Performance-Enhanced Travel To Athens

Home exchange can save vacationers thousands of dollars plus peace of mind at once-in-a-lifetime events

(PRWEB) August 5, 2004 -- Attend the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and prepare to pay. Opening Ceremony tickets cost more than $1,500 each with tickets for individual events costing $600 or more. Add to that airfare, food, a Phevos and Athena t-shirt and the inevitable price gouging that accompanies major events. Now take the total amount for all these items combined and that is roughly what you can expect to pay for accommodations alone during your Athens visit.

It might surprise you to learn that a member of the Digsville Home Exchange community (www.digsville.com) could have arranged penthouse accommodations in the heart of Athens for μηά δολάρια (thats Greek for zero dollars")?

Home exchange provides no-cost accommodations by swapping your primary or secondary home with someone elses. You stay in their place; they stay in yours -- and no money is exchanged. The payoff comes in the opportunity to experience a location like a local, have extra space and freedom, avoid tourist crowds and hotel labor disputes, and save money. Despite AP reports that Athens Olympic tourism has fallen short of expectations, a hotel room can still cost $500 - $1,000 or more per night. Money saved on accommodations during a one week exchange could more than pay for the remainder of the Olympic experience. According to Helen Bergstein, Founder and CEO of Digsville, Lodging costs are generally the largest ticket item on any vacation, whether youre traveling within the US or abroad - eliminate that cost and your vacation just got a whole lot better. Digsville members account for spending their saved dollars on extending a stay, bringing along a friend or relative, attending cultural and sporting events that may have been consider too costly before traveling the home exchange way".

Saving money is just the beginning of the story behind many home exchanges. Peace of mind is a valuable commodity for Americans traveling abroad. In todays unfortunate political climate, international travel breeds security concerns. These concerns are intensified at high profile events such as the Olympics. Many home exchangers claim that they sleep more soundly knowing that they are living as invited guests among locals rather than at high traffic tourism hotels -- because they see tourist locales as more likely terrorist targets than residential homes.

It is no wonder savvy travelers are already rushing to plan their home exchanges for the 2006 Winter Games in Italy.

Helen Bergstein is Founder and CEO of the Digsville Home and Hospitality Exchange Club (www.digsville.com), the worlds premiere home exchange service. Helen is a reputed expert on the subjects of hospitality and home exchange, an exploding niche in the travel industry. Major media outlets worldwide turn to Helen for information on the latest trends and the new face of travel in the 21st century. Dubbed the eBay of home exchange" by Travel + Leisure magazine, Digsville has transformed the small, exclusive home exchange community into a major travel trend with thousands of home listings in more than 53 countries.

If you would like more information about this topic, Helen Bs 10 Tips for a Successful Home Exchange, or to schedule an interview with Helen Bergstein, please call (551) 655-2536 or e-mail Helen at HelenB@digsville.com.