House exchange programmes are an increasingly popular holiday option in the current economic climate that the world finds itself. Cost is the major advantage as the charge for a family for a week's accommodation will be just the price of a year's subscription to a website or the cost of a booking fee - typically between US$100-US$200. Other benefits are having the comforts and facilities of a home rather than a hotel room, and having a local's experience of a place rather than just a tourist's perspective.
How do they work?
The idea is that you offer your property (it can be your main home or second home, but usually has to be owned by you) for a period of time each year for others to stay in, and in return you can use other properties in the database. Types of properties on offer and their locations can vary hugely and so should suit a range of swapping requirements.
There are hundreds of house exchange programmes online and they all vary slightly but how they operate falls into just a few general types:
1) A direct swap with somebody who wants your location and the same dates as you. This is normally a cheap option but it can be more difficult to find and coordinate a house swap. Most online house exchange businesses run with this system and you can sometimes check listings before you join up. A large number of properties listed will obviously increase your chances of a successful swap, but there are lots of home swap businesses who have a smaller number of more active house swappers which could lead to easier to arrange holidays.
2) A 'non-simultaneous' exchange where you choose from a database of properties and book to stay in one when it is available. This is easier to coordinate and organize as there is no direct swap involved, but it normally means that you have to own a second property that is guaranteed to be empty at certain times. The cost of membership or making a booking is often higher with this system but you are paying for the convenience and higher success rate of arranging a holiday.
3) You can create your own extended network of friends to use each other's properties for holidays. Offer your home for a couple of weeks to your friends, their friends and theirs too, and in return you can book to stay in any of their properties when they are available. This system takes away many of the risks that accompany exchanging with strangers, but will restrict your holiday choices until your network grows.
There are difficulties and risks with each type but most website services will tell you that problems are few and far between. They will normally have systems and guides in place to cover the risks concerning damage, insurance, no-shows etc which, although not foolproof, should help to smooth the experience.
Richard Overens runs http://www.friendsinfarplaces.com which enables people to set up their own network of friends and friends of friends, which lets them to have very cheap house exchange holidays without all the usual risks and worries of exchanging with strangers
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A Simple Guide to Booking Holidays on the Internet
The growth of the holiday industry can be linked to the growth of the internet and the ability of holiday makers to book their holidays on line. Booking holidays is so easy to do on the internet and there are now many specialist direct holiday booking companies who make the process of booking holidays so much stress free.
One of the handy things about direct holiday bookings on line is that you can read what other holiday makers have written who have booked holidays on line at the property you are considering booking. This is extremely helpful in booking your holidays as it gives you an unbiased view of somebody who has already booked their holiday here before. This then gives the confidence to go ahead with booking your holidays as you know that other people have stayed at and enjoyed the place that you are about to book for your own holidays.
The owner will then get an email alerting them to the fact that somebody wants to book a holiday with them. They will check to see that there is no clash of dates with booking your holidays and will email you back to confirm that the dates for your holiday booking are available. If you then want to go ahead and book your holidays you can book by paying a deposit.
Several weeks before the holiday is due you will complete your holiday booking by paying the outstanding balance on the holiday. Once you have booked your holidays on line the owner will send you detailed instructions for finding the property and also where to get the key to get in. The great thing about booking holidays on line is that it is so easy to use.
Booking holidays on the internet has never been easier. There is a tremendous selection of places for you to book your holidays. Direct holiday bookings has made booking your holidays an easy and stress free event. You can now book your holidays with confidence and not worry what you are going to experience when you arrive at your holiday destination. By booking holidays on line you are going to get a great choice of vacation and one that will be cheaper than booking a holiday the old fashioned way.
By booking holidays on line you are greatly reducing the cost of your holiday. When you book your holidays on the internet you are cutting out the middle man and the end result is that the holiday that you book works out far cheaper. You are also able to compare the cost of booking holidays on line with other similar holidays. This enables you to search not only for the best quality holiday when booking a holiday on the internet but also the best value.
You can now see that booking holidays on line has many advantages and is a very rewarding way to book a holiday. Not only do you get a great deal when booking holidays on line, you also get a lot of fun and satisfaction when researching it. It is now possible to involve the whole family when booking your holidays on the internet. That way when booking your holidays you know that your whole family is going to have a great vacation.
Andrew Gibson is MD of Direct Holiday Bookings. It is one of the fastest growing online travel websites for booking holiday homes. To see an example of why Direct Holiday Bookings is growing so rapidly have a look at Holiday Villas
Direct Holiday Bookings also has a great selection of Holiday Cottages and self catering holiday apartments that can be rented as holiday homes all over the world
One of the handy things about direct holiday bookings on line is that you can read what other holiday makers have written who have booked holidays on line at the property you are considering booking. This is extremely helpful in booking your holidays as it gives you an unbiased view of somebody who has already booked their holiday here before. This then gives the confidence to go ahead with booking your holidays as you know that other people have stayed at and enjoyed the place that you are about to book for your own holidays.
The owner will then get an email alerting them to the fact that somebody wants to book a holiday with them. They will check to see that there is no clash of dates with booking your holidays and will email you back to confirm that the dates for your holiday booking are available. If you then want to go ahead and book your holidays you can book by paying a deposit.
Several weeks before the holiday is due you will complete your holiday booking by paying the outstanding balance on the holiday. Once you have booked your holidays on line the owner will send you detailed instructions for finding the property and also where to get the key to get in. The great thing about booking holidays on line is that it is so easy to use.
Booking holidays on the internet has never been easier. There is a tremendous selection of places for you to book your holidays. Direct holiday bookings has made booking your holidays an easy and stress free event. You can now book your holidays with confidence and not worry what you are going to experience when you arrive at your holiday destination. By booking holidays on line you are going to get a great choice of vacation and one that will be cheaper than booking a holiday the old fashioned way.
By booking holidays on line you are greatly reducing the cost of your holiday. When you book your holidays on the internet you are cutting out the middle man and the end result is that the holiday that you book works out far cheaper. You are also able to compare the cost of booking holidays on line with other similar holidays. This enables you to search not only for the best quality holiday when booking a holiday on the internet but also the best value.
You can now see that booking holidays on line has many advantages and is a very rewarding way to book a holiday. Not only do you get a great deal when booking holidays on line, you also get a lot of fun and satisfaction when researching it. It is now possible to involve the whole family when booking your holidays on the internet. That way when booking your holidays you know that your whole family is going to have a great vacation.
Andrew Gibson is MD of Direct Holiday Bookings. It is one of the fastest growing online travel websites for booking holiday homes. To see an example of why Direct Holiday Bookings is growing so rapidly have a look at Holiday Villas
Direct Holiday Bookings also has a great selection of Holiday Cottages and self catering holiday apartments that can be rented as holiday homes all over the world
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