful exchange unless they are prepared to give it adequate advance thought and preparation.

We also received an enquiry from a journalist at Le Parisien asking if we could put her in touch with someone who was currently on an exchange in Paris. Whilst I could put her in touch with numerous French GTI Home Exchange members who live in or around Paris and are offering exchanges to Paris, it is very difficult for us to know at any given point in time who is actually on an exchange in a specific location unless they have sent us a copy of their home exchange agreement. We do invite members to complete a brief home exchange agreement and to send us a copy in the event that they might wish to refer to it if they should ever need confirmation of their home exchange arrangement for travel insurance purposes for example, but very few members do take this precaution, and consequently we do not know who is where and when. A great pity as it would have been lovely to have been able to fulfill the journalist's request and have received the resulting publicity.

So, if there are any GTI Home Exchange members who are currently enjoying an exchange in Paris (and thankfully not during a canicule, as it can be very hot in Paris in August), or any Parisien members who are about to welcome home exchange guests to their home, please contact Violette Lazard at Le Parisien infos_actu@leparisien.com, or contact me, so that I may pass this information on.

Temporary Car Breakdown Cover in Spain

Once again the taxing question of car insurance, this time for temporary breakdown cover, poses a problem for GTI Home Exchange member Suzy Topolski HE13483. Suzy writes: "do you have any advice regarding getting breakdown cover on our Spanish exchange partner's car. She has annual personal cover.....so is even fine with our car in UK........... so we need to know if we can get temporary breakdown cover in our name for a Spanish registered car. It seems we are fine for insurance.
Thanks.

If anyone, and particularly perhaps one of our many Spanish members, has any information on this point, would you please kindly post a reply on the GTI Weblog, or if you do not feel confident with this, please send me an email and I will pass the information on to Suzy, as well as posting it on the weblog for the benefit of other members who may have the same difficulty in arranging temporary breakdown cover whilst abroad.

Kath Botterill

Fodor's Travel Guides

Newly registered GTI Home Exchange member, Pam Heaphey HE17085, mentioned the famed Fodor's Travel Guides in response to our question 'Where did you hear about GTI'? Curiosity aroused, I decided to take a look at Fodor's on-line. Whilst I could not find any direct reference to GTI Home Exchange, only our much more expensive competitors with membership subscription quoted in US$ being singled out for reference, I was impressed with the site and the amount of information available to travellers worldwide. It also offers the opportunity to register for their regular newsletter and really is worth a look.

Plea for Email Etiquette

An email received this morning from Lynn Armstrong HE15580 emphasises yet again how disappointing it is if members do not receive replies to their preliminary exchange enquiries: as Lynn says "it seems many members don't bother responding to exchanges proposed through the site! I don't know what the solution is, as to me it is only a matter of etiquete to say no, thanks!". I couldn't agree more, Lynn, and we repeatedly stress how important this is in our communications. Even if a member is not interested in a proposed exchange, they should reply as promptly as possible, so that the member knows the position and can continue looking for other compatible exchanges.

GTI Newsletter Summer 2005

The GTI News Summer 2005 was posted on the web-site on 30th June, just before we lost our telecommunications for approximately 10 days owing to a severe storm. We are pleased to say that this did not prevent it being distributed to those of you who are on the GTI Newsletter mailing list, having registered to receive the Newsletter via email. If for any reason you have not received your copy, (ie you may have changed your registered email address, or your mailbox may be full), you may view it from the GTI Home Page by clicking on the GTI News link in the righthand menu.

Back in Touch

Owing to a severe storm and lightning which struck our main telephone cable approximately ten days ago, we have regrettably experienced an unprecented break in our communications, and have been unable to access the internet, receive emails or telephone calls from members and prospective clients during this period. Whilst we very much regret this break in our service, there was regrettably nothing that we could do about it and we were obliged to wait on the goodwill of the telephone company to re-instate our service. Fortunately, my daughter, Alison, now acting as our representative in the United Kingdom, was able to respond to many of your queries on our behalf. We are now back on-line, but do sincerely apologise for any inconvenience that this break in our usual high level of service may have caused.

A Pilgrimage to Cape Trafalgar

A Pilgrimage to Cape Trafalgar
by Seb Jay

A Pilgrimage to Cape Trafalgar

Once described as the most famous place on Earth that no one has ever been to, Cape Trafalgar near Cadiz in Southern Spain finds itself centre stage in 2005. On October 21st this year, two hundred years will have passed since one of the greatest naval battles in history took place in the seas around the Cape - The Battle of Trafalgar.

Fought between the British Royal Navy under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Franco-Spanish fleet headed by French Admiral Villeneuve, the Battle of Trafalgar was a pivotal moment in the long-running Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Napoleon was planning an invasion of Britain but to achieve victory he knew that he had to gain supremacy on the high seas. Although greatly outnumbered, Nelson pulled off a dramatic victory over Napoleon's fleet at Trafalgar, employing innovative maritime warfare tactics to surprise the enemy. This shattered Napoleon's dreams of a British invasion, forcing him to switch focus to a 'continental strategy' and ultimately bringing him to defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

Nelson though was to lose his life in the fray. He died aboard his beloved Victory battleship shortly after Villeneuve's fleet was defeated. To this day, Nelson is still recognised as one of Britain's greatest war heroes, his most famous memorial being Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London.

Cape Trafalgar in 2005

Today, Cape Trafalgar is an unassuming spit of land that juts out into the sea. Its sandy windswept shoreline leads down to a lighthouse at the head of the cape from where spectacular views of the coastline between Conil and Barbate can be enjoyed. Whether you're a sun worshiper, watersports enthusiast or just want to gaze out over the waters where Nelson grabbed his famous victory, Cape Trafalgar truly is an inspiring place to visit.

Getting to Cape Trafalgar

Cape Trafalgar is easily accessed off the main N340 Highway between Cadiz and Gibraltar. From Vejer de la Frontera take the CA-2141 or CA-2143 towards Los Canos de Meca. The Cape is then within easy reach of the town centre. Car hire can be booked in advance for pick up from Cadiz, Gibraltar and many other cities in Spain by visiting http://www.your-carhire.com

Seb Jay is a freelance copywriter specialising in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com

*****************************
Anyone with an interest in the history of the British Royal Navy, the bi-centenary of Trafalgar, or Lord Nelson, might find this home exchange offer from a Spanish GTI Home Exchange member of particular interest.


Lovely Andalusia style detached house located in one of the best zones in the south Spanish Atlantic coast, 200 metres away from a beautiful and peaceful white sand beach of several km of length surrounded by Mediterranean forest. The house is a second residence, has a 900m2 beautiful garden full of different ornament flowers and ancient trees and a swimming pool. It has four bedrooms, two complete bathrooms, one living-dining room with chimney and a full equipped independent kitchen. The main bedroom has a double bed, the other three have each two single beds.

The house has two lovely roofed porches with different orientations, ideal to have breakfast, lunch and dinner in almost every season of the year.

Wohnungtausch Frage????

Frage

Hallo, ist es möglich , auf ihrer
homepage nachzusehen, wer überhaupt erstmal interesse hat nach deutschland zu kommen. dann könnte man sich da etwas aussuchen. Dann wären die möglichkeiten wahrscheinlich schon ziemlich begrenzt, was ich bei der suche durchaus als vorteil sehe.
Mfg M. verhasselt

Antwort

Vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail. Es ist möglich, die Mitglieder zu suchen, die für besuchenen Deutschland sich interessieren, aber leider nicht von der Homepage. Um dieses zu machen, das Sie auf 'Search' auf der Homepage klicken müssen; Sie werden zur 'Basic Search' paginiert fortfahren. Klicken Sie auf 'Detailed Search' oben verlassen von dieser Seite, an der Advanced Search anzukommen. Tippen
Sie 'Deutschland' im Dialogkasten für 'Who wants to visit my area'?

Es gibt momentan 19 Mitglieder, die Deutschland als ein gewünschtes Reiseziel zitieren, und noch mehrere Zitierung Österreich.

Wenn ich von irgendeiner weiteren Hilfe sein kann, zögert bitte nicht, mich wieder zu berühren.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Kath Botterill
Green Theme International Home Exchange Holidays
Email: GTI_Home_Exchange@compuserve.com
http://www.gti-home-exchange.com

Answer in English

Thank you for your email. It is possible to search for those members who are interested in visiting Germany, but unfortunately not from the home page. To do this you must click on 'Search' on the home page; you will proceed to the 'Basic Search' page. Click on 'Detailed Search' at the top left of this page to arrive at the Advanced Search page. Type 'Germany' in the dialogue box for 'Who wants to visit my Area?'

There are currently 19 members who quote Germany as a desired destination, and several more quoting Austria.

If I can be of any further help, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

World Atlas

Kate Russell of BBC World's Clickonline recommended a great site this week: WorldAtlas.com. This is a superb resource aimed at helping parents, students, teachers and travellers alike.

Kate says "I liked the simple navigation and clear graphics here. On opening the homepage, the natural inclination is to click on an area of the map. Doing so takes you to a sub-menu for that continent and then you can select the country of interest". So for those GTI Home Exchange members whose world geography is just a little shaky, do take a look - and even if you think you know every corner of the globe, I'm sure you will find something of interest here.

World Atlas.com is published by the Woolwine-Moen group d/b/a Graphic Maps.

In der Fremde trotzdem zu Hause

In der Fremde trotzdem zu Hause
Cash DT, Sec. IMMOBILIEN HAUSTAUSCH, p 68 06-09-2005
By Von franz schaible

Wer in den Ferien Land und Leute kennen lernen will, tauscht sein Haus mit Gleichgesinnten.

Hausbesitzer können nicht nur bei den Steuern sparen. Sie können auch ihr Ferienbudget schonen. Möglich macht dies der Haustausch. Hohe Kosten für Hotel oder Ferienwohnung fallen weg.

"Wir haben mit dem Haustausch immer gute Erfahrungen gemacht", blicken Marcel und Ursula Huwyler-Dillier zurück: zurück auf fünfmal Ferien in den Häusern von zuvor unbekannten Leuten. Gemeinsam mit ihren Kindern Elias und Nicolas haben sie die schönsten Wochen des Jahres im Rahmen eines Haustauschs verbracht. Viermal in Frankreich und letztmals in Dänemark. Drei Wochen wohnten sie in Langeskov, einer Vorortgemeinde von Odense, der drittgrössten Stadt in Dänemark. Im Gegenzug weilte die dänische Familie, ebenfalls mit zwei Kindern, im Haus von Huwyler-Dillier in Altdorf.

Ein Exzerpt ungefähr hat Heimumtausch von einem deutschen Immobilie Zeitschrift Bargeld DT, Sec genommen. IMMOBILIEN HAUSTAUSCH, p 68 06-09-2005 Durch Von franz schaible

Great Time in New Zealand

Dear Kath

We have just completed another successful home exchange with a couple from New Zealand.

As on previous occasions this worked out very very well. We both enjoyed it, and it enabled us to see and do things we couldn't have done any other way. So many thanks for setting up this service you provide, and hopefully we will have the opportunity to use it again.

We have switched back to our usual e-mail address instead of hotmail.

Kind regards
John and Val

Scooting in Sydney

Talk about timing! I am reading your email at an internet cafe in Sydney. Tomorrow we fly to Brisbane to the home of our swap partners. Thanks for drawing my attention to the article by Jo Chambers. I can make use of her experience.

I have taken both my scooter and wheelchair on this trip, and so far it has been much easier than I expected. Although I have travelled with my scooter previously, I was warned that scooters are not as common in Australia as they are in most of Canada. So far, it has been all good news. We will be returning to Vancouver in mid July. If I can add to what Jo Chambers passed along, I will.

Thanks for writing. Regards, Virginia Krapiec (Joe is climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge as I write!)

Dear Mr & Mrs Krapiec

I hope that you do not mind my writing or feel that it is an intrusion on your privacy, but I see that since joining Green Theme International you have been successful in arranging a home exchange. I also noticed that Mrs Krapiec is of limited mobility. I don't know if you have already read the article by Jo Chambers in the GTI Newsletter and on the Weblog, entitled 'Have Scooter, Will Travel'? I hope that your trip (I'm not sure whether it's to UK or Australia?)is equally as successful as Jo's, and it would be great if you could also write us a short piece
for our next Newsletter similar to that submitted by Jo, as it does so much serve to encourage other people in a similar position to give it a try.

I hope all goes well with your home exchange holiday, wish you a safe journey, and look forward to hearing from you on your return.

Very best regards
Kath Botterill
Green Theme International Home Exchange Holidays
Email: GTI_Home_Exchange@compuserve.com
http://www.gti-home-exchange.com

Navigating London

an article by Chris Sherman, Associate Editor of Search Engine Watch

Although this article is intended to assist attendees at the SEW conference in London to find their way around when away from the conference hall, it contains excellent references and links to simplify navigating London, that I felt it would also be an invaluable resource for GTI members planning a visit to London.

"London offers wonderful opportunities for rambling exploration—but it's also easy to lose your bearings if you're not careful. Fortunately, the web offers some terrific navigation tools and maps to help you find your way.

London is a huge, sprawling city, and good maps are a necessity. Three good mapping services for London include:

• Multimap


• Streetmap.co.uk


• Quickmap - click to select maps to explore by foot, by bus or by tube

I think London one of the best cities in the world for taking endless walks, exploring neighborhoods that can date back hundreds of years. Fortunately, London's public transportation system makes it easy to get back to your starting point when the point of exhaustion takes hold.

Transport for London is the official page for information on just about every type of transportation available in London."

The rest of Chris Sherman's article on navigating London can be read here.

Accommodation in London

Question

Thank you very much for passing on my message, although I am not a GTI member yet. And I am still hesitating, because I wonder if I have a real chance of finding someone who is interested in a holiday in the north of Germany. When I look through the lists I only find 2 or 3 members who would like to go to Berlin or Munich. Could you give me good advice, please? How can I find a family in London who would take us as paying guests then?
Yours sincerely

Elfi Lindner

Answer
Dear Elfi

The best advice I can give you is to go to the website
http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-de-DE/index.aspx
and then
http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-de-DE/productsearch/accommodation/accomsearch.aspx
where you should be able to find information that will help
you to select somewhere to stay as paying guests.

Yours sincerely
Kath Botterill
Green Theme International Home Exchange Holidays
http://www.gti-home-exchange.com

Adding Rental option to my Home Exchange listing

Question
Hello I'm a member of Green Theme and we are doing an exchangue during July. I was wondering since the apartment will be free in August, and we don't want to do an exchange, can I offer it for rent?
Thank you, M.Strova

Answer
Dear Sig.na Strova

Thank you for your email and your question regarding
your apartment which will be vacant during August.
Yes, you may certainly offer it for rental during that
month on the web-site. You simply need to login at:

http://www.gti-home-exchange.com/ihea/memberlogin.cfm

using your email address and password. When you arrive
in your own Member Area, click on the link
'View/Amend my Details' which will bring up your registration
form. Scroll down the form until you see the various exchange
options under Type of Exchange, and click on the box
'Rental offered'.

It would be advisable to add how much the rental
is further down your listing in one of the Description boxes,
indicating whether it is per week/per month.

There is no additional charge for adding this extra option
to your listing, which I hope results in a let for you for the
month of August, when the apartment is not required by
your family.

If you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate
to contact me again..

Yours sincerely
Kath Botterill
Green Theme International Home Exchange Holidays
Email: GTI_Home_Exchange@compuserve.com
http://www.gti-home-exchange.com

'Do you have a story to tell'

Looking back through the GTI Archives, I came across the following article written by Wendy Painter way back in September 1994, long before the internet became such an important part of every day life for many and made it so much easier to make contact with likeminded people interested in home exchange. The New Zealand Outlook publication had asked the question ‘Do you have a story to tell’, which prompted Wendy to turn her hand to journalism and write to them about her exchange trip which was published in September 1994.

“Celebrating an Anniversary”

“Our journey of a lifetime – and it took nearly a lifetime to make the trip.

In May 1992 we celebrated our 34th Wedding Anniversary, having both retired. I remarked to my husband that our next Anniversary would be a Coral one and I would like some, not of course from a reef, but to pick it up from a beach in Fiji on our way to realise our life’s ambition to see New Zealand. Green Theme International put us in touch with a family in Wellington who wanted to visit relations in the UK.

It was all arranged via letters, photographs and the odd phone call, and finally we departed from Gatwick in September 1993 en-rout to Fiji via Los Angeles. We couldn’t believe how easy it all was. Having previously only been out of the UK once as far as the Canary Islands, this was quite an adventure.

We spent seven weeks in New Zealand living in a lovely wooden house in Wellington (typical of the houses in New Zealand), whilst its owners were in our house in Cornwall. We were met and made very welcome by their parents, whilst our son was welcoming our exchange partners to Cornwall.

While in New Zealand we hired a camper van, another new experience, and travelled as far as 90 Mile Beach, which is quite a long journey from Wellington in North Island. The country was as beautiful as we expected, and the people were so friendly and kind to us. We have nothing but praise for Air New Zealand and the cabin crew.

When we got back to England our family informed us that they would like to emigrate and if the Government approved our application, would we go with them? You bet! So here we go again with Air New Zealand via Fiji of course.”

Shortly after this before she and her family departed permanently for New Zealand, Wendy Painter called in to our office to show me her published article, and photographs etc of their home exchange trip. I have often wondered over the years how they all settled down and whether they ever did an exchange in the reverse direction at a later date?

Discover the magical capital of Galicia in Northwest Spain

Santiago de Compostela - World Heritage Site in Spain
by Seb Jay

Far away from the popular Spanish Costas is one of Spain's most striking World Heritage Sites - Santiago de Compostela. The city is situated in the Celtic heartland of Northwest Spain and is surrounded by mesmerizing countryside landscapes that would be more at home in Southern Ireland or Scotland. A beautiful city in its own right, Santiago de Compostela was assured of its status as a tourist magnet many centuries ago. The Apostle Saint James - the first of the twelve apostles to suffer martyrdom - is said to have been buried here, and since the 10th century AD the city has been a focus for the pilgrimage along the Way of the Apostle Saint James.

Today, the final two weeks of July in Santiago de Compostela is a procession of festivities, the 'main event' being the annual Festival of the Apostle St James on 25 July. For tourists, this is perhaps the best time to visit the city as the whole place comes alive. There are fireworks, street entertainers, exhibitions, concerts and stalls offering as much local produce and delicacies as you can manage. On the 25th there is the religious ceremony in honor of St James - the King's Offering to the Apostle.

When visiting Santiago de Compostela it is impossible not to be impressed by the astounding architecture around the city. Elaborate stonework is everywhere, with examples of romanesque, medieval, gothic and renaissance architecture dominating the skyline. At its historic heart is the Parador de Turismo de Santiago in the Plaza del Obradoiro - the most impressive of all the architectural designs in the city.

Getting There

Santiago de Compostela airport provides easy access to the city for international travelers. Domestic and international flights from cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and London arrive at the airport with some regularity. The city is approximately 12km from the airport so booking a hire car in advance at http://www.your-carhire.com for pick up at the airport is advisable.

Seb Jay is a freelance writer specialising in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com

7 Things You'll Need When Visiting Paris for the First Time...

As we now have many home exchange offers located in Paris, and doubtless many American members will be interested in these offers, it seemed appropriate to include in the weblog the following article from Tourist Travel.com
by Thomas Schueneman


1 - Your Passport
Of course, but if you like to collect stamps in your passport, you'll have to ask...

2 - A Little French
Yes, it is true that many Europeans speak English... But you're in France, after all, and you'll go a long way in avoiding the famed "snootiness" of the French if you learn -and use - some basic French phrases... They'll love to help you as you stumble along in really bad French!

3 - A Map...
If nothing else, you can stand there, hopelessly lost on a Parisian street corner, and stare at your map... someone is sure to offer to help. Make sure you say "Bonjour and Merci..."

4 - An Umbrella...
"April in Paris" sounds romantic. It's an American myth that April in Paris is the most lovely time to visit. May is better, but always expect some rain and always be prepared for changeable weather! The sun might be shining when you leave your hotel, but it might start raining any time!

5 - Something besides jeans and sneakers...
That's fine for walking around and seeing the sights of Paris. But when dining out, show respect for the dining experience that the French take so seriously... Dress for dinner, and you're likely to get treated a lot better (remember those few French phrases you learned on the plane ride over...)

6 - Your Cigarettes...
Are you a smoker? Then you'll love Paris! Smoking is allowed pretty much everywhere... If you're not smoker, then you'll just have to put up with the second hand smoke... Don't even THINK of complaining about it!

7 - A Sense of Adventure...
Ahh... Paris, the City of Lights; the City of Love... All around are wonders of culture and history. Be a little curious and adventurous and you'll find no lack of wonderful things to see, do, and enjoy. Paris is arguably the most beautiful city in Europe, enjoy it's wonders with a sense of adventure...




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Tom lives in San Francisco and works as a sound engineer, freelance writer, and entrepreneur. He enjoys traveling, nature, reading, photography, and music

Join the Summer Holiday Swap Shop

So you want to have beach views from a Sydney apartment, be seconds from snow-covered slopes in a Swiss chalet or paddle in the pool of a villa in Provence? Well, pick your fantasy picture postcard and bag a free holiday home. From Parisian studio apartments to 10-bedroom Moroccan villas they won’t cost you a penny. The catch? While you’re living the high life in a free luxury pad, your own home is under siege back in Blighty.

Welcome to the worldwide home exchange club where it’s estimated more than 250,000 swaps take place every year, according to Channel 4 Homes. Some just exchange house keys, but others trade cars, pets, gym memberships and even best friends to create a budget holiday that includes every luxury.

And with more people surfing the internet, the worldwide swap shop is growing. For the humble price of membership, online exchange agencies facilitate holidays as far afield as Asia, Iceland and Australia.

Cut-price airfares and the absence of hefty accommodation bills can take you further around the globe – and ensure your spending money lasts the distance.

This is a quote from an article in The Scotsman - 6th May 2005
By Lisa Haynes, PA Features. Click here to read the full article

Last Minute Home Exchange List

Question?
Hello, Why do we have 28 days left on the list? I thought we paid for a
year? Thanks for the reply. Rayne

Answer
Dear Rayne

Thank you for your email. Your membership is for a
full year. The '28 days left on the list' refers to the
Last Minute List to which you must have added yourselves
(perhaps inadvertently?).

The system allows you to place yourselves on this
countdown list for a period of 31 days to give your
listing an additional boost, if you are getting close to
your desired exchange dates and have not yet found
a suitable exchange. Once the 31 days have expired
you are automatically taken off the list, and if you
still want to boost your listing it is necessary to
add yourselves to the Last Minute List again from
within your own administrationarea by clicking
on the hyperlink 'Boost my Listing'.

The Last Minute List is obviously intended for use
by those members who are seeking exchanges at
comparatively short within the next 3 month period
and we do, of course, have to rely on members to
use the list appropriately.

Best regards
Kath Botterill

Show ages of Children in Home Exchange party?

Question?

Hi

I first discovered your site a few weeks ago, and printed off some details that really interested me. I have come back to join up, in order to contact one particular listing (HE15187). However, I hadn't noticed that their listing was due to expire on 22 April 05. If I become a member, would you be able to pass on an email to those owners on my behalf? The property appealed not only because of its location but because of the ages of their children.

May I say that I think your site is excellently organized and presented. The only improvement I would suggest is that in the info box where members list their personal details, in the "Children" box, instead of just stating number of children, they should state the age of the children, too. For me this is the single most important factor (after the location of the property) that I am interested in, as the attraction of home-exchange for me is finding a truly child-friendly house well stocked with toys, books, videos, etc that will keep my little kids happy.

With best wishes.
Melissa Graham

Answer

Dear Melissa

Thank you for your email. There would be no problem in passing on the email address of the member in Majorca whose listing has just expired, once you become a member.

Thank you also for your feedback regarding the information provided on children and that the ages of children should be shown. I will bear your suggestion in mind when we come to carry out our next imminent upgrade on the site. I must say that I agree with you that it is information that is very necessary when making the decision as to whether the prospective exchange partners will be compatible with your family.

Yours sincerely
Kath Botterill

Home again!

I am back in harness after an enjoyable 2½ weeks
in England's Lake District, which in April/May
looks as beautiful, clean and well cared for as
ever. It was nice to see the hedgerows being
managed and cared for, and as a result the
wildlife and wild flowers are flourishing. So
until the next time .......

A pity I did not notice Blogger.com's new
facility for mobile blogging sooner - I could
have added some blog articles whilst on the
move ...

Now back to work!

House- and Pet-Sitting Exchange

"Oh! to be in England now that April's there"

As a result of our recent reciprocal House-, Granny- and Pet-sitting arrangement, it is now the turn of our house-sitting partners to care for our house and our two golden retrievers, Gemma and Charlie. Necessity dictates that we need to be in England for a short time, and whilst we are extremely reluctant to leave our dogs behind, Gemma is now such a senior old lady that it really is the only sensible thing to do. With this type of arrangement, the preparation, information and advice that it is necessary to leave for your house and pet carers is much the same as for a home exchange and takes careful preparation.

Although I shall be out of the office for approximately eighteen days from 19th April, I shall not be completely out of touch and will be available to answer any home exchange queries you may have via email.

Long Term Exchanges

"They sailed away for a year and a day"

I have noticed recently a slight increase in the number of people enquiring about or registering details for Longer Term Exchanges.

A former member wrote: “You may remember that I was one of your clients for house exchange in New Zealand, back in 1999/2000. I am writing to enquire if “Green Theme” is still operative, because we might be interested in looking for a house exchange again in New Zealand, this time for a year in Christchurch?”

We are, of course, very much still operative and happy to help people in finding an extended stay arrangement. However, when I receive enquiries about long term exchanges I do try to qualify my reply and be really realistic about the possibilities because there are far fewer people seeking long term exchanges than shorter term holiday exchanges. In addition, people seeking longer term exchange opportunities very often have very specific reasons for wishing to re-locate for a year or so: ie for work, for study purposes, to research a locality with a view to possible re-location, friends or family already living in the area etc. They are therefore much more likely to be very precise about their destination and to have other very specific criteria such as proximity to schools and standard of education facilities, accessibility to international schools if language is a barrier, availability of language schools, health facilities, ease of access to work location etc. When people do intend to work there can also be visa and other immigration implications for some destinations for stays of longer duration.

Of course some of the above criteria do not apply to retired people who are likely to be the most flexible group in the long term exchange category. I do not mean to put people off seeking long term exchanges: it is not impossible and if the criteria on both sides match up, it can work out extremely well and make possible in economic terms something which would be impossible by any other means.

Here are a few links to the listings of members who have recently joined seeking long term exchanges:
HE16702 House in PENCLAWDD, SWANSEA, WALES
HE16706 House in FORRESTERS BEACH, NSW, AUSTRALIA
HE16710 House in SOUTH PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
HE16713 House in MEDFORD, OREGON, USA

Seniors and Home Exchange

Senior Exchanges
I have never been keen on pigeon-holing people into groups, but the marketing gurus tell us that ‘segmentation’ is the only way to be really successful in business communications. I have to admit that certain groups do display very distinct characteristics successful marketers use to their advantage. Home exchange for example is particularly suited to senior citizens and early retirees who are free to travel as and when they choose, who often wish to stay longer than the conventional holiday period, but who also have to consider a smaller budget than might previously have been available for their holidays and travel. Moreover, Seniors, with their years of experience and self-confidence, are often the most intrepid of travelers.

Probably the most successful exchanges occur when ‘like’ exchanges with ‘like’; ie between seniors. To facilitate ‘networking’ (another favourite buzz word in our technological age) between members of this group, we recently introduced a new icon ‘S’ to be seen on the Summary Listings, and a new Advanced Search on the Detailed Search page.

GTI Spring 2005 Newsletter

The Spring issue of the GTI Newsletter, published at the end of March, is now available on the web-site and has been distributed to Newsletter-online subscribers. Topics in the newsletter
included GTI Home Exchange member Louise Collette's article,
-- A First Home Exchange Experience
-- A Review of Member Features on GTI Home Exchange
-- Home Exchange Email Etiquette
-- The Great Debate - Open or Registered Access to Home Exchange Sites
-- The Email Address Merry-go-Round
-- Advertise on our Rental by Owner Web-site
-- GTI Weblog Discussion Items

My Place for your Place.....

This week we were delighted to receive a letter from Nancy Dunnan, publisher of Travel Smart, advising us that Green Theme International Home Exchange is recommended in their current issue.

TravelSmart selects Green Theme International as “having the most imaginative search and match services: boating, fishing, golf, horseback riding, tennis, walking, car exchange disabled access, pet care, seniors”, to name but a few .

The article errs on the cautious side of home exchange and suggests, “if you wish to eliminate hotel bills by exchanging your home or apartment for someone else’s, start well in advance; it can be a lengthy process. And keep in mind that although a picture may be worth a thousand words, a picture can also be deceiving. So ask questions. As for additional photos. Ask for references. And, if possible, ask a friend to check out the house or apartment in person".

TravelSmart, in its 29th year, is the oldest consumer travel newsletter in the US. “We tell savvy people how to travel the world. We do not accept advertising and therefore report about travel issues without prejudice. As a result, our readers trust (and act upon) our recommendations and we have an unusually high renewal rate – over 60”.”

Thank you, Nancy, for the recommendation, and we are pleased to link to your web-site:
TravelSmart so people can get additional information.

The Great Debate - Open or Restricted Acces Home Exchange Web-sites

We occasionally receive emails from prospective members who query why the GTI Home Exchange web-site does not allow casual browsers on the site (ie non-members) to send exploratory enquiries to members, thereby broadening their home exchange possibilities. This could be done without revealing members' personal contact information. So why not? Where's the risk?

Our view has been that by opening all our listings to the public the whole database becomes casually 'surfed' and dilutes the overall success of our members in finding an exchange. We feel that our nominal membership fee helps to ensure a participant who is seriously committed to the concept of home exchange travel, and as a result our members enjoy a very high rate of successful swaps. Our high ratio of regularly subscribing members who renew their membership year on year is evidence of this. We understand that members of clubs which are open access often have a more difficult time arranging an exchange, with the need to weed out the many responses received which are just inquisitive and exploratory, and not necessarily genuine and motivated.

However, we are always keen to listen to members' points of view and would welcome discussion on this issue.

No Internet Access - Can I still list my home for exchange

Q:Dear GTI Home Exchange

I don’t have internet access at home as yet, although we hope to set this up shortly. Is there a way I can list my home for exchange now and see other people’s listings?

hello GTI home exchange,

We have a question, is it possible to take care of a house (for instant in Italy) without exchange with our own house? Is there a list for it? Must we be a member of your organisation for this. I hope, you will soon react,
M Weeber, The Netherlands

A: You do need to have access to the internet to view listings on the GTI Home Exchange website and to be a member to see the contact information for other members in your own member area once you join, but this does not necessarily mean that you have to have access from a home computer, as there are now a number of alternatives. Many libraries provide public internet access at very low rates, some employers allow some personal surfing time at work too,
and there are also numerous internet cafes, even in the most remote locations, so check out what is available in your area. Jo Chambers (HE14242) who wrote our weblog article "Have Scooter, Will Travel”, about her trip to Australia, says “I do this in the library “, and added “I hope more people get inspired to put their experiences on line”.

GTI Home Exchange business is occasionally carried out from more remote locations if the necessity arises. In fact we are currently operating from a computer in a small village in the Creuse department of France, where we are house-sitting and looking after two lovely standard French poodles, whilst there owners are away on holiday in Dubai. (Incidentally, house-sitting is another option included on the membership form, which can be offered using the GTI Home Exchange system).

So to answer M Weeber's query from The Netherlands:
House sitting is an optionn which can be offered alone or in conjunction with other alternatives when you fill in the membership registration form. But it is not requested or offered as frequently as home exchange, so it is more difficult to set up this arrangement, especially if you are seeking a very specific location.
It is necessary to be a member to participate whether it is for home exchange or
housesitting, as by becoming a member you have access to the contact details of all other members.

Joining Green Theme International Home Exchange

QUESTION: After partially filling in your membership registration form Join Now, I intentionally stopped the exercise since I had not got photos available.
Can I register now and have my listing released and add some photos later?
Eugene Flaherty.

ANSWER: Yes, of course. You can complete your registration
without the need to go through the whole process of completing the membership application form again by pasting this URL in the address line of your browser:

http://www.gti-home-exchange.com/ihea/memberlogin.cfm

Login with your email address and the password which you
created when previously filling out the membership application form.

This will take you to your own form. Click on 'Continue' at the bottom of the form to save the details you have entered to our database, and then proceed to the payment page to complete your subscription with a secure credit card transaction.