RIMINI - If the budget is reduced to a minimum, so as to make even the cheapest last minute travel offers prohibitive, you must not give up.
Because against the crisis and the energy price increases that affect wages, there are those who, to go on holiday to the Riviera, are willing to resort to the ancient practice of bartering, which today in the days of the internet takes the name of 'swapping', an English word that comes from 'swap' which literally means 'swap'.
The goal is to go on vacation without spending money, doing small jobs in exchange: fixing the garden, redoing the website, painting the laundry room, fixing broken taps.
But also by giving clothes, shoes, books in exchange.
Or taking a cooking class, in exchange for a long weekend stay at the hotel.
There are dedicated sites (such as couchsurfing.org or barattobb.it) which both hoteliers and tourists can sign up for.
In exchange for accommodation and breakfast, both goods and services can be offered.
In the summer, but also in the rest of the year, there is always the possibility of exchanging a bed.
"I gave my willingness to join the barter holiday after receiving an email - Salvatore Boci, of the Nanni Garni hotel in Rivazzurra di Rimini explained to the Resto del Carlino in Rimini - there are several things that could be fixed and improved, from the website to the garden. Now, depending on availability, we will evaluate how to move ".
And again: "So far we have exchanged the holiday with services only once - explain Alessandra Nori and Manlio Grilli, of the B & B Sebante in Cervia - we have hosted for 4 days people who have made a photo shoot that we will use for our site".
Sometimes the guests bring typical products, says Bertina Pazzi, of the B&B Bertina in Cesenatico, "in exchange for a free stay or at a reduced price compared to the official one. Other times, it has happened, my son after hosting tourists for free. - the hotelier told the Rimini newspaper -, after the summer he went on vacation once to Tuscany, another to Rome. In both cases they were people from the same sector as us ".
Finally, Federalberghi Rimini underlines that many companies have asked to barter, but "in our territory it is still not very widespread, because it is not easy to quantify the value of the services provided".