Just returned from home exchange in Paris with extra week in Normandy and Loire.
 

Just back from a wonderful 2 week home exchange with a family from Montrouge just outside of Paris and a 3rd week in Normandy and Loire Valley. Thanks for all the tips and recommendations. I'm not the best trip reporter but if you have any questions, please ask. Some of my recommendations in no particular order include: Paris Musee Pass mostly to avoid long line ups; Hotel La Breche in Amboise - very charming and great food; Juno Beach, Canadian Cemetary and German bunkers; Route de Vignobles in Loire Valley to drive around and tour small vineyards for tastings; La Boeuf a la Mode bistro in Versailles for romantic three course lunch with wine for 16 Euros; Rouen; Les Andeleys; Rick Steves Guides for Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, etc.; the climb to the top of Notre Dame and Arche de Triomphe; Chartres but Malcolm Miller away due to illness in family and no substitutes; Rodin Garden for baguette lunch; Tuileries Garden for beauty and carnival; Row boat ride for 2 Euros at Chenonceaux; Catacombs for a very macabre experience(teenagers loved it); croissants for breakfast from the local boulangerie; cafe creme in Paris cafes for great coffee and hours of people watching; biking in Paris - a wonderful way to see the city; etc., etc.,.

Lily- We have been contemplating a home exchange. Can you tell me the company you dealt and any other tips you may have. Thanks..

Dear Beatle, We use HomeLink.org and have had two sucessful home exchanges with them - London in 2000 and Montrouge August 2003. HomeLink charges about $100.00 per year to register and you can register on line. You provide info about your home and a photo which is placed on their web site and in their catalogue that comes out twice per year. There are other home exchange organizations and some charge no fees. Our neighbours have had luck with another organization in a home exchange to Paris last year - I can't recall the name of the service they use but you can search online or if you wish I can ask them and let you know. HomeLink has been in the business over 50 years and we've had good luck with them. Basically once you're on their website you await inquiries or make inquiries of your own. You can streamline your inquires by indicating which countries/cities you wish to go to. Many people exchange cars as well which we have done on both our home exchanges. Our car and home insurers don't have a problem with home exchanging and our home and car are insured as per usual without additional fees although they do like to be informed. There is a contract available through HomeLink that outlines the details of the home exchange and a seperate contract for the cars. Some people are uncomforable with strangers in their home and worry about theft/damage but we haven't had a problem. HomeLink does not screen registrants and you're on your own in making arrangements. I usually start making inquiries 6 months or more in advance of when I want to travel. Frankly we couldn't afford to travel to Europe otherwise. And we enjoy staying in someone's home as opposed to being all stuck in a hotel room - we have two teenage sons. We also save money by cooking some of our own meals. And you begin to feel like you are living there as most home exchanges are in residential areas. Our home exchange family from Montrouge had dinner with our neighbours and borrowed their canoe. We bought our croissants every morning at the local boulangeries and got to be regulars at the cafe on the corner - not another tourist in sight. The downside is you don't have someone coming in and tidying up or changing your sheets and towels everyday and the only way I get room service is when I bribe the kids to bring me a cup of tea. We have rented cottages and stayed in hotels for years and still do but I do prefer a home exchange - it's a fair amount of planning and you can't be very spontaneous but it's worked for us on trips to Europe. Let me know if you'd like some more info - I'm starting to sound like I work for Homelink. Lily

I, too, have had a good experience using HomeLink. The registration rate is lower if you choose to just be in their online database,, and not be in their actual published book. Not only does this save money, it substantialy increases your chances of getting an exchange home with internet ccess! It does rule out some of the quainter country places, though.

Where do you live Lily? I live in San Jose, California and can't imagine that someone from Paris would want to home exchange with us. In order to get a prime location, do you have to live in a prime location?

Ronda, are you kidding??!! You are within an hour of San Francisco and Big Sur, two rather famous destinations! You ARE in a prime location! Home exchangers realize that not everybody lives in a tourist destination. It helps if you, too, are flexible about where you stay.

Rhonda, I live in Ottawa, Canada not the most prime destination for anyone but our Montrouge family had a wonderful time here. I worried that they would be bored. It's very different for them here, more country like with many golf courses, hiking, biking, etc which they love. Our house is not fancy at all and we tend to exchange with people who have simpler homes. The Montrouge family loved our garden as we have an above ground pool and deck and lots of trees. And they loved barbequeing which they can't do in their neighbourhood. Anonoymous is right about your location and besides you never know who wants to come to your area. I thought it would be hard to attract other home exchangers to Ottawa but we haven't had a problem other than trying to exchange in Provence - after 60 inquiries I had no luck but no problem with Paris or London (our last home exchange).

Exchangers have all sorts of interests and requirements. Places that seem very ordinary to us can be interesting to people from abroad.

I even got an offer of an exchange for London over Christmas one year -- they had family a few miles from my home in the US, wanted to spend Christmas with them, but the family didn't have room for them to stay.

Lily your information was very useful. I have used homeexchange.com (we have a 2 bedroom NYC apartment)for several exchanges but sometimes it seems very hard to get a match. I am always afraid that we will buy a ticket and the other person will cancel. Has anyone had experience with that? I also like feeling that you live in another country.

Lily,
Can you write a little more about bicycling in Paris; was it on your own, a tour, etc.

I have had communications breakdowns and even had an exchanger cancel from homeexchange.com but never from HomeLink. I got the feeling that people didn't take Homeexchange.com as seriously because they don't charge a fee; with the older, fee-charging places like HomeLink, there seems to be more commitment.

Anonymous, thanks for the information. We pay 49.95 to list our home for a year, I do not know if you can send email to people for free or not. I searched Homelink.org as a guest, it has more listings. It seems a little cumbersome to sort through ie I live in NYC, so only want searchers who are interested in NYC. It may be worth the expense to pay for Homelink.org if you get people who are more committed to it.

Ooops, sorry if I remembered incorrectly about whether homeexchange.com charges a fee. Last time I looked at them was over 2 years ago, either I remembered wrong or their policy has changed.

Anonymous, I think you can answer a listing without paying the fee.

Dear Beachbum, Sorry to take so long to reply re biking in Paris. We rented bikes from Mike's Bike Tours about 15 Euros per day and they gave us a map of the bike routes around Paris. Mike's is close to the Eiffel Tower so we biked from there to the Bastille/Marais area and back via the Seine by the Louvre. It was lovely. The bike routes are shared with buses however so you do have to have your wits about you. Mike's also has several guided tours which sound like fun both in the daytime and evening and even to Chateau Versailles. We rented bikes at Chateau Versailles too (from the Chateau itself) but only to get around the gardens. Lily

Dear Yedonite, We always have a backup plan in case the other exchanger cancels although in our two experiences it hasn't happened. Our backup plan really just involves having some other accomodation in mind ie; b&b's, etc. so that we're not left in the lurch if the other exchanger cancels at the last minute. Lily

Thanks Lily. Was biking safe there? I was hit and run on my bike here three years ago and while confined, I tried to learn how to use the computer(haven't learned much but enough for my needs.) But I too would like to bike there.