FREE Audio & e-book: Home Exchange Guide

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Are you in interested in savings thousands in vacation accommodation costs?
How about relaxing in an exclusive vacation home on your next holiday? 

If you are new to home swapping and home exchange, this is the perfect opportunity for you to learn how to travel the world, stay in great places, while saving money. 

Get a Free e-book: the Home Exchange Guide here.

Download, Free audio chapters of the Home Exchange Guide here.

What are all the benefits of planning a home exchange?  Are all home swaps the same? 

There are many options in home exchanging and dozens of home swapping networks and websites. How do you choose which one is going to meet your needs?  Learn about the different features and then choose what is best for you.  

Other useful chapters cover topics like:

How do you get an exchange?
How do you ready your home?
How to prepare for your vacation?

Plus learn about 10 Things to Avoid, Your Membership Checklist, and review a sample Home Exchange Agreement.

The author, Larry Klimczyk shares with you useful insights from over a decade of home exchange experiences and from traveling the world (over 70 countries). 
Subscribe to this blog or the IVHE podcast series and automatically receive an email with interesting updates on travel news. 
Download a PDF version of the book today at Home Exchange Guide.

Interested in listening to IVHE.com member’s experiences, go to our full range of podcasts or visit our testimonials page.

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To Tip Or Not To Tip; That Is The Question

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We have family members in the US who work in service industries. They are conscientious, hardworking folks for whom tips are a large part of their income.  But is that true around the World? The answer is a resounding ‘NO!’ So when we travel, it’s very useful to know the proper attitude toward tipping or not tipping.

Even if you’re taking advantage of something like a high end vacation property exchange, you’re still going to run into tip/ don’t tip situations. Transport to and from your point of arrival; perhaps a porter at the transit point; any number of opportunities arise to make either a good or a poor impression with regard to tipping.

And almost certainly, even if you are saving on travel in other ways too, like cooking for yourselves, you’re almost certain to want at least the odd night out on the town. That brings up doormen, cabbies, wait staff in restaurants, the maître d’; the bar staff; - the list is almost interminable.

Knowing who to tip and how much is just as important. Many societies have hierarchies and where a service provider stands in that ranking determines whether and how much they should be tipped. You can cause serious difficulties for yourself by over tipping a ‘lower ranking person’ or under tipping someone higher up the scale.

Customs vary widely from place to place. For example, in the Middle East one tips frequently but with small amounts. By contrast, in Japan, tipping can be viewed as insulting. But if you’re further south in Asia, not tipping can be perceived as an insult in India or Malaysia. It can all be very confusing and vexing.

Most of us want to make a good impression. After all, we’re individual ambassadors for our home nations. We want people to see us honestly but also in our best light. There’s nothing more embarrassing than causing inadvertent and unintended insult by not knowing the local customs. Most of us, before we work out our luxury vacation home exchanges, take the time to learn a bit about the places we’re staying. But we’re not always as clear on the local customs when it comes to tipping.

We were traveling in the UK once and, even within that country, found variations in custom. The publican in the small village was most pleased to accept a pint on us whereas the man behind the bar in London preferred a bit of ‘the ready’.

So, what do you do? Well, fortunately we’ve done the research for you. You can use any of the resources we’ve found for you to learn more about the customs of tipping in various countries around the world. 

Tipping etiquette

Tipping around the World

Tipping: country by country

Have a great time on your trip and we’ll see you later.

Thank you to the writing team which is MA Scott

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You Have The Power, or Do You?

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In today’s electronics heavy world, traveling abroad can be a bit tricky. In the “old days” when you went abroad you left all your electrical items behind. Mobile devices? They were the things of science fiction. However, nowadays we travel around the globe with a number of devices, all of which require periodic recharging. Whether you’re traveling abroad on business or taking advantage of a luxury vacation home swap, you need to know a bit about how to safely charge your devices.

It may not be enough to have a plug adapter. While the adapter may fit into the wall receptacle and the plug for your device fits into the adapter, that is no indicator that everything is going to work properly. In fact, depending on where you are, you can seriously damage your devices and even put yourself and others at risk.

You see, it’s not just about getting things to plug into the socket. It’s also about whether you’re taking in the correct voltage. To complicate matters further, you need to know what to use as adapters for electrical devices and which to use for electronic devices. Seniors looking for travel savings may want to take along some convenient and familiar appliances. If you use the wrong adaptor, you may find yourself doing some unexpected shopping to replace it.

So how do you prevent these kinds of mishaps? Let’s take a brief look and, if you still have questions, you can access this useful link from REI or this worldwide plug and power resource.

To begin with you need to know whether you need a converter or a transformer. The difference is determined by what you’re going to use with each of them. Both adjust the voltage up or down according to the device’s needs but, a converter is going to be useful for electrical appliances. For example, blow dryers, electric razors, and other devices which incorporate electric motors or heating elements.

A transformer, while doing the same action of increasing or decreasing voltage as needed is suited for devices with delicate electronic chips and circuitry. These devices might be smart phones, laptops, tablets and other similar devices.

And remember, these standards are not just for when you’re taking advantage of house swapping for your vacation. They may also apply if you’re planning to use a power cord while flying, taking the train, or on a ship. Contact your travel agent or carrier and make sure you know the power rating of your conveyance before plugging in.

Well, there you have it, some useful things to consider when traveling abroad. Being prepared with the right adapters will make your trip a lot more enjoyable and safer. Until next time; happy traveling. 

Looking for more hints and tips for traveling and home exchanging, download a FREE home exchange guide.

Update - you might find the related post useful on power and convertors 

Thank you to the writing team which is MA Scott

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Free Home Exchange Audio Guide (iTunes too)

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Home Exchange is a fast growing part of the world’s sharing economy.  To help people around the world learn more about how to enjoy fabulous vacations while saving money, International Vacation Home Exchange (IVHE.com) just released the full audio version of the already popular digital version of the Home Exchange Guide. 

This useful guide is great for people new to home exchange as well as providing hints and tips for those experienced in home swapping.  The latest announcement from IVHE about the release of their audio-books has come as a gift for those who love home exchange and at the same time want to save a fortune on travel costs.  Following the successful release of the digital copy of the Home Exchange Guide, they have now produced an audio version of the book.  You can begin downloading and listen to the audio format to get all relevant information about home exchange and home swapping for vacations.  

If you like traveling and enjoy yet still want the comforts of a home away from home at your vacation destination you will really enjoy this audio-book,. It is divided into eight chapters, each has all the relevant information to keep the listener engaged and entertained. Some of the hot topics related to home exchange include why you should choose home exchange, are all home exchanges the same?, why you should choose a good network for home exchange, how you can get an exchange, plus many more.

You can listen to all eight chapters from the IVHE podcast channel. 

They are also available on iTunes:

The digital version of the Home Exchange Guide can be downloaded Free at www.ivhe.com/home-exchange-guide. 

‘Home exchange is a great way to travel the world, live like a local and save thousands on accommodation costs.  On average, our members save over $5,200 on a two week vacation.  We are pleased to offer a FREE Home Exchange Guide that is full of useful tips on how to get started and make the most of your home swapping vacations.’ States Larry Klimczyk, Executive Director of IVHE.com and author of the book.  Larry is a passionate traveler and uses his wealth of home exchange experiences to make this series interesting for listeners. 

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FREE Home Exchange Guide - Chapter 4 (audio-book)

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How do you get a home exchange? Is the subject of this chapter (4) of the Home Exchange Guide. You can enjoy listening, at your conveninence through the IVHE.com podcast series.  

You will learn the easy steps to take in fining the right home exchange for your next vacation, this includes the power of photographs, the importance of communication and how to build a profile and listing for your home.  Listen to this new podcast and take another step closer to enjoying all the benefits of house swapping when travelling.  

The first three chapters were previously released and are still available.  They cover important topics like Why Home Exchange , Are all Home Exchanges the same? , How do you choose the best home exchange network for you? 

In future podcasts we will cover additional chapters with the following topics:

     How do you ready your home?
     How to prepare for your vacation?

Plus 10 Things to Avoid, Your Membership Checklist, and a sample Home Exchange Agreement.

The author, Larry Klimczyk is an avid traveller having visited over 60 countries around the globe.  He shares his experiences of home swap over the past decade.  Subscribe to this blog or the podcast series and automatically receive an email when these future chapters are released, or download a PDF version today at Home Exchange Guide. 

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FREE audio book: Home Exchange Guide

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How do you choose the best home exchange network for you?   This is the topic of chapter 3 in the Home Exchange Guide, just released for you to enjoy.   

There are many options in home exchanging and dozens of home swapping networks and websites. How do you choose which one is going to meet your needs?  Listen to this new podcast and learn about the different features and then choose what is best for you.  

The first two chapters were previously released and are still available.  They cover important topics like Why Home Exchange and Are all Home Exchanges the same?

In future podcasts we will cover additional chapters with the following topics:

     How do you get an exchange?
     How do you ready your home?
     How to prepare for your vacation?

Plus 10 Things to Avoid, Your Membership Checklist, and a sample Home Exchange Agreement.

The author, Larry Klimczyk shares with you useful insights from traveling the world (over 60 countries) and a decade of home swap experiences.  Subscribe to this blog or the podcast series and automatically receive an email when these future chapters are released, or download a PDF version today at Home Exchange Guide. 

Interested in listening to IVHE.com member’s experiences, go to our full range of podcasts or visit our testimonials page. 

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Learn about Home Exchange FREE audio-book

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Do you love to travel?  

Like adventure, yet also enjoy the comforts of a home?

Does saving money appeal to you? 

If the answer to all of these is yes, then home Exchange is for you.  Following the successful release of the digital copy of the Home Exchange Guide, we are pleased to announce that you can begin downloading and listen to audio format of The Home Exchange guide.  The first two chapters are now available.  They cover important topics like Why Home Exchange and Are all Home Exchanges the same?

In future podcasts we will cover additional chapters with the following topics:

     How do you choose the best home exchange network for you?
     How do you get an exchange?
     How do you ready your home?
     How to prepare for your vacation?

Plus 10 Things to Avoid, Your Membership Checklist, and a sample Home Exchange Agreement.

The author, Larry Klimczyk shares with you useful insights from traveling the world (over 60 countries) and a decade of home swap experiences.  Subscribe to this blog or the podcast series and automatically receive an email when these future chapters are released, or download a PDF version today at Home Exchange Guide. 

Interested in listening to IVHE.com member’s experiences, go to our full range of podcasts or visit our testimonials page. 

 D

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Free Home Exchange Guide

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Do you want to explore the world while saving thousands of dollars, euros, pounds or yen?

Home Exchange is the answer.This quick and essential guide answers more than 'Why Home Exchange?'

• Learn about different types of home swaps
• How to find the right house exchange network for you
• How to get an trade
• How to ready your home
• Making most of your vacation

In addition, you will get helpful hints and tips for house swapping that include:

• 10 Things to Avoid
• Your Home Exchange Membership Checklist
• Sample Exchange Agreement.

If you are new to house swaps, this guide is a great introduction. For those of you that are experienced traders, it will give you new ideas to consider to enhance your home exchanging.

Enjoy for yourself or forward to a friend or relative that is interested.

Either way, its Free, Get your Home Exchange Guide now.

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