Cruise or Home Swaps?

Talked today with a shop assistant about Home Swapping - as I do given the chance. This young lady was well traveled, had in fact seen a lot of hotspots in Europe thanks to her mother who took her on cruises every year. That's the way to go if you have somebody paying for it!
Cruises are not my idea of fun: too many people on too confined a space all out for a good time with all you can eat and drink for free... That's not me. I would consider it, maybe, if I didn't get seasick the minute a ship leaves the shelter of a harbor. My experience with big ships is with Irish, French, or British ferries in and around the Irish Sea and over to France that hold hundreds of cars and trucks plus thousands of passengers. Contrary to popular belief, European ships of that size do have stabilizers as well! So I needn't try any of the cruises that are so beloved by Americans here. Maybe a River Cruise on the Rhine..., however.
It's just my delicate constitution that induces motion-sickness in me just while watching somebody in a hammock or rocking chair.
                                               
Like so many people who hear about houses swapping, this young lady was quite taken by the idea. I gave hr my card to read up on the topic on my blog and also mentioned my little eBook for just $0.99 on Homeswapping on Amazon. I often wonder how many will pursue the idea and try it for themselves.

Our preparations are going according to plan although the recent thunderstorms of last week tempered our projects outside. On the inside, however, I purchased new towels and bed sheets.  Nothing like a fresh look. The cleaner has also been booked for the times we need her on our departure date to get the house ready for our first exchange partners, then again for the change over to the next arrivals and for our arrival date back after the German family has left. It all takes a bit of organizing you you do two swaps or more in a row. But it's so worth it!

The Ultimate Guide to Home Swapping

Season 6 is now out and available summing up all our experience gathered over the years.
Where this blog ends, my new eBook starts giving your the real countdown for a successful home exchange:

Available for only $0.99 on Amazon. Treat yourself to an exciting trip to Europe from your armchair and pick up all the tips you need for a successful home swap. Happy travels!

When Tourists & Refugees Meet

Strasbourg was going to be the topic for my next post.
Listening to the news of political developments all over Europe, the Refugee Crisis, which have to do with vacation make me sad, however, and rethink our trip: How lucky we are, how privileged to have the means and freedom to travel wherever and whenever we choose to. I never thought I'd write about this topic!
Refugees, asylum seekers, economic refugees flood the gates of Europe. They come from troubled or civil war ridden countries via Turkey, they risk their lives on tiny boats over the Aegean to little Greek islands, Kos and Lesbos, that are only a few miles away.Over 7,000 only last weekend.300,000 in total so far; that is more than in all of last year.When they are in Greek, they are in Europe and close to a safe, civilized and dignified life.
The problem is that these islands are popular tourist destinations. This is peak vacation time and Greece needs the income of tourists badly to survive. But these refugees who are often washed ashore want to survive too. Some hotels have put fences and guards to keep the paying tourist apart who are paying for their annual holiday and are entitled to their cocktail brought to them on the beach while a few meters away a refugee lathers up with some soap and shampoo he was given and swims out to wash it all off." I know it's not good for the sea, but I need to look after myself first."
Approx. 140,000 come over the border into Hungary who started to build a fence - like the Berlin Wall with barbed wire on top. Continuing into Serbia, they walk for days to reach trains that take them to Montenegro and again, they are in Europe with all its social benefits.Montenegro declared a state of emergency. No refugee wants to be registered there as the ultimate destination is Germany, Great Britain or Sweden. They walk along the motorway from Calais to the Channel Tunnel.Whole camps have sprung up where thousands wait to make it onto the train under the Channel somehow. Great Britain is blaming France for not doing enough.I saw them personally in smaller numbers when I was still doing my wine import routes that way. Heart-breaking, frightening, embarrassing: you drive by in your safe car and can't do anything..
200 thousand have come from Libya to Sicily or Lampedusa. so far 2,3000, however, have drowned because  of overloaded, inadequate vessels, lack of life jackets for people who can't swim. Human traffickers are involved on all routes charging thousands of dollars.In another tragedy,over 70 people suffocated on a truck in Austria trying to reach the West, probably moved my human traffickers.
German is considered the "Schlaraffenland", the land of milk and honey or Cockayne. (See Wikipedia: "Cockaigne or Cockayne /kɒˈkeɪn/ is a land of plenty in medieval myth, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist.")
We're expecting 800,000 refugees/immigrants this year alone. That is 40% of all humans fleeing one disaster, regime or other  in the whole world. About 104,000 came via the Serbian corridor this year already.The Minister of Economics, Sigmar Gabriel, assures us that Germany needs these people in our workforce as our numbers are dwindling. At the same time, the governor of Bavaria admits that his officials are tired and overworked and that people are not all registered and fingerprinted as they should. So they can slip through the net; not be registered and just disappear. Let's hope they are not all criminals.
All this in the light of the biggest refugee crisis Europe ever experienced since World War II - and this is not the end of it. It reminds me of my own family's plight, just a few individuals of 13 million people who were on the move in 1945-47. (See my short story below).

In the Balkan war crises we got 250,000 asylum seekers whereas France AND GB together got 50,000.Not only do the Germans pay for Greece's malaise but for the rest of the EU and now the rest of the world. The horrible truth and irony is that our weapon exports to the likes of  Saudi, Egypt, Yemen, etc.doubled! Tell me there is no direct connection, please!

Now let's resume our vacations. There are only few days left.American children already are back to school; the French will start again on1 September. We'll be home soon too.

Radiant Heat and Food

I'd never have believed that it could be hotter in Europe than in Florida.The day of our arrival, we had to brace ourselves against 39 C whereas in Jacksonville it was only 32 C. It feels like melting. If only it melted the fat! Fans were sold out of course -we tried 3 big shops in a big city on the way. Nobody has AC, or course, except for hotels that belong to chains (not your local B&B or picturesque old tourist trap) The official news reader on TV issues practical advice what to do to stay cool:
-put underwear and shirts into your freezer before putting them on
-avoid activities and staying in the sun too long
-keep windows and blinds closed all day until it cools off (I don't like sitting in the dark!)
-put  a bucket of ice water next to your bed.
I wouldn't have believed I would have the same old, same old discussion again: get an Ac or not.Europeans mostly don't have one, i.e. private houses and I mean neither the French, nor Italians nor Germans who now exceed in topping temperatures too.
The usual argument against AC being: we normally only get a few weeks of heat.A few weeks too many in my books.What are they worried about? That the AC goes off when not in use or runs up the electricity bill when switched off?
My memory has 1990 down for the first real beastly hot long summer with temperatures above 30 (90F).
Before that, Germans had to go to Spain, Greece or Italy  for a chance of a decent sunny summer vacation.
All of a sudden, you could bet it would reach you at home.It was the summer we had emigrated to Ireland. Even there we had long spells of hot weather almost reaching 30 and our water well running dry.
Mother-in-law refused my suggestion to have an AC put into her bedroom under the eaves at least.Oh, no, the dust, dirt and having handymen in the house;besides the almost indecent cost of 2000 Deutsche Mark (1,0000 $ then).
In the following year we had the same discussion; and then regularly every other year. Stubbornness prevailed and she would still suffer if she was still alive.RIP!Now I hear it from friends etc. Not one conservation partner swore that he would definitely get one now!
Why this long tirade? Because  now, we are sitting in an overheated house with no end of roasting temperatures in sight, scorcher after scorching day while our house in Florida....is being enjoyed by  our French exchangers.
However, with the daily increasing refugee crisis in Greece, Italy, Hungary, Turkey rattling my European conscience, I promise to stop whining about hot weather.
Here are some pics from our stop in Metz.

Still in business?
The bus was from Northern Ireland- Ulster- btw.

Season 4: a Great Success

All good things must come to an end. We had 8 home swaps all together now.
I'm going to miss a lot of good stuff about my home country like bread, ice cream in Italian Gelaterias, beer gardens. Certain dishes even tasted nice out of season - prepared by my aunt for me knowing I would love the white asparagus, which is not available after 21 June. She also had a winter specialty, kale, prepared and frozen for me in a manner only available in the north of Germany.

Like every year I'd like to conclude this season with some general tips for home swapping:
Sign up with a reputable agency which has numerous members in as many countries as possible. There is also an agency for seniors only. This means you're dealing with couples, not families with children. Maybe that will take your angst away about the safety of your home. By the same token they are likely to have smaller homes. Many have downsized. If you fall into that category, that company is ideal for you. I found out that many of them are looking for long-term stays as they have no job obligations and time constraints anymore.

Start to make contact early with prospective exchange partners, especially when you want to go to Europe. Many know a year in advance when their vacation will be and will plan ahead accordingly. Also, many people will look for flights early in the hope of getting cheaper flights.
On the other hand, invitations make come in at the last minute also as happened this year with our Dutch partners. Don't hesitate to be proactive. Contact exchanges that you wold fancy instead of waiting around. Allow me to compare it again to dating on line. You're not committed until you have a contract with them.
Set up an owner's closet, even a separate room with a lock to safeguard your valuables or personal belongings; just for your own peace of mind in case you still have reservations. An umbrella insurance is also a good idea to cover yourself against possible liabilities.
If you have the time, line up two or even more swaps. Once you're overseas, it's easy to move around in Europe with all these cheap air carriers or by train. A flight from London, Dublin or Paris to Berlin for example will only set you back by about $100.

You save a lot of money by home swapping. Especially the costs of rental cars overseas are higher than in the US and can burn a hole in your pockets. Not so if you get an exchange partner who is willing to swap cars with you.
Once you've tried home swapping, you'll want to repeat this great experience. We can't wait to start the selection process for next year. While waiting for our connection flight in Atlanta, a very tempting offer came in from Sweden. With home swapping the world is your oyster! Good luck and happy travels!

Practical tip : your Money

When traveling to Europe you want to make sure you have the right cards on you. (and tell your bank where you're going to avoid fraud alert calls!).
We always take bank cards as well as credit cards. This year we found out that European issued cards all have a chip, Americans mostly don't. At least ours haven't. Don't be surprised if they are rejected then.
ATM machines will give you money at an exorbitant fee- up to $12 per transaction. In order to avoid these fees, you may want to find out the corresponding European bank of your US bank.
Some restaurants and most supermarkets -at least in Holland and Germany- also refuse your cards when they are chip less.
Be advised that American Express while highly popular in the US and widely accepted here,  is not loved very much in Europe. Only German hotels and gas stations take them as I found out the hard way (because of the exorbitant merchant's fees). You're better off to have a Visa or MasterCard on hand.

There are other security measures in play in Europe if you want to transfer money, as I recently found out. In order to move money from one account to another or just pay a bill online, you need a so-called TAN- generator, an ID card that has a chip in it. While filling in online the addressee's name and account number, this gadget generates a TAN that also has to be included in your transaction. Not that you will have much to do with this.Just a thought why security is of such a high standard here and not in the US?
 Europeans, especially Germans are almost paranoid about their privacy. No online information about you if you don't want it.No Google street photos if a neighborhood objects.

Still Nervous about Home Swapping?

Several comments reached me admiring how brave we are to do home swaps. Yes it is a great and cheap way of traveling, but...
Let me alleviate your concerns. You mustn't forget that you are in your exchange partners house while they are in yours! They might be equally nervous about their precious possessions. (if they are really valuable- just lock them away) . Apply the Golden Rule: Treat others like you want to be treated yourself!
In addition these swaps are facilitated through an American agency. You sign a contract that you will pay for possible damages you incur. And so do they. Also, we have had many conversations with them via email, and even Skype. So you get to know them a little. We already consider them as friends. It has been working for us.
In 2 weeks we will be arriving in Duesseldorf. From there we'll start out round trip and visit my family on the way.
Maybe you think I'm foolish to post this fact. Our house will be occupied by our swapping partners. Never empty. Doesn't that give you extra peace of mind?
Still lots to do. For example put a hold on your mail. In our case we have it forwarded to our respective destination through a Texas based company. That costs a bout $100.
Starting to think about what clothes I need in Europe. At the moment, it's fierce hot in Germany, but that may not last. So naturally we need more when we're over there for 7 weeks. Coming here to sweltering holiday for a beach holiday, all you need is a shorts, a bikini and flip-flops. That's why we always travel wit several "enormes valises" as my dear French called them in surprise when she saw them.

Up, up , and away!

Tomorrow is the big day! Bags should be packed by then and our houses in some sort of order because we expect to find the same. Thank goodness, a cleaning crew will make the beds and clean kitchen and bathrooms after our departure. My mind is never on these trivial matters when I go transatlantic. Rather: are the bags too heavy or can I squeeze in another pair of shoes? Will the plane be on time or will it have a puncture again so that they need to fly in a tire from Atlanta to fix the plane which once made us miss our connecting flight to Europe.

Our first stop for 4 weeks will be near Frankfurt in Germany. It's a little historic town 20km to the northeast that nobody has ever heard of. It has several bedrooms, a little garden , a gym and a sauna.Well, we have an outdoor sauna here in Florida too! And the village has a Gelateria, bakeries for yummy breads and Broetchen, cheeses, meats and a fresh market. If I'm in luck, I can still purchase some of this year's WHITE asparagus. No, green doesn't come anywhere near it in this case. And the mushroom season isn't too far off, and raspberries and strawberries and... above all: Rumkugeln are widely available. I once made them myself. But they didn't beat the ones I love and buy for 0.99 EUR. Ah yes, and beer gardens! Wine gardens! It's near a wine growing area and Heidelberg and the Rhine....oh, I forgot how I missed it! Poor hubby has to work but he also will enjoy the produce, goodies, and outdoor refreshments....