Travel the Home Exchange Way can include Riding your Bike

Congratulations, Paris, for the introduction of the 'velib' service. Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Multi pick up and drop off location points allow you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another.

The Vélib’ Service Points are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They are located 300 meters apart, consisting of terminals and stands for fastening the bikes.

At the Vélib terminal you can:

- Hire a bike
- Take a short term subscription using your bank card (1-day or 7-day Vélib’ Ticket)
or take out an annual Vélib subscription.
- Find out information on how to use Vélib’ and access information regarding our services
- Consult a map for a nearby Vélib’ Service Points
- Top up your annual Vélib’ card using a bank card

Every Vélib’ station is equipped with roughly twenty bike stands (the exact number has been determined depending on the location of the Service Point and the estimated level of use).

The Bike Stands consist of :

Bike locking mechanism
Pilot light (the color of the pilot lights lets you know whether the bike is available or not)
Card Reader

Even better, if you subscribe for a Vélib’ Account they give you the first 30 minutes of each journey free of charge. The Vélib’ Bike Card allows you to make an unlimited number of journeys for one year. Cost of journeys longer than 30 minutes will be debited from your Vélib’ account. Top up your card anytime at Vélib’ terminals near you or on the web using a bank card.

Of course it takes a little nerve to ride a bike through a big city, but think how much more easily you can stop at will and take a closer look at the sights, whilst doing your bit for the environment!

Dream Home Exchange Holidays for all the Family

Exchange on Island of Arabella, south of Venice, Italy


Dear Kath,

This year I'm trying to arrange a double linked swap in Ireland in summer or, second option, in Denmark. Due to the fact that this year I can't ask my father, as last year, to supervise the cleaning and the checking that all is OK at the end of the stay of the first family and before the arrival of the second, I need that one of the two swaps be non simultaneous, that means, that one family must come in my second home in Albarella - stay and live, before my departure or after my return. Looking at Ireland in our GTI I found listed only 37 homes and if I remember well, no second homes. Anyhow for the first swap I’m in contact with a GTI home/family in Dublin.

Only due to this fact - linked to a my particular situation and requirement - I feel me forced to move to another home exchange web site, maybe Home For Exchange. On the contrary last year Green Theme International did me the opportunity to do a double linked swap in London (more that 157 entries) - the first swap of my life and dream holidays for all my family.

I'm really grateful to GTI and I cherish it. I think also that Green Theme is a really beautiful Home Exchange web site, fine, welcoming and with a very nice design. GTI is also easy for all, well functioning and not expensive (thanks for the discount offered).

If of interest, GTI can feel free of keeping listed my home listing HE19622 and give to interested members my e-mail. Anyway consider me please at complete disposal for the present and future.

Very kind regards and thanks for the important work done since 1989.

Alessandro

P.S.: apologize me for my bad English

Dear Alessandro

Thank you for your email and for the very kind comments that you have made about GTI and our web-site. Of course, I am disappointed that we are not able to offer you a great selection of homes in Denmark to facilitate the double linked exchange in Ireland and Denmark that you are seeking this summer.

Naturally I am also disappointed that you feel it necessary to join a competitor agency, Home for Exchange. As this agency is based in The Netherlands, it may well be able to provide more opportunities for you in nearby Denmark. It certainly has a very attractive and innovative web-site regularly introducing some very nice features. However, it has not been operating for many years (only since 2005) and in order to achieve the number of listings it now claims, the owner did indulge in some dubious practices at the outset, such as pirating other agencies listings, or offering free listings. (See earlier blog item The Home Exchange Poacher posted on the GTI Home Exchange Travel blog on 16 December 2005.)

We have always found that the agencies which offer free listings are never as effective as those clubs which require people to have paid a small sum to participate, because they encourage many people who are not so committed to home exchange to list their homes with many free sites just to see what offers turn up without they themselves having to put in any effort. Many people who join free sites even seem to forget which ones they have in fact joined, as we have found on a number of occasions when people have mistakingly contacted us with their queries, or to say that they are not receiving replies from a particular listing which turns out not to be one of ours anyway. Now that Home for Exchange has become more established, it no longer offers free listings, but nevertheless unless I am mistaken, I don't think the listings on the site display when their members joined and when their listings are due to expire as do those on GTI. In contrast on GTI Home Exchange we prefer to be totally transparent about when a member joined and therefore how old the listing is, and consequently how active the members are likely to be in genuinely seeking exchanges.

Anyone reading my comments may feel that it all sounds a little like 'sour grapes' (I don't know whether you know that expression in Italy?) because you are finding it necessary to register with another club this year in order to find an exchange in Denmark. But in order that you may be able to make a true comparison between our two agencies, I would like to offer you an extension of six months to your membership in the hope that at a later date you wish to renew your membership and can continue to benefit from our discount for renewing members.

Once again, thank you so much for your very encouraging comments about us.

With very best regards
Kath

We’d love to home exchange, but . . . .

‘We’d love to home exchange, but we don’t think we live in an area which will attract much interest.’ Despite emphasising again and again that there are many reasons why people might want to stay in the most unlikely destinations, such as to visit family or retrace their roots, I often hear statements such as this. If someone with this point of view takes the time to think laterally, there are other possibilities – they could offer their services as housesitters, for example.

‘But are there many people seeking homesitting?’ The answer is yes: whilst not so prolific as those seeking direct home swaps perhaps, there are many reasons why someone might seek this alternative. They might be going on a conventional holiday for a change, taking a cruise, visiting friends or relatives, or even have exchanged their second home rather than their principal residence for their holiday, and would most definitely prefer that their home is occupied during their absence rather than left empty.

Green Theme International Home Exchange members, the Oostveen family who live in HARDERWIJK, Gelderland THE NETHERLANDS HE19888 are eager to provide homesitting services and this is how they describe their offer:

“We're a Dutch family with two well-behaved children who are very fond of farm holidays and quite crazy about animals. It would be great if we could help someone out by doing housesitting and looking after animals while enjoying the countryside.”

As you can see, the Oostveens are not just offering to housesit, but they are also willing to look after animals. Unfortunately, because they are not listing a property for exchange but a service, there is no photograph accompanying their listing, which might attract more attention to it. In these circumstances, it would be nice to include a picture of the housesitting group with the listing.

Because housesitting does not embody the concept of mutual trust as in home exchange where each party is occupying the other’s home, I would always recommend that before allowing anyone into your home to housesit, that you try to obtain at least some references as to their trustworthiness and ability. A considerable time ago my husband (who had had previous experience of working with animals in his youth and later on on our smallholding in Cornwall) undertook the milking for a neighbouring farm whilst they went to visit their family in Canada and it all worked very well. But, of course, the responsibility is so much greater when it applies to a farming situation, and this should be borne in mind before embarking on such an exchange
too lightly.

Member Messaging Changes at GTI Home Exchange

A recent email from GTI Home Exchange member Shane, indicated that he may have been confused by the recent changes to our member messaging system when he sent us the following message:

"I am a current member and I am concerned that "recently contacted" is not showing all. Afraid I will contact a member more than once! What are the perameters? Does it show up to a 100? Only last 30 days? Please advise. Thanks.

Love your site. Have had 3 exchanges from it."

Whilst full details of the changes have been posted within the Site Administrator's Message in the Members' Area on the web-site: in case some members have missed the details about these changes, we are repeating them again here.

Site based messages between members

For your security, and to protect your privacy, all contact with other members is now done from your member area. Your sent and received messages are stored there in folders (Inbox and Sent messages). Your on-going correspondence with each member is stored separately for easy reference. Please note: as all contact information you entered on your form (email, phone, fax, mailing address) is hidden, you choose when you are ready to provide contact details to another member.

New message alerts by email

Whenever there is a new message for you (a reply to a message you sent or a message from another member), you will receive a brief email, with the subject line, New Home Exchange message for you from HExxxxx, to alert you to log on to your member area to read and reply to the message.

A few new message alerts may end up in junk folders by mistake and so it is important to skim through all mail in your junk folder before deleting it if possible. It's tedious but, until there are better filters that can sort all legitimate messages from the masses of unsolicited mail, there may be a few 'good' messages that need to be rescued from your junk folder and moved to your in-box. If you can't check through your junk folder, be sure to log on to your member area regularly to check and read any recent messages you may have overlooked.

Home exchange offer messages

When first contacting a member with your exchange offer, use the form at the bottom of the member's listing. If you have compiled a standard exchange offer message and saved it on your computer, you can copy and paste it into the form and then personalise the message before sending. The subject line is already completed and includes your User ID so the member can easily find your listing. When you have finished your message, click Submit. As soon as your message has been sent, you will see the member's User ID under the Recently contacted list in your member area. You can save a record of up to 20 messages sent at a time and delete any you don't want to keep by clicking the 'x' beside it.

After receiving my response to his email, Shane followed it up with:

"Thanks for your response. I thought I was going crazy! Look forward to the new changes. Because of the low storage on recently contacted I was starting to really zoom in based on advanced search because I was afraid to become a pesky American to your members. The ideal improvement might be to note that a listing has already been contacted when searching. At this stage I'm not sure if Shane's suggestion is possible, but we will certainly look into it. The new messaging system does allow the recording of message threads, so perhaps this will assist Shane in keeping track of the results of his communications.

Discussion Point

Do you feel that the number of "Recently contacted" messages stored, ie 20 messages, is adequate? Please let us know your views!

Stepping into the Unknown

The above is the title of a recent article about home exchange in the Evening Standard Homes and Property magazine, published on 5th September. Although the article emphasises London's global popularity and that therefore home owners living there should find it easy to swap their homes and get their dream holidays free, it is a way to make the most of your investment in your home wherever you live. While those living in London and the home counties have easy access to a choice of airports to take them to such exotic destinations as India, Brazil and Costa Rica;



in effect a veritable worldwide choice of exciting destinations to be found when browsing through the lists of swaps on the Green Theme International Home Exchange web-site, those visiting the capital on a home exchange basis will be saving enormously on their costs too.

The article quotes "The hurdle is accepting people you have never met will be living in your home, eating off your china, and possibly, even driving your car, if that is part of the deal." People who are having difficulty facing up to this might find it encouraging to obtain a copy of the Home Exchange Academy e-book that I reviewed yesterday by Athena Rickby who has had experience of more than forty exchanges over 25 years.

Lastly, there is, of course the cost of membership of one of the many home exchange agencies now in existence, and which of them to choose. Home-swap companies annual charges range from £25.00 to more than £100.00, depending upon how many photographs you want in your listing. But there is more to consider than just the fees charged, as Athena helps you to discover.

ENTER OUR HOME EXCHANGE COMPETITION - Closing date: 30/09/2007.

GTI Home Exchange is offering the prize of a free year's membership of Green Theme International Home Exchange chosen at random from entries identifying which of the companies mentioned in the Contact List published in the Homes and Property article charges just £25.00 for a 12 month membership subscription. Just forward your name and email address and your answer to admin@gti-home-exchange.com. A runner-up prize will be a copy of the Home Exchange Academy e-book reviewed yesterday on the GTI Home Exchange Travel blog.

Home Exchange Academy

Having previewed a copy of this new e-book on Home Exchange written by Athena Rickby, 25 year veteran of 40+ home exchanges, I found it to be well written in a clear, concise style and with very useful content for prospective home exchangers.

As Athena herself says: "From my personal observations, there is a host of potential home exchangers who continually "window shop", but always hesitate from joining a club at the last minute because they suffer from the "what if" syndrome. Home Exchange Academy goes to great lengths to allay their unfounded fears. Also, a great many of those that have committed to joining a club never make use of that membership fully. They enter some information initially, then seemingly forget all about it. They don't realize there's so much more they could be doing to attract interest and invite inquiries."

Other books published in the past tend to have leaned towards promoting one or other of the major clubs to the exclusion of the competition. Athena's book is impartial and she merely hopes that her book will help other home exchangers make better use of their club memberships.

To give you a taste of what the book contains and how useful it could be to novice home swappers, here is a list of Contents:

Introduction 6
What Is A Home Exchange 8
Who Exchanges Homes 9
Bonus Features 9
My Own Experiences 10
How Home Exchanging Began 11
Selecting Your Home Exchange Club 12
The Major Differences 13
How their members are contacted 13
Paid Memberships or Free 15
Directory Based Clubs 15
Points System / Full Service Clubs 16
How Do You Find A List of These Clubs 17
How On Earth Do You Decide 18
Clubs' Home Pages 18
Membership Fees 19
Clubs' Published Contact Information 19
Listings' Published Start and End Dates 19
Some Clubs' Inflated Membership Figures 20
Hiding Your Contact Information 21
Privacy Policy 21
Listing Demographics 22
Additional Customer Support 22
Guarantees 22
Evaluate Your Selections 23
Test Them! 23
Call their Customer Service 23
Send questions to their email address 24
The Adventure Begins 24
A few tips 24
How should you set up your listing 25
Illustrate your listing with good photographs 27
Children and pets 28
Your location 28
Your own Home Exchange Web Site 29
Contact Between Members 30
Receiving Inquiries and Replies 32
Declining Inquiries 33
Your listed email address 34
Developing likely inquiries 34
References 35
A Written Agreement 36
Car Exchange 36
Sample Car Exchange Agreement 37
Payments 38
Pets 38
Watering Plants 38
Clarification 39
It's A Matter of Trust 39
Perfection rarely happens 40
Sample Home Exchange Agreement 42
The Next Step 46
Preparing Your Home 46
Family Treasures and Irreplaceable Items 47
Your Insurance 47
Pets 48
Your Home Exchange Book 48
Sample Home Exchange Book 50
Warning 60
My Ten Golden Home Exchange Rules 60
General Tips and Advice 61
In Conclusion 65

For anyone contemplating a home swap for the first time, this book has a wealth of information and valuable references. To obtain a copy of the Home Exchange Academy e-book from Green Theme International Home Exchange the cost is just GB£10.00 or Euros 14,50. GTI Home Exchange members based in the USA may obtain the e-book direct from Athena's Home Exchange Academy web-site.

School Holiday Dates

With travel and accommodation costs of a holiday abroad constantly spiralling upwards, it is hardly surprising that more and more families are turning to home exchange as a way of enjoying a holiday abroad at minimum cost.

But as families with children usually wish to swap with other families, they sometimes find that differing school holiday dates can be a stumbling block. With the dates varying between countries, and even between regions within countries (eg France and Germany), it would be useful for everyone to have advance information of how their dates might be compatible.

Families contemplating a home swap with families in France might wish to consult the government issued 'calendrier scolaire' which shows the dates for all the holiday periods for each of the three regions into which the country is divided for the scholastic year.

The dates of public holidays in Germany vary considerably to those in the UK and Ireland - and there are more of them. By and large, they revolve around key events in the Christian calendar, but different Länder (federal states) have different holiday dates.

German school summer holidays are staggered so that while some children are off from the beginning of July to mid-August, others are free from the beginning of August to mid-September. The aim is to avoid over-congestion during the peak holiday season. Check the tables for who is off when in Germany.

If any members have information of easy reference points for school holiday dates in other countries, we would very much appreciate your posting the information on the weblog.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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

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...




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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