RoofSwappers Declare Independence!
Nicole Frank is one of the leading experts of the home exchange community. Nicole has been an avid home exchanger since childhood and has completed dozens exchanges around the world with her family. Nicole’s "Key to Home Exchange" appears weekly on RoofSwap.com with do’s and don’t regarding house swapping and tips and advice on a wide array of travel topics. Have a question for Nicole or want to share some insight of your own? Visit our Member Forum section and post your comments and questions.
YOUR FIRST ROOFSWAP STARTS NOW!
April is a roofswapper's busiest month. Veteran home exchangers are lining up their summer exchanges right now. New roofswappers should have one important phrase in mind these days: "Summer Holiday Weekend". A long weekend home trade within a few hours' train, bus or car travel of your home is the perfect way to give home swapping a try.
Sticking close to home avoids adding culture shock to the new experience of home exchange travel. It removes the expense and difficulty of coordinating airline ticket purchasing with your swap partners. And it contains the trip to just a few nights so you can savor a taste of home exchange without getting homesick.
The best time to schedule a holiday weekend swap is the summer, when families with children have more flexibility to travel and the weather is perfect for enjoying all that a vacation destination has to offer.
When it comes to prime summer holiday weekends, there is no better time than early July. In the United States we celebrate our independence from Great Britain on July 4th. Canadians have their own national holiday around the same time. Canada Day, observed on July 1st, marks the anniversary of the official creation of Canada as an independent country.
If you have never experienced the American or Canadian holiday, it is fascinating to be part of it. On our Canada Day home swap to Montreal we saw a multi-cultural mix of new and native Canadians proudly waving the Maple Leaf flag. Whether dressed in Indian saris or hockey team gear; speaking French, English or Chinese; everyone was united in pride for their country.
A large, peaceful crowd gathered in a park and listened to free concerts all day. We chatted with a Canadian family at the event and noted that the spectators all seemed united despite their obvious cultural differences. The Canadian mom told me "In the United States you talk about a melting pot. Here we see ourselves as a mosaic of different cultures. Not a single mass all melted together, more like a spicy stew with many different flavors."
Montreal features the largest international fireworks competition, which runs from June 12 to August 14 this year. We walked from our Montreal swap home to the riverfront and had free front-row seats to the eye-popping pyrotechnics. The Canada Day weekend overlaps with the mostly-free "Just for Laughs" comedy festival in Montreal, as well as an arts fest.
We also celebrated Canada Day weekend in a Toronto swap home. Even though Quebec and Ontario are culturally very different the Canada Day celebration had the same inclusive flavor. This year, Toronto hosts a Gay Pride festival on Canada Day weekend which has won the "Best Festival in Canada" award three times.
Ottawa, home to many RoofSwap members, is the capitol city of Canada. You can celebrate Canada Day with the nation's prime minister. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police perform a sunset ceremony on horseback to celebrate Canada Day. Sounds like an amazing way to experience the real Canada as a roofswapper.
Here in the US, our Independence Day holiday has its own fun traditions. Many towns have parades featuring marching bands, scout troops and colorful floats. It is common for roofswappers to be welcomed to a private or neighborhood bar-b-que, picnic and other festivities. In the evening there are colorful fireworks displays. Roofswappers often say that cultural immersion is our favorite part of exchanging homes. Taking part in community events and meeting the neighbors is part of what makes roofswapping so special.
Some of the most typical North American Independence celebrations take place in exactly the kinds of off-the-tourist-track towns where you will find homes for exchange. One of the best places to celebrate Independence Day is any small town in Massachusetts, considered the cradle of the American Revolution.
Washington, DC is the capitol of our nation, and another wonderful place for an Independence Day roofswap. Each year thousands fill the National Mall to see a spectacular fireworks display. Less well-known is the free concert by the National Symphony Orchestra on the West Lawn of the US Capitol Builiding.
RoofSwap has lots of listings in New York City, which is a great place to see dramatic fireworks over the East River. New York City's fireworks display is considered the nation's best. There are free concerts -- and sweeping views, including the Statue of Liberty -- in downtown Manhattan's Battery Park.
Philadelphia was the scene of many events leading up to US Independence and is another exciting place to spend Juily 4th weekend. RoofSwap has loads of listings in New Jersey, which is a perfect home base for day trips via plentiful public transit to both Philadelphia and New York City.
Now is the time to line up your own summer holiday roofswap. Declare independence from cramped, expensive hotel rooms! Contact roofswappers in the cities mentioned above, or other fun roofswapping destinations. And let us know how your summer travel plans are shaping up.
