Why would you want to holiday at home? We’re into travel… adventure! But with the world economy the way it’s been lately, you might find that your budget just won’t take a big international trip.

In the U.S., the press has even come up with a new word for this… “staycation” instead of vacation.

You still need a break from work, so…. you can find fun and adventure close to home. Plan something a little less ambitious this year and save money to get back out into the world next year.

I don’t know about you, but there really are quite a few fun things to do close to where we live; we just don’t take the time to do them.

At the same time, when we visit friends in other states or countries, we find that they take us to fun and interesting spots, but they say they never go because it’s so close to home. (more…)

You need to think about home exchange details for any vacation house swap to be successful.

You want to be trusting, but you also need to protect yourself.  The first thing you need to think about is which exchange club to use.  You need to see what they specialize in, because most do specialize.  Do you need a club that caters to families, or seniors, or people with pets?

Home Exchange clubs are based in countries all over the world; they may list houses mostly their own country, but most have international listings as well.

If you have a certain country in mind to visit, try to get an idea of how many listings they have in your country of choice before you plunk down your money. (more…)

One way to travel within your budget is to consider a home exchange.

Have you heard about it?  Home exchanges have been around for decades, but they’ve really gotten easier to arrange with the internet.  They’ve become popular with families, seniors and boomers.

You basically arrange to trade your house for someone else’s house from another city, state, or country during your vacation.

You get to spend a week or two in… say London… while that London family gets a beach vacation in, oh, San Diego.

With hotel rates in popular areas so high, swapping houses can be a great way to save money, plus you will have a kitchen, multiple bedrooms, and you’ll probably get to know the neighbors and see some things that you wouldn’t have seen from a hotel room. (more…)