Insurance Issues and Your Home Exchange

You will want to talk with the company that handles your home insurance to let them know about your future home exchange. My company didn't need to know anything about my exchanges. However, when my daughter and I had the wall oven disaster, as I outlined in http://atozofvacationhomeexchanges.blogspot.com/2011/01/disasters-natural-and-man-made.html, I did email my insurance company from France to explain what had happened. They were always totally supportive, even when my host sent me a bill for the new wall oven and cabinet, which, of course, they never paid.
By the way, I totally forgot to describe the wonderful story as to why Elisabeth wanted to swap with me. When I first contacted her, she told me she had had a pen pal long ago who lived in Townsend, MA, about an hour from me. They had lost touch, but I easily found Linda in Townsend through the White Pages, so I called her and told her that Elisabeth might be coming to Boston. Linda and Elisabeth had become pen pals (or "penwriters", as Elisabeth had called them), because Linda's French Canadian father was stationed in France during WWII. He met Elisabeth's father while he was there, and he was "adopted" by Elisabeth's grandmother, who invited him to dinner, did his laundry, and was so kind to him! After Linda's father returned home, he continued to correspond with Elisabeth's grandmother for years. Before I left for France, I had a party and invited some of my friends, as well as Linda, her husband, and her mother. Linda's mother had saved all of the letters, so she brought them and gave them to Elisabeth!

If you do decide you want to include cars in your swaps, your insurance company will tell you what they need. Mine asked me to send copies of the drivers' license for their record.

Next post I will talk about jewelry and valuables....

"I" is for Internet....

When I first outlined what I wanted to talk about in this blog, I thought, "Hmmm, internet here!" Now as I start to write about it, I see that much of what I had written in an earlier blog touches on this....

http://atozofvacationhomeexchanges.blogspot.com/2011/01/computers-and-your-exchange.html

So, sorry I should have written Computers and the Internet....In any case, when you read the descriptions of possible swaps, you will see whether or not  you will be able to use a computer in your house exchange. Usually one will be available, but you will want to check that out. Oftentimes people nowadays are bringing their own computer, so they can readily access the internet by your Wifi or at an outside source. Similarly you may prefer to take your own laptop, so all you will need to do it find a local source, if there is not one at your house. There are also websites which you can check before you leave to see where you might find internet in your travels. Guidebooks also do a good job of letting you know where you will be able to find the internet. My exchange hosts also told me as we exchanged emails where I could find internet access before I arrived. Several local restaurants let me use their wifi just by buying a drink.

In my next post I will talk about insurance...as it relates to your home exchange.

Thanks for checking in, and PLEASE, do ask any questions as you consider doing a home exchange!

Hospitals, Health Care and Miscellaneous Health Ideas

Surely the worst thing in the world-almost-is to get sick when you are away from home-especially when you are out of the country! But in case this happens, let’s just look at some options.

Before you leave, you will want to check with your healthcare insurance company to see if you have any coverage out of the country. Recently I actually opted to stay with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, since the other company’s plan I was looking at would not cover me out of the country.

In addition, there are different plans which provide different types of insurance. You can check out www.insuremytrip.com  to see what they have to offer. (This is also a trip cancellation insurance program.) There is also a company called www.MedjetAssist.com which you join for an annual fee that will provide you transportation to any hospital, if you require hospital care. This includes a trip back to the US! 

Of course, it will depend on how sick you are. It is easy to get many prescription drugs at the pharmacies in many foreign countries. That plus the internet might give you some ideas how to deal with whatever malady might hit you. You could probably also call your own doctor to explain the situation and see what he or she says.

You will find that the pharmacists are very helpful! Pharmacies are usually as omni-present as Dunkin' Donuts  with their distinctive large green cross outside the door. This pharmacy was on Crete. They are usually closed mid-day for two or three hours, but there is a sign to tell you where the 24 hour pharmacies are.

When Karen was stung by the jellyfish in Aguillas, Spain last fall, our neighbor helped us immensely by calling the local pharmacist, who told her what to get for immediate help and relief!

Speaking of prescription drugs, the tour guides all suggest that you be sure to take existing prescriptions in their original containers in your carry-on, in case your luggage is misplaced. Depending on your medical condition, the books also suggest you take a note from your doctor explaining what your condition in case you need additional medical help on your trip.

When my friend Carol and I were in France, she took a nasty fall, so we went to the Emergency Room in Lyon. They took very good care of her including many xrays. They told her to see a doctor before we returned home to be sure she was well enough to fly home. She incurred minimal fees for her care, plus her insurer reimbursed her for what she did have to pay.( By the way, you would want to take a dictionary with you, if you do not speak the language, as many of the folks we contacted did not speak English.
All over the island of Sardinia, they had small clinic like facilities for emergencies, which were open during the busy tourist season.

HOME EXCHANGE WEBSITES

About six months ago, I did a spreadsheet of the various home exchange websites I could find on-line. Unfortunately I can not use the spreadsheet in this post, but the following gives you the relevant information. 
I actually signed up for the first site I found when I went searching. And I still use www.homeforexchange.com, as I find it to be very reasonably priced and user-friendly. If you want a free forty day trial with this website, send me your email address, and I will link you to this offer.   


www.homeexchange.com  or www.houseswap.com: $9.95 /month for the year; $15.95/for 3 months; 38000 listings in 137 countries


www.homeforexchange.com: $59-1 year;$88-2 years; $110-3 years; 13,572 listings


www.homelink.org: $119-1 year; $190-2 years 13000+ listings in 78 countries 


www.luxeswap.com $159per year 96 listings in US and international; "stylish homes";"more boutique experience" 


http://www.intervac-homeexchange.com/  orwww.intervacus.com: $99-1 year; $179.99-2 years; $239.99-3 years; 30,000 listings 


www.thevacationexchange.com: $49.95 annual fee, waived the 1st year; feature 2nd and vacation homes; $250 paid per each exchange. Exchange co-ordinator helps with exchanges. They also handle rentals.


www.seniorshomeexchange.com:$79 for 3 years; $100 lifetime membership. 4,082 listings for people over age 50. 


www.ihen.com: International Home Exchange $39.95/year.   Rentals also.


www.tradecondos.com:   $79.99 /year


http://boston.craigslist.org/swp/ :Free. VERY limited options, as most listings want yu to use their service. Go to the city you want to visit to post your home. Watch your city listings for possible exchanges. I actually "met" Angela, an american married to an Italian who lives in Rome, through Craig's List, as she only wanted to do an exchange in the Boston area. 


Next post I will talk about (miscellaneous) health care issues that you might find helpful when you do an exchange.

  

Gardens-Yours or Theirs…

Well, now I am home from two wonderful weeks in Park City, Utah. I was lucky enough to see seven movies at the Sundance Film Festival ,thanks to Dayle, who had visited me in Rome last summer, and Anne, a college classmate. In addition to that fun, I also got to ski four days at Deer Valley, which has totally spoiled me for skiing anyplace else! I also spent some time with Dayle’s family, including Mallory, who had also come to Rome. Mallory, who was our resident photographer as we traveled all over Rome and down to Positano and Pompeii, put together a TERRIFIC Shutterfly book called Viaggo Italiani or Italian Travels. This makes a great addition to my coffee table!

And now I am back to thinking about home exchanges. In addition to planning my next exchange to France in the fall, next week I will once again be the "instructor" for a Vacation Home Exchange "course" in the Newton, MA, adult education program. The one night "course" will be listed in at least eleven other programs in the greater Boston area. Now it will depend on whether enough people will sign up for it! 

Since part of your responsibility of vacation home exchange is to keep an eye on whatever is left behind, you may need to water the garden or houseplants at your temporary “home away from home”. You will be left a list of “to do’s” so you can take care of that. By the same token, you may leave a list of similar chores you would like taken care of it your absence. I was most fortunate last summer when I was in Sardinia, as Piero was enjoying doing some yard work at my house, and I was delighted!

Because I have a lot of houseplants, when I did my three exchanges last summer, I prevailed upon my good friend Jane and my sister Helen to “plant sit” for most of them. There were outdoor plants that needed watering, and I didn’t want to over-burden my exchange guests. Jane took the orchids, and I was very happy to tell her when one of them flowered beautifully during the holidays.

Next post I will talk about vacation home exchange websites...and how to find them.

What Can Food Add to Your Vacation Home Exchange?

Since I am a person who lives to eat rather than eats to live, I really enjoy exploring the many food options in my travels.Traditionally when you are travelling, and you think about food, you think about restaurant food….But one of the advantages of doing an exchange is that you have a kitchen so you can cook when you want or are so inclined! Personally I especially enjoy visiting grocery stores when I am travelling! Whether it was the butcher on Sifnos, Greece, or the large grocery store outside of Metz, France, I love to see what foods are available and how they come to market. My cooking isn’t anything fancy, so I don’t have to worry about converting to the metric system, since all the kitchen cookware is metric.

I was surprised to find the kitchens last summer did not have salt or pepper, but that was easily taken care of. I actually brought home some ground red pepper, so I will have a souvenir of Sardinia for a longtime!

When I left for my three week visit in Paris with the previously mentioned Snagglepuss, I must admit that I took along a huge jar of Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter. Every morning I would make a peanut butter sandwich to tuck into my bagpack for lunch. THEN I would treat myself to a wonderful French pastry!

Of course, your friends as well as the guidebooks will give you many restaurant ideas. A friend had told me about Angelina's in Paris, for very tasty hot chocolate! Oftentimes, you will be charged more if you sit down rather than standing to eat or drink. So I should have been (MUCH) smarter one very hot afternoon last summer in Rome. We wanted some gelato before our Vatican tour, so we stopped nearby and ordered. There were no prices on the menu (warning #1!), but we ordered without inquiring about the price (error#2!). Our dishes came, and we LOVED EVERY BITE OF OUR GELATO! But I did (almost) faint when the bill came, as our pre-Vatican treat came to 37 euros or roughly $48 !!!! GOOD thing we loved every bite!

Spain is famed for its tapas restaurants. Karen and I went to one in Alicante, which was written up in every guide book we read. We sat up at the bar, so we could watch the cooks prepare some of the tapas!
I'd love to hear about food experiences you have had in your travels! Next post will look at gardens.