[trip style = budget]
There's something romantic about the idea of exchanging homes with a tuscan farmhouse and living like Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun. Equally enticing is the idea of escaping to an English country home like Cameron Diaz in The Holiday--assuming you're OK allowing someone to live in your home.
Localizing Travel
What I love about the home exchange trip style is how it catapults and engages you in local culture. Not being cooped-up in a hotel or touristy area allows for a deeper immersion in the tastes, sounds, activities and lifestyle of a local. It's an experience that compels you in a walk-in-someone-else's shoes way of life and directs you with out-of-the-way advice, suggestions and tips you wouldn't necessarily get from a concierge. The whole experience is oriented toward embracing the normality of an area versus the sometimes abnormal sense of place overly touristy activities can create.
Top Home Exchange Sites
HomeExchange.com
- popularized by movie "The Holiday" (actual website referenced in the movie)
- 35,000 listings in over 130 countries
- since 1992
- insurance option provided by Lloyd's of London
- cost $9.95/month for 1-year unlimited membership or 3-month membership for $15.95/month
HomeforHome.com - major focus on listings in Europe with additional listings in Canada, the US and select countries in South America - free
HomeExchangeVacation.com - significant presence in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia - offer feedback function for added accountability - good FAQ section and website usability - cost: basic membership is free, full membership is $29 for 3-months (need full membership to email other property owners, so if you're serious, you need the full membership)
HomeforExchange.com - 13,500+ listings all over the world, including places like French Polynesia & Mauritius - cost: 1-year $59, 2-year $88, 3-year $110.
iehv.com - International Vacation Home Exchange - touted as "the" luxury home exchange option - mentioned in multiple publications - founded in 2003 - focus on non-simultaneous exchanges and credit system to exchange with variety of properties - cost $179 - $375/anually depending on membership level
Winner of the 
Golf aficionados might want to fandangle a stop at Hong Kong's international airport just to say they played nine holes enroute to Bangkok (although somewhere to currently avoid with the onset of political conflict). Located in Terminal 2, SkyCity Nine Eagles Golf Course is Hong Kong's first nine-hole golf course created to United States Golf Association standards. Don't miss: Island Green, the course's signature hole sitting on an island in the middle of an artificial lake. When you're tired from hitting the green and want to relax, Terminal 2 is the place to be with a 4-D movie theatre featuring the largest 4-D screen in Asia, 7 multi-sensory special effects and 360 seats.
Relaxation is where Vancouver's Airport sets itself apart. Between the nature sounds played in the background, the water features, the 
Along with a 
I know, this selection seems weird. Palm springs airport is undoubtedly small and uneventful, but these features add to its charm. The airport's beauty mark is its outdoor waiting area with benches, grassy patches, palm trees and flowers overlooking a tall mountain. So many airports spend money on serenity areas with water features, misting stations, 
[trip style = cruising] {more pics below}
[me on the flowrider]
[my husband on the flowrider]
[me rock climbing]
[trip style = sun + beach]
Having multiple devices for multiple functions is sooooo yesterday. Forget about buying a Kindle and just download the Kindle app directly to your iPhone. Now, you can travel lighter sans extra book and magazine weight in your bags!
Kindle for iPhone App Details