Please keep your email addresses updated

If you wish to make the most of your membership of GTI Home Exchange I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your email address and other contact details updated on your listing, so that other members may send you their exchange offers, and so that any enquiries automatically sent from the site using the Enquiry Form provided are delivered.

Adding Temporary Insurance cover to your Car Insurance

Dear Kath
Thankyou for your response - a few updates/bits of new information

- the insurer that I was having problems with is Morethan (part of Royal/Sun Alliance I think) and they told me that they have the same underwriting condition of 'Confirming that any additional driver has had more than 6 months driving in the UK in the last 5 years' (whether or not they were being asked to add a named UK driver and UK resident, a UK resident living overseas, or an EU resident, or a non EU resident).

I went to a brokers(Swinton) to ask them to see what other insurers would do. According to them, some insurers adopt a much more reasonable approach by allowing 'up to 28 days a year cover for any additional driver' (or drivers), however, as adding a driver consitutes a change of contract with the insurer, they would have to consider each driver circumstances individually before adding them, and work out the additional premium cost accordingly. I asked to see these policy terms in writing before making a move to this alternative insurer but they (& they suggested, any company) did not have this in writing as it was 'a temporary and negotiated contract change', nor could this company 'Broker Direct' guarantee whether or not at the time of the exchange (in our case July) that their underwriters would still adopt the same approach. The expected annual additional cost compared to my existing insurance was about another £40-£50 a year (on top of which would be the additional fee for adding a driver at the time (to be confirmed). Therefore I was recommended to stay with my cheaper insurer for the time being, and seek to reinsure at the end of June to find someone who was at that time willing to add named driver(s) as above!!

It is a catch 22 therefore. It may be that some swappers have company cars which may allow more comprehensive cover, but I don't know. As I imagine that most people like us are planning swaps Jan/March (or even before) for a summer swap, I am intrigued that anybody can make a hard & fast assurance that a car swap will be acceptable because their insurer may not until only a few weeks before, be able to confirm that they will do this.

Phew!

Anyway I will be telling my swappers that we should still go ahead with a planned car swap as part of our exchange but that I will ensure that I arrange this in the month prior to the swap as I do not think that I can do anything else.

The worst case scenario is of course that both or one party has to hire a car and book this a few weeks before and it may be that I am trying to confirm all possible arrangements too early....

Anyway. I hope that this helps. If there are any other more friendly (and cheap!!) insurers out there who are more in tune with house swapping, I would be pleased to hear from them!!
Neil

Destination Singapore

Whilst carrying out administration on GTI Home Exchange this morning, I was surprised to come across a rare unique exchange offer HE15123 from Singapore, which appears to be still available. If this suits anyone's requirements, perhaps even as a stopover en route for an exchange of longer duration in Australia, it would be a shame to miss it.

Our home is a tasteful 3 bedroomed, ground floor, apartment within a small 'boutique' complex which includes a pool/gym, manicured gardens and a small children's play area. You can view our residence by going to www.lotus-sanctuary.com.sg. Situated within 5 minutes of beautiful beach and park, 10 minutes from downtown Singapore, 10 minutes from the airport.....an ideal base for touring Malaysia (30 minutes by car). A chalet on one of the neighbouring Indonesian Islands (45 mins by ferry) is also available)..... The apartment is equipped to a high standard and fully air-conditioned. Main bedroom with ensuite and one more bathroom . Maid included if required. Apartment has own private and secluded deck and views of the beautiful quiet gardens.

Our party consists of two adults and two young (well behaved) children. Originally from the UK we have lived and worked in Asia for some 8 years now.

Home Exchange Favourites List

Q: Can you please tell me once I have put a listing in my favourites, how I can delete it if it becomes unavailable or proves unsuitable?
Margaret & Doug

A: Thank you for your query regarding using the Your Favourites list in your own Member Admin Area. When you click on the Your Favourites/Recently Contacted hyperlink to view the list, you will see that there is a Red Cross beside each item in the list, and just above the complete list a red cross which says X=delete. You just need to carefully click on the red cross beside the listing you wish to delete. This will leave the others intact, but will remove the one you wish to discard.

Any more queries, don't hesitate to ask. When sending your queries, don't forget to send us your Member ID No, so that we can make reference to your listing in the Weblog item. It's all additional publicity for your listing and may attract someone to join from exactly where you want to go.

Home Exchange Arranged

Q: I would like to tick the option "Exchange arranged", but I can't find the box. I've tried "View/Alter your details". Where else could it be?Thanks for answering.
J-M ARAGNOUET
HE 13440

A: Thank you for your message. The Exchange Arranged box is found by clicking on "View/Alter your details" in your own Member Administration Area. Clicking on this link brings up your Member Registration Form and the tick box for "Exchange Arranged" is at the top left just above the pictures.

Le Site du Guide Routard

C'était par hazard que j'ai trouvé ce site du Guide Routard quand il était recommandé par une nouvelle abonnée d'Échange de Maison Green Theme International. Voici vous trouverez "Toutes les informations pour préparer votre voyage". L'essayez vous!
« Rien de mieux qu’un détour par le site du Guide du Routard, qui donne de bonnes idées d’itinéraires ainsi que tous les liens utiles et même superflus pour l’organisation d’un séjour réussi loin du béton. » Tribune de Genève - Juin 2002

« Notre ami nomade reste une mine de renseignements incontournables sur le voyage, les visas et les pays à découvrir. Chaque mois, il vous propose un dossier sur une destination de choix. » Home PC - juillet-août 2001

« Un site qui propose un panorama complet pour s'élancer vers toutes les destinations : bons plans, achats en ligne, échanges d'expériences… Une rédaction de dix personnes enrichit au quotidien ce portail constitué de 5 rubriques. » Newcom - Juillet 2001

Car Insurance for Members from Another Country

Question: Hi there, we are in the process of completing two exchanges (hurrah!) and have come across a query with our car insurance which we had not expected. They are asking that any temporary driver has to confirm that they have had at least 6 months driving experience in the UK in the last 5 years.

Clearly many UK members offer car swaps in their details but I would expect few from other countries could meet this criteria that my insurer is asking for.
Ironically our new friends in France are telling me that it is no problem to have me set up as a driver with their car over the holiday.

I do not expect you at GTI to be insurance experts of course and every insurance company clearly has their own policy & underwriting criteria - I just wondered if any other members had flagged this as an issue to you?? Or is there a part of the GTI website where I can ask this question to find the names of other insurance companies who are more amenable to car swap arrangements??

Many Thanks Neil Rogers HE16210

Answer: It's great to hear that you have two exchanges lined up. Unfortunately I have never heard of the car insurance query that you mention either. As you say, each insurance company does have their own policy & underwriting criteria. Maybe an insurance company or broker reading the query which I have posted here on our GTI Home Exchange weblog will offer you an answer. I will also post a query on the Travel Forum at Insurance for Car Swap arrangements

French Leave / Filer à l'anglaise

Just a quick note to offer my apologies to GTI Home Exchange members and readers of the GTI Home Exchange weblog for the fact that there have been no additions to the weblog over the past 10 days. I have had a short spell in hospital experiencing at first hand the quality of the French Health System. The care I was given in the Neurological Unit of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Limoges by a young Professeur Neurosurgeon and his young Japanese Doctor assistant was second to none and the nursing and other staff of the hospital were excellent and very kind. The French should be justifiably proud of their 'Services Medicales' and anyone coming to visit for a holiday or live in the country may have no qualms about what care and attention they would receive in the event of need.

Alternative Holidays – Exchange Conversation for Accommodation in Spain’s Englishtown Project

How about a different type of exchange this year? The Exchange of Conversation. Be a volunteer at Englishtown and get to know Spanish culture firsthand.

Madrid, Spain -- For the last three years, over 3,000 people have participated in the unique English language immersion program known as Englishtown. Two venues, a 16th century abandoned village and a plush country-style hotel, play host to a non-stop eight-day intensive conversation program. English native speakers from all over the world come as volunteers to learn about Spaniards and their culture in return for their board and lodging while the Spaniards seek to improve their fluency in the quickest, most intensive manner possible on earth. The participants, both English-speakers and Spaniards, exchange culture, conversation, knowledge and friendship.

Englishtown was the brainchild of Richard Vaughan, a business student from Texas who came to Spain to teach English in the 70’s. “After a quarter-century of language training and experience, I realized no matter how many times a person is drilled on irregular verbs, the only way to truly understand a language is to actively practice it,” says Richard.

This led to the creation of Englishtown – eight-day immersion programs which include a cast of 20 Spaniards, 20 English-speakers from all over the world, a Master of Ceremonies to provide entertainment and a Program Director to enforce the only rule: No Spanish Allowed. All this for 15 hours a day, eight days and no stopping except for your daily siesta. Throw in a mix of activities such as conversations, scenic walks, games, meals and Spanish music and dancing, and somewhere in between the Spaniards find themselves blabbing away in English without having to stop, think and translate.

The idea was so innovative that it won the “Best Awards 2003” prize in Spain and has been featured on dozens of message boards that buzz about a deal almost “too good to be true”, travel guides, major publications and TV stations – CNN, Irish Times and Chicago Tribune to name a few. The lure is easy – English-speakers chat, play, walk, dine and wine with Spaniards with the beautiful backdrop of the Spanish countryside while Vaughan picks up the tab. Multinational clients such as Microsoft, Vodafone, Deloitte and Accenture send scores of executives to Englishtown finding it to be the ideal solution to their problem – a rapid, intense way to get their top directors speaking English.

Over the years, Englishtown has attracted volunteers from all walks of life: concert pianists, writers, CEO’s, social workers, backpackers, geologists, wandering musicians and students from a wide range of ages from 18 to 80 that coin it as having been one of the best, most enriching experiences of their lives. For more information visit www.vaughanvillage.com.

CONTACT: Nicole Escario Vaughan Systems +34-91-5914840 http://www.vaughanvillage.com Email: nescario@vausys.com

Ad#1 Advertise on our Rental by Owner Web Site

Is your Home Exchange home also a vacation rental property or holiday home? Are you aware that we also have a great "Rental by Owner" website, Holiday Homes Direct where you can advertise your property on a commercial basis for only GB£21.00 per year or Euro/US$ equivalent?

Even though the properties here are offered for rental and not home exchange, you can still have a very economical holiday by booking direct with the owner. Here are a couple of examples:

APARTMENT IN DALYAN, TURKEY from GB£217.00 per week 2 persons

Sedir is very quiet, fresh, natural location and has perfect mountain, forest views, next to Sedir there is unique worldwide known Liquidamber Orientale trees forest... For more information please visit Holiday Homes Direct Property ID 1260 or
Sedir Apart Hotel

or an apartment in SPAIN'S BENIDORM from GB£135.00 wk

10th floor in one of Benidorm's most sought after complexes at the quiet end of Poniente Beach. c500 meters from the sea, with a very large pool, our 1 bedroom apartment sleeps 4 in a gated, secure complex, ideal for families.Bedroom, with air-conditioning,lounge, with air-conditioning,dining area, fitted kitchen and bathroom.Stunning views from the balcony. Tennis Courts, gardens, poolside bar with food( summer months) make this an ideal base for all that Benidorm has to offer.NOW WITH 30 CHANNEL SATELLITE TV.Also a DVD player.Christine and I look forward to welcoming you as one of our guests. Collection service available from Alicante airport. For more information please visit Holiday Homes Direct Property ID 1263