The Holiday

So its Christmas and as usual the movie which I believe is called 'The Holiday' was on so I watched it, as you would.

I got to thinking, I wonder if anyone has created a site for this House Swap idea, and sure enough there are a few. Turns out that you can swap houses for short or long holidays with other people, what a great idea. I am a Gypsy for sure and definitely love to roam- hence the RV plans. Life has a way of slowing me down though and because of this we are not able to start our RV adventure just yet -though we have decided to do it at some point in 2017. In the meantime, perhaps a little holiday. Air flights- while not cheap, are cheaper than hotels for a few weeks at a time... so me thinks a little swapping will go a long way to curbing my wanderlust.

Next problem is where to? I like the idea of Cuba, Thailand, Vietnam, France, Italy, Spain - lets face it I'd go to Iraq to get out of this place about now. Donetsk perhaps.. Not quite, but you get the idea. If you haven't read my previous posts I'm not happy with the place we are currently in -I'm full of understatements today.

To get anywhere from here is more expensive than most as we are nowhere near a hub but if you don't have the added expense of accommodation then it is really quite viable. Hubby was going to take me to Venice as a Xmas gift but its astronomical just for the flight, this house swap concept is the perfect solution. There is a membership fee of approx. $400 CAD/year and when you consider that equates to about 3 nights in a hotel I think its well worth it.  There is a validation process which helps you know your not loaning your house to a shmuck and that definitely goes a long way to letting you enjoy your holiday.

If anyone reading this (not many followers at the moment) has any insights on house swapping please leave a comment and let us know, even if we're doing it already your insight might help others in the future.

Also AirBnB is a great option as well. We have used it in the past several times and have even hosted ourselves but I just recently deactivated the listing as life at the moment is so uncertain. Besides, its cold here and most tourists only come in the summer. Though there is a ski hill locally it is mostly the summer activities which entice people here. We came here on holiday ourselves and fell in love with the place, moved here a few months later and bought a house, not much of a house but the lot is fantastic so after a few years we tore it down and built a brand new one just last year - not my idea, btw... jus sayin.

AirBnB allows you to rent accommodation either in someone's home or the whole home as your travel style allows. Cheaper than a hotel for sure and we have had great experiences. I had been searching AirBnB for somewhere to go prior to discovering the swap idea. And definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't own their own place. I have seen listings for houses, condos, mother-in-law suites, RV's and Sailboats!!

However, if you do own a place (house or condo, cabin or even RV for that matter) you can swap houses with someone who wants to visit your area. From my online searches most swap websites allow you to search through listing by who wants to visit your area which really helps speed things up, you simply find somewhere you want to go amongst the list. Absolutely Awesome.

Well I think that's enough for today, since I'm talking to myself at this point.. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Edit:

My apologies to Sir Patrick, our first follower! (so I'm not alone out here in cyberspace, and not talking to myself which would not be good LOL)