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Website: http://www.thevacationexchange.com
jillsvenblog has written 18 articles so far, you can find them below.
Filed under The Vacation Exchange Network Talk by Jill on April 2, 2010 at 9:00 AM
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More Reasons Why Your Next Family Vacation Should Be a Home Exchange
Continued from Top 10 Reasons Why Home Swapping is Ideal for Family Vacations – Part One
8. When you stay in a vacation home, your kids can have their own beds.
Remember the last time you stayed in a hotel room with your kids? If your kids are anything like mine, the decision about who is going to share a bed with the “sheet stealer” takes a great deal of negotiating. In a vacation home, my kids typically have their choice of rooms, and they each get their own bed. “Can I have the sailboat room?” asks my youngest. “I get the top bunk,” states my oldest. More often than not, they all end up staying in the same room. Because it’s part of the fun of vacation. And there’s never any arguing about sheet stealing.
7. No need to sit in the hallway or on the floor of the bathroom waiting for your kids to fall asleep.
A friend of mine recently confessed to me that she and her husband typically sit on the floor of their hotel room’s bathroom or in the hallway outside their hotel room — on the floor — while they wait for their kids to go to sleep. They have to whisper, of course, and sometimes it can take 30 minutes or longer before their kids are sleeping deeply enough that they can return to the room. Even then, they must keep the lights and noise to a minimum so as not to wake up the kids and be forced to start the whole process again. Ever try watching Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Report without laughing aloud? It’s not easy. When you house swap, there’s no need to be relegated to the floor of a barely-lit bathroom. The sofa in the living room, the chaise lounge on the deck, or the bed in the master bedroom are certainly more comfortable than a tile floor. Your body will thank you for vacationing the home exchange way!
To be continued….
Filed under The Vacation Exchange Network Talk by Jill on April 1, 2010 at 10:35 AM
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Why Your Next Family Vacation Should Be a Home Exchange
Anna Maria Island Florida Vacation House Available for Home Exchange
10. You don’t have to ask for a room away from the noisy elevator.
Concern about where your room will be located — close to or far from the elevator, 2nd floor or 8th floor, smoking section or non-smoking section — is par for the course when you vacation in a hotel. When you stay in a vacation home, however, the whole house is yours. No need to worry about noisy guests, rooms that smell of smoke, a view of the parking lot, or being too far away from the ice machine. Every room in a vacation house is conveniently located and as quiet as you’d like it to be!
9. In a vacation home, there is no extra charge for room service.
Although I’ll agree that room service has a few benefits, I’d prefer not to have to pay $5 for that cup of orange juice my daughter is asking for. Home swappers enjoy a kitchen that is open 24/7, which is especially convenient for families with children who wake up hours too early for breakfast at a restaurant and for anyone who occasionally enjoys a midnight snack. Home swapping enables families to eat some meals at home, saving money on your vacation and adding oodles of convenience.
To be continued….
To read more of the top 10 reasons why home swapping is ideal for family vacations, visit us again tomorrow!
Filed under The Vacation Exchange Network Talk by Jill on March 25, 2010 at 1:00 AM
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Vacation Home Exchange Opportunity in Kauai, Hawaii
Besides offering a haven of tranquility or a home base for your adventures, vacation homes also offer many owners a major source of income. A substantial number of vacation and second home owners rent their homes to vacationers. This rental income is not inconsequential. Some vacation rentals can go for as much as $12,000 or more per week. But, even the most desirable vacation properties in the most desirable vacation destinations have unrented weeks.
So, the vacation home sits empty and unused, and the owners of the vacation home consider the week a loss. This doesn’t have to be the case. That unrented week can be used in a home exchange, also called a home swap. By joining The Vacation Exchange Network, an unrented week in your vacation home enables you to take that trip you’ve been dreaming about, in the United States or around the world. And you can take your trip in an affordable way, avoiding the high cost of lodging.
You don’t have to wait for someone to use your home in order for you to make a home exchange. Unlike other home swap companies, you can travel when and where you want without having to find someone to use your home. Simply find a vacation home in our Network, or have our home exchange coordinators find one for you, and arrange to stay there for your vacation. The other home owner will receive an Exchange Credit to be used on a future vacation. Similarly, when you allow another Vacation Exchange Network member to use your vacation property, you’ll receive an Exchange Credit.
Home exchange is a great way try spring skiing in Colorado, Utah, or Vermont, to dust off those golf clubs in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, or to travel somewhere you’ve never been. Just browse through our vacation properties to get some ideas, and we’ll help you find that perfect vacation.
To learn more about home swaps, including how to list your vacation home, how to join our home swap Network, or what makes The Vacation Exchange Network a unique house swap program, please visit us at www.TheVacationExchange.com. We look forward to helping you plan your next vacation!
No more lamenting those unrented weeks; they’re your key to your next vacation!
Filed under Travel Thoughts by Jill on March 18, 2010 at 1:12 PM
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Your Next Golf Vacation Could be a Home Exchange
Time for a spring golf tune-up?
The Myrtle Beach area boasts over 100 golf courses, including some of the most challenging and beautiful golf courses in the country. If your clubs are just aching to get out on the course, consider Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Award-winning courses abound, including those by world-famous architects Robert Trent Jones, Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and Tom Fazio.
Average spring temperatures in Myrtle Beach range from the high sixties in March to the low eighties in May, making for perfect golf weather. Myrtle Beach is part of the Grand Strand, 60 miles of white sand beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. So, after those 18 (or 27?) holes, you can watch the sunset with soft sand between your toes.
Our members’ Myrtle Beach golf course picks:
Arrowhead Country Club of Myrtle Beach, by architects Tom Jackson and Ray Floyd, is an outstanding course, upscale and particularly visually appealing. This 27-hole course has three 9-hole tracts. Our members picked The Cypress as their favorite.
Glen Durnoch Golf Course, part of The Glens Golf Course, is located in Little River, South Carolina. This coastal course is located on the Intracoastal Waterway and has several natural elevation changes. Our members say the course has a fabulous layout and that the last three holes are particularly spectacular.
River Hills Golf and Country Club of Little River, South Carolina, by architect Tom Jackson has a southern feel with rolling hills and natural elevation changes. Our members were particularly impressed with the excellent condition of the course and made note of the outstanding greens.
These restaurants have gotten rave reviews by our members:
Parson’s Table, located in Little River, South Carolina, is fine dining in a one-of-a-kind setting. Upscale, with outstanding food and ambiance. The antique wooden floors and stained glass windows are a perfect accompaniment to a meal prepared by Ed Murray, Jr., recently selected as one the Best Chefs in America.
Umberto’s at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina offers outstanding traditional Italian food at a reasonable price. Their self-named house dish Chicken Umberto lives up to its name, and the owner has a sense of humor. Check out his Dining Tips!
Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is an entertaining dining experience. Their sizzling meats are delicious, and children six and under dine for free!
To spotlight just a few:
Located on Myrtlewood Golf Course, this condo (see photo below) in the Myrtlewood Villas sleeps 6. This beautifully furnished and centrally-located Myrtle Beach vacation home is close to the beach, shopping, water sports, and restaurants.
This Myrtle Beach, South Carolina vacation home is available for home swap at The Vacation Exchange Network now through the end of May.
Located in Surfside Beach, seven miles south of Myrtle Beach, this sunny 5-bedroom, 3-bath raised beach home is also within minutes of a variety of golf courses. The home’s gorgeous in-ground pool is perfect for a few laps or just relaxing at the end of the day.
This Surfside Beach, South Carolina beach home is available for swap during April with The Vacation Exchange Network
Located in Myrtle Beach, the home pictured below has both a lake view and an ocean view. The community is gated, and it has both a swimming pool and an outdoor waterpark.
This waterfront condo is available for home swap in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
The Vacation Exchange Network has scores of vacation homes in South Carolina, including many in and around Myrtle Beach. Take a look at our homes in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and Garden City Beach. You’re sure to find one that is right for your next home exchange. Be sure to let us know about your restaurant and golf course picks!
Images: Rasmus Thomsen / FreeDigitalPhotos.net; Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Filed under The Vacation Exchange Network Talk by Jill on March 17, 2010 at 11:15 AM
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Where Do Your Vacation Dreams Take You?
Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada Vacation Home Available for Exchange with The Vacation Exchange Network
Beautifully Landscaped Home in Aruba Available for Holiday Home Swap with The Vacation Exchange Network
New Zealand House Exchange on Lake's Edge in Bay of Plenty Available for Your Next Home Swap
Switzerland Chalet Overlooks Swiss Alps and Mont-Blanc Available for Vacation Home Exchange
A Waterfront View of the Caribbean: Cades Bay, Nevis Holiday Home Available for Swap with The Vacation Exchange Network
Luxury Condo Overlooking an Azure Blue Sea Available for Home Exchange on the Island of Providenciales, Turks & Caicos
Gorgeous Palm Tree Landscaping at This Puerto Rico Vacation Home Available for Swap with The Vacation Exchange Network
Scottsdale Arizona Vacation Home in Gated Community Near Phoenix Available for Home Swapping with The Vacation Exchange Network
Three Bedroom, Doorman Building: New York City Apartment Available for Home Exchange with The Vacation Exchange Network
Mount Desert Island Maine Vacation Home on 16 Acres Available for Home Exchange with The Vacation Exchange Network
Kauai Hawaii Vacation House in Exclusive Princeville Resort Available for Home Exchange
How Can Home Exchange Help You Realize Your Vacation Dreams?
With home exchange (also called home swap, home trades, holiday house exchange, and many other names), take your vacation anywhere your dreams take you.
At its core, the idea of a home swap is really quite simple — swap a stay in your vacation home for a stay in someone else’s home.
The uniqueness of The Vacation Exchange Network is that you can vacation when you want and where you want without having to find a home exchange partner who wants to use your home.
With housing exchange, your home enables you to take unforgettable vacations on a budget. You can save thousands of dollars on your holiday by leveraging one of your biggest assets, your vacation home.
To find out more about how home swaps work, how to list your vacation home for swap, how to join our home swap Network, or how to arrange your home exchange, please visit us at The Vacation Exchange Network’s website.
Filed under Eye on Vacation Homes by Jill on March 15, 2010 at 11:28 PM
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A New Vacation Home Exchange Opportunity
At The Vacation Exchange Network, we have many, many beautiful and one-of-a-kind homes listed for home swap. One such home has recently been added to our Network….
Lotus Lake House in Grass Valley, California Available for Home Exchange
Lotus Lake House is an award-winning, eco-friendly lakefront retreat. A home exchange at this home would truly be a one-of-a-kind experience.
A One-of-a-Kind Experience — Available for Your Next Home Swap Vacation
Situated on 8 acres of private and secluded forested property in California Gold Country, the owners of the Lotus Lake House say they’ve cleared just enough trees to have fabulous views of Rollins Lake. Speaking of the lake, this home boasts a lake view on three sides. The massive deck wraps around the house and features several dining areas, a new Weber BBQ gas grill, and rockers and loungers. The home’s glass walls open up to the deck, transforming it into one large indoor/outdoor space. This blend of indoor and outdoor living makes the house feel quite large and enhances the experience of being a part of the serene, natural environment.
Lotus Lake House is secluded enough for that quiet or romantic getaway that you’ve been dreaming about, yet it is close enough to a variety of activities that you can fill your days any way you choose. A private trail takes visitors to the lake, where kayaking, sailing, swimming, and water skiing, jet skiing, and many more outdoor activities are available. Some of the best hiking in California can be found nearby. If you’d like to explore the greater area, Lake Tahoe skiing and sightseeing, historic Gold Rush towns, antique shops, and several wineries are all close, along with a variety of restaurants, shopping, and sightseeing locales. You certainly won’t run out of things to do in this neck of the woods.
Award-Winning Architecture Meets Eco-Friendly Design
Award-Winning Architecture of Lotus Lake House
This ultra-modern, entirely “green” home was designed by award-winning architect Michelle Kaufmann and debuted on the front lawn of San Francisco’s City Hall for the 2007 West Coast Green conference in San Francisco. The home has been featured in Sunset Magazine, Inhabitat, EcoGeek.com, and FineHomeBuilding.com.
This completely “green” contemporary house has a sleek modern design, lots of windows, and cool welcoming tones. Wood flooring throughout is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The shower and bathroom flooring are made from recycled glass. Those who are interested in reducing their vacation carbon footprint will be thrilled to learn that the home is completely off-grid and has 145 points from “Build it Green” certification and a “Keep the Sierra Green” Certification. Solar panels provide the energy required for radiant-floor heat, heat-pump air conditioning, and Energy Star appliances.
High-end modern furnishings compliment the Lotus Lake House
Brand new, high-end furnishings compliment this ultra-modern, eco-friendly home.
Exchange Homes Where Outdoor Meets Indoor at the Lotus Lake Home
How Your Next Vacation Could Be a Home Exchange at the Lotus Lake Home
The Lotus Lake Home in Grass Valley, California could be your next vacation destination! With The Vacation Exchange Network, vacation and second home owners can travel affordably by swapping a stay at their home for a stay at someone else’s home. The uniqueness of our Network is that you can exchange when and where you want, without having to find someone to use your home. If you stay at someone else’s home, and they aren’t interested in your home, they receive an Exchange Credit, which they can use for a future home exchange. Our home exchange coordinators can help you arrange your next home swap. If you are not already a member of The Vacation Home Exchange Network, join our home swap program today! Membership is free for the first year!
Filed under Eye on Vacation Homes, Travel Thoughts by Jill on March 10, 2010 at 2:53 PM
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Ski conditions. These are in the eye of the beholder. I learned this on a ride up a chair lift on a recent February ski trip.
It was snowing – a lot – and there was gorgeous powdery snow covering the entire mountain. The evergreen trees were caked in what looked like confectioner’s sugar. My family and I couldn’t get over the still, quiet beauty of the mountain. Every run had several inches of fresh powder. Any skier would have been in heaven, right? Well, not my family. Having skied on the over-skied mountains of the East Coast for our whole lives, this powder was more than we could handle. Our skis seemed to feel every bump in the snow, twisting and turning our skis in unexpected and not always controllable ways. We wondered when they’d groom some of those intermediate and easier expert runs so that we could enjoy this blissful day without any broken ankles.
We were on our way up to the top of the mountain to give it another try. A snowboarder sat with us on the lift. Upon overhearing us talk about how much powder there was on our last run, he added, “Yeah, it’s perfect today, isn’t it? I’m sure by tomorrow they’ll have groomed the whole mountain, and you can forget about these great conditions.” As we’re lamenting the fact that the powder is giving us too bumpy a ride, this guy can’t get enough of it. All we could do was laugh. Ski conditions – in the eye of the beholder.
Spring skiing conditions are variable, of course, depending a great deal on temperature and the freeze-melt cycle. Sometimes spring skiing mimics the well-groomed runs that I seek, sometimes it can be powdery, and most often the snow in spring takes on a great character all its own. You certainly can’t beat the warm sunshine and skiing in sunglasses and a fleece. Many mountains also have fun family events and music at the base, and lift tickets are often cheaper. You can take nice long lunches on the deck of the lodge and ski for several hours after lunch, thanks to those longer spring days.
We have many vacation homes available for home exchange in spring skiing areas during the months of March, April, and May. I have highlighted few below, but this list is by no means complete. To browse through the vacation homes listed in our home exchange network, please visit us at www.thevacationexchange.com.
Custom waterfront home in South Lake Tahoe, CA available for home swap
Lake Tahoe, California boasts 7 ski mountains, and we have lots of vacation homes in both North Lake Tahoe and in South Lake Tahoe.
This home in South Lake Tahoe, CA has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths and sleeps 10. It has a large boat dock, a hot tub, and a panoramic view of Heavenly Ski Resort. Skiing is only 3 miles away. For information about how to become a member of The Vacation Exchange Network and vacation in homes like this by traveling the home swap way, check out our discussion of how to arrange a home exchange.
Ski home in South Lake Tahoe, CA available for home swap March 21st - May 26th
This California ski home, also in South Lake Tahoe, CA has 3 bedrooms, a circular fireplace, redwood decks, and a hot tub. It is located 11 miles from skiing. It is available for home swap March 21st – May 26th.
We have a number of homes available for vacation exchange in Colorado, including homes close to Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Vail, Keystone, Steamboat, and Copper Mountain. Here’s just a sampling:
Ski-in/ski-out condo on Steamboat Mountain in Colorado available for home swap March - May
This ski-in/ski-out condo on Steamboat Mountain sleeps 8 and offers maid service. It is available March through May for home exchange.
Mountain home in Crested Butte, CO available for home exchange in April.
This 3 bedroom, 3 bath home in Crested Butte, CO is on the mountain and boasts gorgeous panoramic views. 5 minutes from skiing, this vacation home is available for home exchange during the month of April. Check out our many vacation homes in Crested Butte, CO at www.thevacationexchange.com.
Rustic yet elegant log home near Utah ski resorts available for home swap in April & May
This log home in Midway, Utah is secluded among the pines and aspens and yet is close to both Park City and Deer Valley ski resorts. This stunning home boasts 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. It has all amenities, including both a gas fireplace inside and a log fireplace outside on the deck. Read a great Utah ski blog at www.skiutah.com/winter/blog.
I’ve highlighted a few opportunities for spring skiing here. Be sure to check out all of our vacation homes available for swap. To learn more about what makes The Vacation Exchange Network a unique home exchange program or to join our network, please visit www.thevacationexchange.com.
For great discussions of skiing in Colorado, Utah, and California, check out these blogs: cosnow.com, www.skiutah.com/winter/blog, and skiing-blog.com.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on spring skiing and hear about your experiences. Please add your comments below.
Filed under The Vacation Exchange Network Talk by Jill on February 19, 2010 at 1:20 AM
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Welcome to our new blog!
The Vacation Exchange Network is a unique home exchange program that allows home swappers to travel when and where they want, without having to find someone who wants to use their home. You may think you need to re-read that sentence, right? Well, you read it correctly. Yes, it is true — you do NOT need to find someone who wants to use your home in order for you to travel with The Vacation Exchange Network. We are the only home swap program that offers this type of Non-Mutual Exchanges, while also offering unbeatable customer service, help finding and arranging your home swaps, and the promise that we’ll prove our value before you pay.
Our blog will help us showcase upcoming home swap opportunities, share our insights about home exchange and travel in general, and bring you stories of our members’ home swap experiences. We hope that you’ll read our blog often and add to the conversation by commenting on our posts. To be sure you stay updated, subscribe to our RSS feed, and bookmark us on your favorite social bookmarking site.
Of course, we invite you also to visit our main site at www.thevacationexchange.com and to become a member of our Network.
We’ll see you back here soon!
