Are you going to be visiting Catalonia anytime soon? We sure hope you are because this region in Spain is truly a marvelous place to spend your summer and soak in the wonderful Mediterranean weather to enjoy! But not only that, the food in Catalonia is delicious so discover 5 typical dishes of this region that will make your mouth water: 

- Pa amb tomàquet: It is a piece of toasted bread with fresh tomatoes rubbed on it sprinkled with a little olive oil and salt. You can also choose to add a slice of the typical ham or cheese; simple, tradiation and perfect!  Continue reading

Have you ever asked yourself what the difference between renting and swapping a home is? The answer is as subtle as it is simple: it is the thoughtful gift that you leave for the owners of the home or the gift you find when you come back from your home exchange holidays. It is these thoughtful acts of kindness that make a home swap so unique!

If you have any doubts about swapping your home for your next holidays, don’t hesitate anymore! One of the main differences differences between renting and swapping your home is that with home exchange your holidays have more of a personal touch because you truly feel at home while being away from home. This feeling arises because families leave small gifts for the other making the whole experience more special. Unlike the little random act of kindness in home exchange, In the case of renting, the gift that you receive at the end of your trip is always the same:  the bill.  Continue reading

From May 2 to 4, the Collaborative Economy visited the Villette’s park in Paris to participate in an event organized by OuiShare. 3 intense days occurred inside the Cabaret Sauvage with debates, talks, group activities, music, and a pre-release of documentaries.

During those 3 days, we could see interesting initiatives which allow the creation of communities with goals such as sharing a car, sharing a house or flat for the holidays, sharing knowledge, sharing working space or even sharing the output of research projects.

The society and the economy asks us to think about the importance of sharing. The future must take into account the reuse of available resources; that is things that we already have or things that our neighbors or friends already have.

Photo by @_brieuc

Some of the initiatives that are already being developed in Europe are:

- You can take advantage of empty seats in your car by allowing other passengers to travel with you to the same destination, for example from Paris to Amsterdam using car sharing platforms such as Carpooling.

- You can swap your home; you can enjoy a house in a new city for your vacations while the other family enjoys your own house. This kind of initiative is promoted by Knok and thanks to this travelers will save on the cost of accommodation and will live a richer and more local experience.

-You can share knowledge in schools such as Trade School London , where the teachers can learn from the students too.

- Or you can work in co-working spaces, sharing your knowledge and facilities with others professionals who have the same concerns that you have.

The economy and the society are becoming more collaborative and if each person brings a “grain” of sand to help the growth of the process, all together we will be able to achieve better use of the resources we have available today. Initiatives such as OuiShareFest encourage us to keep this in mind every day.

Amsterdam is the best city to cycle in 2013.

At least that’s what The Copenhagenize Index 2013 says. The index is a compendium of the best cities to cycle made every year byThe Copenhagenize, an organization specialized in bike solutions that work with projects all over the world to improve the bicycle culture all over the world.

Amsterdam is definitely the city of the bikes. Over there, cycling is as mainstream as it can get. Young ones, the seniors, parents with their kids, ladies with high heels. It’s amazing how, sometimes, is even hard to walk with so many bikes around.

The canals spread around the city (there are more canals in Amsterdam than in Venice!) make the perfect scenario for a great ride. Besides that, all around town there are special lines for bikers, so, you can even get stuck in bike-traffic.

It’s worth it to rent a bike an ride around like almost every local do over there. How about pack your bags, home swap in Amsterdam and move around over two wheels?

To meet the top cities to move around with your bike, check the whole index here.

Barcelona is known as a great destination for those who love art, architecture, partying, sunny beaches and great tapas. But also, celebrating the delicious art of chocolate is a great deal in the capital the Catalonia region. There’s a great spot to visit on your next home swap in town.

The Chocolate Museum is located in the former Sant Agustí monastery, an historic building that related to chocolate since the 18^th century: he Bourbon army was a fanatical consumer of chocolate and, according to the ordinances, chocolate was present on their menus. When the troops were in barracks, acting as garrison, chocolate was also commonly eaten. The halberdier corps, the monarch’s personal bodyguard, was enviously known as the “chocolateros”, because, as they were a pampered, elite corps, they consumed a great deal of chocolate. Continue reading

This simple mandate is full of common sense and applicable to our everyday lives. After all, how many of us own a tent that we use no more than a week over the summer? How many of us have a slow-cooker that we’ve only ever used a handful of times? How many of us make a long car journey with empty passenger seats? And then there’s the issue of wasting space; how many of us have loft space in our homes that is only ever half-full?

Sharing as the solution to all this wastage seems obvious, but what Hervé doesn’t impart through his little nugget of wisdom, is how one can share better…

Continue reading

Istanbul is the best city to visit in Europe this 2013! At least, that’s what the contest Best European Destination, organized by The European Consumers Choice, concluded after analyzing the results.

20 cities were selected to participate on the on-line public voting site and the Turkish city of Istanbul was the chosen one. The second runner up, only 439 votes behind the great champion was Lisbon, in Portugal. Want to know the top ten cities to visit (and home swap!) this year in Europe? Check it out: Continue reading

Brussels is the main center for international politics as well as the base for many international organizations and diplomats. It’s considered the capital of European Union and Europe’s political hub. But besides that and its delicious chocolate, waffles and fries, Brussels is also considered the world’s capital of comics.

It is in the Belgium city that the largest comic museum can be found: the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée. There are three floors and four thousand square meters dedicated to the art of the comic. Drawings, real size reproductions, animations, roughs and other pieces related to this fun kind of art. Continue reading

“This is Berlin”, with sunch an unofficial slogan, the capital of Germany is a quirky, inspiring and really fun city to visit. Anything can happen in Berlin!  A city that holds in its essence a lot of changes is sure full of people who can have fun.

When you decide to home swap in Berlin, make sure to reserve a Sunday as one of the days of the trip. In that day, the Mauerpark (Wall Park) – which holds that name in order to be close to a large part of the former Berlin Wall – is the perfect place for a full day of fun. Every Sunday there is a flea market where it’s possible to buy almost everything: records, jewelry, accessories, clothes, antiques, even some supposedly old soldier uniforms as well.  Continue reading

How about a cinematographic walk on the gorgeous streets of Rome? Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love, brings the Italian city as one of its main locations, as he has previously did with Paris, in Midnight in Paris and Barcelona, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Check some of the must-see locations of the movie to get some inspiration in your home swap in Rome as you  fall in love with the city too.

Trevi fountain: located in Piazza de Trevi, the square is the place where an American tourist, Hayley, meets the Italian Michelangelo, while looking for the Trevi fountain. The square’s centerpiece is the Victor Emmanuel II monument which is often called the “wedding cake” or “Mussolini’s typewriter” due to its striking size and shape. Yes, it’s the perfect scenery for them to fall in love, and SPOILER ALERT, they do. Continue reading