Posts Tagged ‘Holiday’

No Money And You Desperately Need A Holiday?

July 22nd, 2010

Your family is yelling at you to take them outa here

Have you ever thought about home swapping? This UK family with 2 teenage children did. They are flying off to Hong Kong for a three-week break and a Hong Kong family they have never met will come and live in their four-bedroom detached house in Yorkshire. The English mother is frantically cleaning and fixing up the house for the swap. Already she has scraped off the dead ivy from the front wall, cleared the cupboard under the stairs and dusted off a baby’s cot, which then had to be assembled.

“I am exhausted and when I think of all the packing and cleaning I’ve yet to do, I feel even more shattered,” says Liz, 47.

A hard year

“It’s been a tough year businesswise and there is simply not enough money for a holiday in a decent hotel. Someone told me about the idea of swapping homes for 3 or 4 weeks with another family in a similar situation and we decided to try it.” To many, the thought of strangers sleeping in your bed, nosing in your underwear drawer, meeting your neighbors, and even driving your car, will seem like the stuff of nightmares.

Home swapping sites

The practice is a real hit with the middle classes, who value nothing more than a recession-beating break that will prove the envy of their friends. Families are clamoring to find the plushest houses in foreign climes and competition is fierce. “Holiday swap” Internet sites are listing hundreds of upmarket homes in Britain which families are keen to swap with similar properties abroad. Luxehomeswap.com, one of the sites set up to cater for middle-class home-swappers, boasts that it offers only “house-swapping holidays for people with homes they’re proud of”.  Another, Homelink, claims on its site: “Most of our members are in an upper income bracket, well-educated and experienced travelers.”

The downside

Home swapping does have a downside. As well as leaving your house spotless, many sites recommend leaving two clean sheets per bed, two sets of towels per visitor and basic groceries, including the makings of a first meal. If that isn’t enough, a bottle of champagne is further recommended “to welcome your guests”. Then there is the home manual you must compile, including local tourist information, suggestions of friends they can meet during their stay, plus reminders of which day the rubbish is collected and recommendations for babysitters, dentists, doctors and restaurants. Many swappers expect to drive your car, and you will need to tell your car and house insurance of your plans.

The upside

But Caroline Connolly, of Homelink says swaps rarely go wrong: “We have a Home and Car Exchange Agreement form to avoid misunderstandings and clarify who pays for bills and other things such as insurance excesses in the case of accidents. The small numbers of complaints we do receive are to do with ‘housekeeping standards’. And if we did have a genuine concern about a swapper, they would immediately be expelled from the site.”

Tags: Holiday, Holiday costs, Home swapping, Summer holiday
Posted in Economy, Personal / Internet | No Comments »

Tuscany, here I come

July 11th, 2010

A quick Cash Advance Loan and I’ll be there again

Summer’s here and it’s the season to go painting in Tuscany as I have these past few years. The problem this year is a distinct lack on money. I will apply for Cash Advance Loan and hope it goes through quickly so I can start with all the arrangements.

The group

We are a group of about 40; 10 painters, 10 collagers, 10 photographers and 10 cooks.

Each workshop is led by a qualified professional in the field. Participants’ ages range from mid-twenties to over-eighties. The cooking group is well organized by an Italian chef from New York who arrives with menus and recipes. The other 3 groups are less formal and each participant tends to do his or her own thing.

The winery

The workshops take place in Villa Dievole, about 10 miles from Siena. Today Dievole is a well-known winery producing about 10 different types of Chianti. Back in the 16th century the villa was a holiday destination to the aristocracy of Florence. Much of the ancient grandeur remains and it was easy to imagine the noble guests arriving in their carriages amid the clatter of horse-shoes and the attention of liveried footmen.

Painting

We usually arrive in the last week of October, missing the last of the grape harvest but in time to see the fat olives straining to be picked and converted into oil. For the painters and photographers the changing colors on the vines from green to yellow to red is an inspiration.

Tuscany is great

In between painting sessions for me and cooking sessions for my wife, we walk among the grapevines and olive trees; we sniff at the roses planted at the head of each row of vines to warn the vintners of any coming blight. We tramp the sand roads to the nearby village of Vagliagli and sip coffee in the square with the locals. We make one trip to Siena and one trip to Florence, a 2 hour bus ride.

Evenings

Last year we gathered in the bistro of the Villa at 6 pm every evening where we were treated to an hour of opera appreciation by a husband and wife team of opera professionals. They dealt with the Italian operas, showing video excerpts of some of the great operas.

Dinner

From the bistro we drifted towards the Scudderia, once the stables and today a graciously refurbished dining room. The table seated all 40 of us. The menu was announced and began arriving from the gourmet kitchen across the courtyard. Every meal was a culinary experience. I used most of this and next year’s cholesterol allowance on the desserts. And the wine flowed. A different taste with every dinner. Is it true that red wine contains a cholesterol antidote?

Holiday

All in all, this is an unequaled holiday spent in a Garden of Eden with thoughtful hosts and fine friends. Now about that Cash Advance Loan – is there any progress?

Tags: Holiday, Quick Cash Advance Loan, Tuscany
Posted in Loans, Personal / Internet | No Comments »

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