Tag: GoCambio

GoCambio Zaragoza edition

Sinead is 26, she’s a dancer and an English mothertongue… She thought that she could take advantage of being a native English speaker to enjoy a great holiday in Zaragoza, Spain. All she had to do was consulting GoCambio website, finding a host living in Spain and willing to learn English and booking a flight! Pretty easy, isn’t it?

Hello Sinead, what do you think about GoCambio?

I loved GoCambio as it was such an unforgettable experience. It was a holiday with a difference and so easy to arrange through the online forum and social media contact with my hosts.

Can you describe the passages one has to do before setting off? Would you describe it as easy?

Yes it was easy as flights are straight forward to book these days and facebook helped with the contact for arrangements. Check the weather for packing your suitcase, keep an open mind and a positive mind set and you are good to go!

So, you were a Guest, which means that you were hosted for free and in exchange you had to help your host with learning and improving a language, your language. What did you do, precisely? Can you describe your day while on “cambio”?

Everyone’s will differ but my day was very relaxed and full of tapas, wine and fun! I got on so good with my hosts and so we would go sightseeing, eat out and meet friends.

Did you like your host?

I loved my host and I have made friends for life!

Would you say that you had time enough to enjoy the city and your trip? Is the “cambio” way demanding in any way or not?

I had loads of time as my hosts were so relaxed and not demanding of my time. I didn’t give formal sit down English lessons as we just hung out and we spoke that way.

Is there a moment that you especially enjoyed and would like to share with us?

My hosts knew I was a burlesque dancer and so we all went to an amazing burlesque show El Plata Cabaret. It was such a good night!

Anything nice or particular that happened with your host?

The whole trip was amazing and friendships were made.

Did this experience with GoCambio influence your idea of Europe and being European in any way? Was it significant in terms of belonging to a larger community?

I have always travelled and felt at home everywhere I go so without sounding cheesy I never specifically only thought of Europe as I feel almost everywhere is a community you can enjoy and experience.

GoCambio: not only language skills

GoCambio is not only about exchanging language skills. Any skill or art can be traded, as did Biru, a 21-year-old Sound Engineer from Washington DC. He helped his hosts setting up a recording studio and he got the chance to visit many English cities. Read his interview below.

How did you find out about GoCambio?

I was studying in Dublin, Ireland this past year and my roommate was from the country. He had invited some people over for a get together and I started talking to one of them. I had told her how I had just finished backpacking Europe the summer before and we bonded over how much we love seeing new places. She was one of the GoCambio test-runners and she said that I would love the site. So I looked it up, signed up, and took a chance with a family in Leeds and it was amazing!Can you describe the passages one has to do before setting off? Would you describe it as easy?

The online meeting process was a breeze. I just had to get a few personal recommendations for them, then the site and we had a Skype call so we could put the names to the faces.

So, you were a Guest, which means that you were hosted for free and in exchange you had to help your host with learning and improving a language, your language. What did you do, precisely? Can you describe your day while on “cambio”?

My Cambio was a special one. The Hosts were actually looking for a Spanish tutor, but found me instead. I Cambio’d for my skills as a Music Producer and Sound Engineer. I helped the family set up their studio, learn how to use the software’s and recorded a radio show (My Name is Bill: An Evening with an Alcoholic). This is why GoCambio is great: it can be used for much more than just language. Any sort of trade can be a selling point, I just happened to be the first one that did anything like that for GoCambio.

A normal day started around 10:00. We would have breakfast and then go work for a few hours. Around 13:00 we had a break for lunch, then when we finished it was back to work. We’d finish up whenever we wanted to, usually around 18:00, as this was dinnertime. After dinner we’d watch some television and then head off to bed. All the work I did was my trade, so I enjoyed it and it never felt like work.
Did you like your host?

My hosts and the family were great! I had an amazing time with them and we still keep in touch via email.

Would you say that you had time enough to enjoy the city and your trip? Is the “cambio” way demanding in any way or not?

I had plenty of time to travel around as well as work with the hosts. I got to visit Leeds, Bradford, as well as Harrogate. The Cambio was very organized and relaxed.

Is there a moment that you especially enjoyed and would like to share with us? Anything nice or particular that happened with your host?

The family took me out to dinner at an Indian restaurant, Akbar’s, in Bradford. This was amazing because I am part Indian so it felt like a home meal! Naan is amazing.Did this experience with GOCambio influence your idea of Europe in any way? Was it significant in terms of belongin to a larger community?

GoCambio helped me fill out more of the world in my head. It’s so hard to be in one area knowing that the world is so big. We’re all different and we all live life in different ways. Even though the Cambio was in another English speaking country, everything operated differently than Ireland, or even America did. Living with a family in a foreign city is a more immersive and, in my opinion, more desirable way of traveling than staying in hostels.

GoCambio can be fun, ask Lorraine!

Second chapter of Pequod discovering GoCambio experience. Here’s Lorraine’s story of cambioing, from Ireland to Spain. She had a lot of fun while learning something new about Spain and teaching her host English in a fun way…

How did you find out about GoCambio?

Well the company started up in my hometown of Youghal, Ireland. I bumped into a friend who was working for the company when I was home on holiday. I travel a lot and when he mentioned what he was working on I was immediately intrigued! I couldn’t believe no one had done this before!

Can you describe the passages one has to do before setting off? Would you describe it as easy?

You can sign up on the GoCambio website (here). It couldn’t be easier. You enter your details which you late have to verify for security reasons, a standard request from any reputable website. Then you fill out your profile including what you can offer either as a guest or a host; likes, dislikes, languages, hobbies, interests…etc. It’s pretty straight forward and very user friendly. Then all you have to do is pack you bag and ditch the guidebook!

Did you like your host?

Alex was so much fun. I went to his place in Zaragoza, Spain. It turned out we had a lot in common and he really made me feel welcome and at home. I made so many friends and hopefully Alex will make his way to Youghal sometime so that I can extend him the same welcoming!

Sure! Well since Alex and I got along so well, he decided that rather than a ‘class’, he just wanted to hang out and speak in English so that’s what we did. The language teaching is something you can discuss with your host in advance and arrange a situation that is suitable for both of you. Some people want to chat, maybe others have a particular goal in mind and might ask you to help them with their writing for example, it really depends on what you want or need from you cambio which is really the beauty of the whole experience. We enjoyed breakfast together and then Alex gave me a tour of the city of Zaragoza. He told me the history, showed me the best spots to eat (I may have eaten a little too much to tell the truth), some funky bars for grabbing drinks, he brought me to the famous cathedral and we had dinner in an amazing Mexican restaurant tucked away down a side street.

11049447_10153812339127565_1687803513996364236_n — Zaragoza

Would you say that you had time enough to enjoy the city and your trip? Is the “cambio” way demanding in any way or not?

Absolutely not. I went with the flow and was lucky to actually want to hang out with my hosts and see a different side of the city but you can also just tell your host ‘Hey, I would love to do some sightseeing, could we have classes in the morning/evening/at a specified time’ etc. Its about sharing, so it has to be convenient for everyone. It’s a sharing economy, give a little, get a little!

Is there a moment that you especially enjoyed and would like to share with us? Anything nice or particular that happened with your host?

Alex and I made chicken fajitas together and he invited his friends over for dinner. We took turns playing different Spanish or English songs and Alex showed me how to do some salsa dancing. I was terrible at it but it was such an authentic experience that I thought ‘Yeah, this is what it’s all about’.

Did this experience with GOCambio influence your idea of Europe and being European in any way? Was it significant in terms of belongin to a larger community?

Of course! It brings people together in such a unique way that you can’t help but really feel a part of it. It is refreshing as someone who travels a lot to come across people who want the same authentic experience, who want to see the things that aren’t in the guidebook, who want to wander to places that are not on a map, who want to speak to real people who have real lives and real stories to tell.

GoCambio – A Guest speaking

Amy Woodward is 19 from Bracknell, near London. She studies Graphic Communication and Design at the University of Leeds. She decided to go to Spain, in a town near Seville, and she did it with GoCambio. She told us about her experience with this new way of travelling and exchanging knowledge.

How did you find out about GoCambio?

I study at the University of Leeds and I have a scholarship therefore I have connections with Alumni (previous Leeds students).

The scholarship network informed me about an Alumni who had just set up a new exchange company and they wanted help and opinions from students through a questionnaire and a focus group about the concept of GoCambio and the website.

After the focus group we were asked whether we wanted to pilot (try out for the first time) GoCambio and then I chose a host and from there I started to plan my trip to Spain.

Can you describe the passages one has to do before setting off? Would you describe it as easy?

It is fairly easy, definitely if you’ve planned trips before. Even though I hadn’t before, I planned what I needed to sort out and I just arranged everything accordingly.

I started with contacting my host through Facebook and talked to her so we could get to know each other and make it clear what we both wanted out of the cambio.

We arranged when it was best to plan my flights and what the week would consist of.

My host wanted to learn more English, but I was mainly there to talk with her 14 year old daughter to help her with English at school.

After getting ready, I was free to do whatever I pleased during the day. I usually explored the area – I went to markets, travelled to Seville, met up with old friends or spent the day with my host as we got on really well.

I would eat lunch with my host family and then spent time with María (my host’s daughter) as she had finished with school for the day.

I didn’t tutor her or teach her English in a formal way, we usually just talked in a relaxed environment such as in a bar, walking around town or with some of her friends.

A minimum of 2 hours of contact time is required for the cambio per day. Personally, I spent quite a lot of time with my host family as we bonded really well and I become “part of the family”, therefore it doesn’t feel like you are working at all.

Did you like your host?

I loved her! We still talk over Facebook! She calls me her “English daughter”.

Would you say that you had time enough to enjoy the city and your trip? Is the “cambio” way demanding in any way or not?

I had plenty of time to do I wanted to. I planned in advance most of the days. You can choose what you want to do and usually you can arrange things with your host, for example the time of dinner to suit you better for your day out.

Is there a moment that you especially enjoyed and would like to share with us? Anything nice or particular that happened with your host?

On one of the days, my host took me to Seville and we had a lovely day together in the city. I felt like a local and not a generic tourist at all – it was great to experience it from the native side of things. Despite her poor English, she really tried explaining things, which was great (with the help of a translator app) as she was like my own personal tour guide.

Did this experience with GOCambio influence your idea of Europe and being European in any way? Was it significant in terms of belongin to a larger community?

Yes it has. Being from England, there seems to be a gap between us and mainland Europe. This experience feels like it has decreased that gap and made the opportunity to travelling around Europe (as well as the rest of the world) more accessible when you are on a smaller budget. In terms if belonging to a larger community, my host family played a big part in this as they made me feel at home and Manuela (my host) even called me her “English Daughter” and said that she would love to have me back. Therefore I feel very welcome as a result of building these bridged in Spain.

GoCambio: cambia il tuo modo di viaggiare

“La gioia di vivere deriva dall’incontro con nuove esperienze, e quindi non esiste gioia più grande dell’avere un orizzonte in costante cambiamento, del trovarsi ogni giorno sotto un sole nuovo e diverso…”

(dal film Into the Wild)

Viaggiare. Si può viaggiare per lavoro, per esigenza, oppure per cause estranee alla nostra volontà. Si può viaggiare per sentirsi liberi, per sentirsi in vacanza, lontani dalla vita di tutti i giorni. O ancora, si può viaggiare per conoscere nuove persone e nuovi posti, per imparare da nuove e diverse culture, per capire meglio il mondo che ci circonda.

Tuttavia, viaggiare, soprattutto per i giovani, può essere difficile e impegnativo, in particolar modo sotto l’aspetto economico. Ed è sostanzialmente per superare questo ostacolo che, negli ultimi anni, sono nate diverse piattaforme online il cui scopo è quello di permettere, a chiunque voglia viaggiare, di trovare un’alternativa economica per farlo.

In quest’ottica si inserisce GoCambio, una piattaforma online gratuita che mette in contatto persone che vogliono viaggiare, con altre che mettono a disposizione una stanza libera e che vogliono imparare una lingua straniera, o altre competenze (culinarie, ad esempio) tramite il loro ospite.

Di GoCambio ci parla Tiziana Volpe, country manager per l’Italia: «Il progetto è nato quando Ian O’Sullivan e Deirdre Bounds, i fondatori di GoCambio, si sono chiesti come mai, per imparare una lingua straniera, bisognasse pagare costi molto alti, quando in realtà ognuno di noi conosce una lingua che qualcuno vuole imparare. Quindi, perché non combinare l’universo del viaggio con quello delle lingue straniere: tu mi insegni la tua lingua, e io ti ospito!»

In un mondo dove il viaggio è sempre di più all’insegna della condivisione (basta pensare a Airbnb, Couchsurfing…), GoCambio si inserisce nella tendenza del momento e permette non solo di risparmiare sull’alloggio, ma anche di fare esperienze autentiche sotto la guida di gente del posto.

La difficoltà maggiore nell’avviare l’attività è stata far fronte alla carenza di conoscenze tecniche nella gestione e promozione dell’attività stessa. Tiziana, che in qualità di country manager si occupa di strategie di marketing online e offline, ha contatti con blogger e riviste per diffondere GoCambio e segue l’animazione dei social media, ci racconta: «Il problema principale è stato quello di convertire l’idea in un progetto concreto: i fondatori di GoCambio non sono esperti di IT strategy o development, quindi la sfida principale è stata quella di utilizzare conoscenze tecniche che, in realtà, alla base non c’erano. Anche scegliere la giusta tecnologia è stata una sfida importante. Inoltre, è arduo farsi strada in un universo dove ci sono concorrenti già affermati e dei quali la gente si fida.»

Attualmente, la piattaforma di GoCambio, dopo soli tre mesi, può contare ben oltre 2mila membri in 85 paesi di tutto il mondo, e il numero è in crescita continua. Questo perché, oltre a basarsi su un concetto che alla gente piace, come l’idea del viaggio e della condivisione, insieme alla possibilità di imparare lingue straniere e aspetti diversi di altre culture, la piattaforma di GoCambio è gratuita.

Per il futuro, inoltre, si sta lavorando ad una versione 2.0 del sito, con molte nuove opzioni. Il tutto dovrebbe essere pronto per Agosto, assieme all’app di GoCambio. L’obiettivo principale è quello di continuare a crescere, sia come numero di membri all’interno della piattaforma, sia come team di gestione e promozione di GoCambio; una sorta di internazionalizzazione dell’attività, in modo tale che, nel più breve tempo possibile, a questo nome, all’espressione “cambioing” e a questo nuovo modo di viaggiare sia associata l’idea del viaggio stesso!

GoCambio Zaragoza edition

GoCambio: not only language skills

GoCambio can be fun, ask Lorraine!

GoCambio – A Guest speaking

GoCambio: cambia il tuo modo di viaggiare

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