Tips for Home Exchanging from a Veteran
 

This subject has come up on another thread. I recently wrote this post for knowyourtrade.com, a site devoted to home exchange. I do recommend that you go over there if you have questions because the site is focussed only on that. However, due to the interest expressed, I am posting the same advice here:

1. Never be too fussy about where you are going to end up swapping. If you need to be in Tuscany for two weeks on specific dates, rent an apartment. To be good at getting deals, you need to be as flexible as possible about everything.

2. For your first swap, exchange within your own country. When, for example, US citizens exchange within the US, all the washers, dryers and cars work the same way. You will be nervous on your first exchange and you do not need the added complication of worrying about how to work all the appliances and cars especially if you do not know the language of the country where you are going to travel.

3. If you think you are going to get a luxury Paris apartment right on the Seine walking distance from Notre Dame, forget about it. Ordinary people live all over and many people work in Paris from suburban locations. They are fine. They won't be as convenient for the Eiffel Tower, but they will be more convenient for seeing sites you never thought about. Certainly the driving from the house will be easier than looking for a parking space in any major city. You could throw a dart at the entire continent of Europe and you would find plenty to do within two hours of wherever it lands for day trips.

4. Cancelations after tickets are bought, in my experience, are more likely with very elderly people. I have had this twice. One time they moved out of their house and let me use it anyway. Talk about honesty! The other time it happened before either side had purchased tickets--fortunately. I am 60 now, but I am loathe to consider exchanges with anyone in their 70's or older because I wonder if the people on the other end are still up to exchanging. I do a lot of emailing if I have concerns and then decide.

5. Ticket buying: You buy your tickets at the same time. As soon as the people on the other end buy tickets, I buy tickets within 24 hours. That way we lock in together.

6. Most problems are caused by cars. I have had several cars that were not maintained as they should have been. An elderly German couple left me a car that basically did not run in any reliable fashion. I ended up spending too much time going back and forth to the repair shop (their repair shop and THEY paid) with the car before just giving up and using public transport. Since I was in a small town and public transport stank, I was furious because they KNEW about the problems with the car. While they had plenty of money to buy opera tickets in Washington, DC, they had no desire to repair the car because they did not use it much. You figure. Just dishonest.

And, folks, when you get to your destination, do not plan ambitious driving for a few days. Get to know your area where you are living. If you are driving a car in the UK, you will need to get used to driving on the other side of the road and shifting with the LEFT hand. Take it easy at first.

7. If you are going to Europe, insist on specific instructions for the washer and the dryer (if they have one). I am convinced that no two European washers and dryers work the same way. The newer ones have all these electronics (both here and in Europe). If you, as I do, have one of the older ones with dials, get instructions before you break something. Conversely, some people have old appliances in Europe; same advice: get directions so you know how to use them without problems.

8. Besides cars, differing standards of what people consider clean cause the rest of the problems. If you are a slob or a crazy clean nut, please don't exchange. The rest of us in the more normal range of cleanliness do just fine without dealing with slobs and nuts. Remember the Germans with the broken car? They were slobs. I had to wash dishes BEFORE using them. Not appreciated.

9. Leave exchangers comprehensive instructions for EVERYTHING. This will take time to do. I have a home exchange BOOK on my house that runs pages. It includes who to call for any emergency. I did have a plumbing emergency once while I was away. My home exchangers got a plumber in and saved me from a major mess. This things do happen and you don't want a mess of calls in Europe about what to do if the washer breaks, etc. Leave the instructions in your home exchange book. Being prepared will help YOU have a better vacation.

10. Do clean up your house before you go. It does not have to look spotless, but it does need to look inviting. I have a home office and the office is always a mess. I have given up cleaning it up for exchangers but I do cut a way through the mine field so that exchangers can use the computer for email.

11. If you are going outside your home country, by all means exchange cell phones. It will keep everyone's roaming charges down. I do that routinely. Remember, no one uses the cell phones to call Timbuktu unless you are actually exchanging there.

12. Use email to communicate. I think this one is obvious, but when I first started swapping in 1990, a huge telephone bill was always accumulated in January when the dealing was going on--not to mention sending out 200 letters to get about 5 responses indicating interest.

13. For heaven's sake, take the first reasonable deal and once you have committed, do not deal with anyone else. Hanging around waiting for the perfect offer in Tuscany will guarantee that you won't get an exchange. You almost never end up where you thought about going at the start of the year. Yes, I got an offer from Greece one year, but I had already committed to someone else. Too bad for me--and I have never had another offer from Greece.

14. The only reasons for canceling in my book are death, dismemberment and life threatening illness. If you aren't sure about your health, do not lead someone on. Their vacation will depend on your honesty.

15. Consider "odd" destinations. You do not have to go to London, Paris or Rome if you go to Europe. There are other places there. It's a big continent. Too many people fixate on European large cities. You can have a good time anywhere if you have the right attitude. I had wonderful exchanges in the US and Canada in places I would never have thought of going if someone had not written to me.

16. Negotiating for the following summer generally begins for experienced exchangers in September of the previous year. Many people have deals by Christmas. I have one in the negotiating stage right now in January in France. I do not regard exchanges as definite until both sides purchase tickets. However, before I would consider another offer, I would email the first family to find out if the deal we have discussed is still "on" before doing parallel negotiating. Basically, I am committed. By the way, the exchange came from Intervac.

17. House photos: I never ask for them. All houses have bedrooms, laundry facilities, kitchens and toilets. Photos tell you nothing. If the house is full of junk, they will push it out of the way to take the photos. I will give people photos of my place, of course, if they ask but, if they ask me if I want to see theirs, I always tell them I don't.

18. It is a fact of life that exchanging is easier if you live in a major tourist destination city. I live in the Washington, DC, suburbs 8-10 miles from downtown. I have no problems swapping. However, people who live in Detroit or Dubuque are not going to be as successful. A word to thw wise: If you live in a less touristed town, you can always talk about golf courses in your listing. You would be amazed how many people just want to golf. Try it. You might get more offers. Another thing to parlay would be swimming (Is there a lake nearby?). People with children like that.

19. Be a self starter. You are not going to a hotel. You are not renting a car. You have problems, you have to resolve them yourself. I once fixed a French shower (finding the tools was the hardest part). Cars will breakdown and you will need to deal with them--and maybe in a foreign language. Remember the swap where the car didn't work and the people were slobs? That was only the half of it. I broke my ankle as well ON THE FIRST DAY. I always joke that the positive part of that "vacation" was that I learned a lot of German words for car and body parts. You have to have a sense of humor even when everything goes wrong.

20. If you damage someone's car, you pay the deductible. Insurance will cover anyone driving a car with the permission of the owner in the US. The exchangers on the other end need to make their own arrangements so you can drive their car. The bottom line is to be honest about this. I have paid for dents. There was one exchange, however, where someone in Washington State said I damaged her car (it was a few scratches--nothing dramatic). I could not remember doing anything to it, but I did notice the damage. I thought it might have happened in a parking lot. I ended up splitting the deductible with her. I don't think either of us were happy at the end of that exchange. She thought I did the damage and I thought I hadn't. Splitting the deductible seemed to be the fairest way of dealing with it. Quite frankly, if the damage had been to my car, I would not have even repaired it. She was fussier.

If you have any questions, please just ask. And, if you want to swap, give me an offer I can't refuse!

This is such a good idea for people who aren't too uptight. Is there a security deposit -- how do you know people aren't going to take your stuff? Do I have to hide all my Prada, Louboutin, and Jimmy Choo shoes?

Since I'm so close to an el station and next to some major bus lines to downtown, would I need to leave people my car? There aren't too many daytrips from Chicago that I can think of. If I exchange with someone from a another urban city, I assume they're not going to freak out about safety issues?

Besides major cities, I'd love to exchange with someone in Florida, Nantucket, some other place with good salt water fishing opportunities.
This is so intriguing. thanks faux. will start looking into it.

I'm already imagining how to write my ad... 2 Br/1 ba sunny top floor apt with hardwood floors and unique finishes, large stainless steel kitchen, piano, and excellent library. 3 blocks from el station, in an artsy, vibrant, historic ethnic neighborhood and surrounded by great cheap eats, shops, markets, and bakeries with neighborhood cafe next door. 7 minutes on the el from downtown Millenium Park, Grant Park (attend the annual Blues and Jazz festivals) and Michigan Ave shopping. Walk to edgy art galleries in the neighborhood. No visble drug dealers in the area (you'll have to take the bus), increasinly infrequent gunfire due to gentrification. Very safe, busy commercial area. No central air, but very effective A/C window units. Washer/Dryer in basement.

This is such a good idea for people who aren't too uptight. Is there a security deposit -- how do you know people aren't going to take your stuff? Do I have to hide all my Prada, Louboutin, and Jimmy Choo shoes?

Since I'm so close to an el station and next to some major bus lines to downtown, would I need to leave people my car? There aren't too many daytrips from Chicago that I can think of. If I exchange with someone from a another urban city, I assume they're not going to freak out about safety issues?

Besides major cities, I'd love to exchange with someone in Florida, Nantucket, some other place with good salt water fishing opportunities. This is so intriguing. thanks faux. will start looking into it.

I'm already imagining how to write my ad... 2 Br/1 ba sunny top floor apt with hardwood floors and unique finishes, large stainless steel kitchen, piano, and excellent library. 3 blocks from el station, in an artsy, vibrant, historic ethnic neighborhood and surrounded by great cheap eats, shops, markets, and bakeries with neighborhood cafe next door. 7 minutes on the el from downtown Millenium Park, Grant Park (attend the annual Blues and Jazz festivals) and Michigan Ave shopping. Walk to edgy art galleries in the neighborhood. No visble drug dealers in the area (you'll have to take the bus), increasingly infrequent gunfire due to gentrification. Very safe and busy commercial area. No central air, but very effective A/C window units. Washer/Dryer in basement.

A successful exchange depends on mutual needs so it is hard to know where you will end up. When I started doing this in 1990, I had fixed ideas about where I wanted to go. I always ended up elsewhere.

Now, I just wait and see who writes me. I generally chose the first reasonable deal.

I do think you need to include the car in the swap. People, at some point, always want to do day trips. If you live in a major city (as opposed to the suburbs), your car will probably not be used all that much although it is hard to say. Remember, your car insurance covers anyone driving it with your permission. I used to send a note to the insurance company, but knowing about it made them very nervous. Now I just leave a note in the car that so and so is driving the car with my permission.

Getting a home exchange deal does require a lot of work. Recently, before the Austrian deal, I had a lot of mail from some French people. We sort of agreed, but, when I asked about buying tickets, I got the brush off. That started me thinking they were not serious. The French family got quite angry when I took the Austrian deal, but the key thing was that the Austrians already had tickets. I thought they were foolish to buy them before a deal, but that is what they did. I will buy my ticket soon to dovetail into the exchangers. I generally leave the day after they come and return home the day after they get back. That way we can pick up and drop off at the airports without problems.

Do many exchangers leave their pets in the home or do most pet owners board theirs? In other words, are there many who agree to take care of each others critters or is this just "not done?"

FauxSteMarie, thanks for posting this great advice for potential home exchangers! I've often thought that there should be a forum here for home swaps. After all, we live all over the world and we all love to travel!

We've exchanged homes five times, all very successfully, back in the days when exchanges were arranged by regular mail and telephone. Our first exchange was to Britain (right on the English Channel near Brighton), three were to the northern US and one to Lyon, France where we stayed in a loft, in the silk district, that had once been inhabited by a weaver and a jacquard loom.

We exchanged cars with the overseas families, drove to the two homes in New England and flew to New York City where we didn't need a vehicle. In two cases we happily fed and watered the household cats.

Then our kids wanted to have summer jobs and didn't want to travel with us and it was hard to exchange a house containing teenagers. Besides, we had become good friends with some of our exchange familiess and ended up visiting back and forth and still do to this day.

fishee, if you would like to spend a few days in a spacious condo in downtown Toronto please contact me: [email protected]

I have no pets and do not do any pets larger than tropical fish. No dogs, cats, horses, etc. I was actually asked about a horse one time. We exchanged and the neighbor took care of the horse.

Well, I live halfway between Disneyworld and Daytona Beach,2 blocks off I-4, in a gated community w/heated pool and hot tub, on the St. John's River. Anyone from anywhere in Europe interested?
Actually I HAVE thought about doing an exchange, since we live in what I presume is a desirable area. However, anytime I've looked on any of the exchange sites, it seems everyone is looking to go to New York or California. I don't know how anyone is lucky enough to ever work out a trade.

Not everyone ends up in New York or California.

In fact, Europeans LOVE Disney.

You send out 50 emails for every response you get and you don't just pay attention to where people say they want to go. You merchandise your location. Heck, not only do you have beach and Disney, you have golf!

Join either Homelink or Intervac and do the work. You will get something.

By the way, I have done one exchange in Florida north of Tampa. I have had some offers from Florida and do have a funny story. Someone called me once from Coral Springs. My response was "off University or off Sample Road." She was taken aback because I knew the area (I even knew where the pediatrician was). I told her that I was not interested in exchanging with her. My mother had lived in Coral Springs until she needed to go to assisted living. I had no desire to ever go there again--ha! She probably found something with someone else.

I do tell people to swap in the US first because it is much less stressful than doing it overseas. Of course, my first exchange was in the UK, so I did not follow my own advice, but I am wiser now. Overseas everything works differently. In the US or Canada at least you know how to work the washers and dryers (and they have dryers!)--as well as the cars.

I have had numerous exchanges in the West including Sedona, AZ (now that is a prime vacation spot!), California, Pacific Northwest, Utah, New Mexico, etc. I have also swapped closer to home for a long weekend in Williamsburg, VA. You don't have to go to Europe every time--and, in fact, I haven't.

I would just love one in New Zealand or Australia some year!

I have done 32 exchanges. 13 were in Europe. The rest in Canada (3) and the US.

Faux has so graciously mentioned our new site on home exchange, Know Your Trade. We have included information about all things home exchange in our section called Home Exchange 101. We have also reviewed and rated all the home exchange clubs. It is amazing how many there are with prices ranging from free to $1200!
Faux is also quite an authority and we are so glad to have her on our forum. Our forum is meant to be the place to talk about home exchange.
To piggy back on Faux's comments:
1. The car: We have found that if the exchange is in a city, like our last one was in Paris, it is not necessary to have a car. When we took a three day side trip to the Loire Valley we rented one. The money we saved on accommodations was more than enough to justify the three day rental. The apartment we stayed in had no designated parking, so the parking would have been a nightmare.However, when we go to Florence this spring, the apartment is on the outskirts of town and we did throw a car into this deal.
2. Pets: Pets can sometimes be a problem. We have recently had to turn down two wonderful swap opportunities due to the pet issue. Our place does not allow them. The person in Manhattan tried hard to find a place to leave her pet, but couldn't. Our swap fell through.
3. Lessons learned: Do not finalize plans, aka buy tickets till everything is for sure. As Faux will attest, it is not often that swaps fall through if everything is ironed out, but just make sure it is all in order before you buy the ticket.
4: Work. Yes, home exchanges require work. But those of us who do them know that it is worth every second put into it.
5. Trust: Hiding the crown jewels. The best advice is if you are uncomfortable, move you stuff somewhere else of lock it up. Always remember, you know where they live!
6. Adventure: The whole thing is an adventure. Getting offers, looking for places, emailing people, wondering what the place is really like...fun!
exchange_queen
Know Your Trade - Home Exchange Made Easy

I, too, have had problems with the pet issue. I don't have them and don't want to care for them during my vacation. If you want pet care, you need to exchange with others who have pets.

Yes, in major cities, a car is not necessary. While I throw in my car because realistically touring from my home outside DC would not be much fun without one, I don't always require it on the other end. I had a very nice exchange in Berlin without a car. They gave me a public transit pass for my stay and an unending supply of friends that took me everywhere with the added benefit that I did not get lost. When I exchanged in Hamburg, I did get a car, but only used it to go outside the city to visit friends. It would have been stupid to use it in town.

Some people do not maintain their cars--and that can reverberate on you whn you have to drive a poorly maintained vehicle. Discuss this beforehand.

Inicodemus has set up a very nice site to discuss all the different exchange clubs. The ones I belong to cost $80 a year. For that, you get a listing. You arrange your own deal and each one is different.

If you have Crown Jewels and are worried about theft, by all means get a safe deposit box. I am fairly relaxed about this, but, then, there really aren't any Crown Jewels in my house. I have never had a problem with theft. You will get an occasional broken dish, but that is life.

moolyn,

i might take you up on that, i hear great things about toronto and I've never been. thanks!

I'd be willing to take care of a low maintenance dog. My boyfriend takes my dog since I'd be nervous about strangers being responsible enough to attend to him.

We have had 15 exchanges ( homelink and homeexchange memebrs ) in 6 years - all very good.
This allowed us to travel more often and stay in places longer ( no hotel bills!) . Also we have 2 homes so some of the exchanges have been non-sim.
We have exchanged with members from the States ( New York, Denver etc), Canada ( Victoria B.C.) Sydney and Melborne in Australia, Christchurch in New Zealand and many cities in Europe ( London, Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam , Doublin, Edinb., Stockholm...
We leave our home spotles and have always found it the same way upon return.
As far as the appliances in other countries - no big deal!
A few times, weahve exchanged cars, but most of the time we ended up using the public transit instead. ( Paris,London..)
For 2007 we have arranged exchanges with Nice, Barcelona and London - not bad!

If the idea of other people staying in your home does not bother you - it is a gret way to save money and meet some nice people.

nbujic: where do you live that all of these people want to visit?

I'm in Nashville and would love to do something more long-term (a month or more) but I'm guessing it would hard to find someone who wants to stay in Nashville that long -- unless they're an aspiring country music singer ;-)

For Nashville, you'd have to find country western fanatics--and they do exist. It would, however, be more difficult to interest someone for a month there unless you promote some other attractions that people do not know about.

If you have private pool, you might attract families. If there is golf nearby, promote that.

I live in a close in DC suburb and never have problems getting offers, but I really don't chase them anymore. I just see who writes me and choose from that because I have gotten lazy. I have only the house I live in, so I cannot do nonsimultaneous exchanges. People with two homes can do that because they can go to house B and exchange house A. That generally works with others who have two homes as well. I always leave my car for exchangers. In major cities, I like a car too--even though I do not use it within a central city. I do use it for day trips. However, if a house/apartment is right in a central city, I do not demand one. Sometimes, I leave the car and they buy me a public transit pass for the time I am visiting if I am in a central city and they do not have a car.

Each deal is different.

I have exchanged in Europe in the following locations since 1990:

West of London (far suburb)
North of Paris (far suburb)
Edinburgh, Scotland
South Queensferry, Scotland (West of Edinburgh)
Scarborough, England (North Yorkshire Moors)
Tours, France
Nancy, France (in a suburb)
Hamburg, Germany
Berlin, Germany
Black Forest, Germany
Scheidigg, Bavaria, Germany (small town)

I have also exchanged on Vancouver Island; outside Halifax, NS; and Calgary, AB, in Canada.

The US exchanges have been all over the country. I am not going to list them because they are just too numerous. I have even gone away for long weekends by swapping!

we live in Toronto , also not the most popular location.
You have e-mail a LOT of people, send pictures etc.
Our exc. partners from Stockholm went to
Nashville after Toronto. You never know!

I would disagree about Toronto not being a good location for an exchange. I think it is the most popular city in Canada to travel to (or maybe second to Montreal). Great city!

Did you know, because it is cheaper to make films in Canada, that Toronto is often used for US city locations in films?

In any event, you take what you are offered and do not get fussy no matter where you live. Sooner or later you will get a deal everywhere but maybe not the first time you try.

By the way, I left Rome, Italy, off my list of exchanges.

OK, I have exchanged a lot. You can't expect me to remember them all.

Hi FauxSteMarie,

Have I an idea of your situation:

You are a member of two houseswap services. The listing includes your location, home details, and your email address. You wait for folks to approach you, offering their properties and the time that they are available. If their situation appeals to you, you then pursue it. Does the above outline how you work ?

This is new and very interesting to me. We love to travel. As it happens, we own a property on the outskirts of Philadelphia and another along the New Jersey shore about thirty minutes from Atlantic City. I have always wondered if it might be possible to trade these for a week in San Francisco or in Siena .

Do you provide, or ask for, references from people who have used a property previously ? For you, a car seems to be a deal breaker. A rental just isn't as good? It would seem to remove one of the major difficulties of swapping ?

Thank you for sharing your ideas.

Hardheaded advice and tough love from ---- [I can't remember]. Starts with a K and was telliong about swapping many years ago on AOL! LZkAHN?

GBC,

As the founder of knowyourtrade.com, I have joined just about every home exchange club that is out there. Most of them work just as you outline, though others have different kinds of gimmicks. Some people do ask for references; we never have. Every home exchange club has addressed the safety issue on its site and they all say that problems are practically non-existent.
We just do lots of emailing and get things straightened out before hand. We have put several agreements on our site to help the process.

Many people do rent, and in fact most of the home exchange clubs also have rentals listed. One can search by criteria and include or not include rentals. Of course, if you rent, you pay. Exchanging is so cost effective.

I would think it would be relative easy for you to arrange a swap. Both the places that you list, especially San Francisco, are very well represented on the sites.

As I said on one of the other posts, our focus on Know Your Trade is Home Exchange Made Easy. We have a forum on there addressed to all things home exchange. Come and ask your questions!

I've done a number of exchanges - Paris, Amsterdam, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Barcelona. Apart from the Paris exchange (we've subsequently exchanged a good half-dozen times) I haven't done anything other than put an entry in several of the free internet listing sites (but then, I can afford to be a bit smug about living in London).

GBC is right. Think of it as as a business barter: the terms of the negotiation and what you finally agree on are entirely up to both parties.

Or if you prefer, you can think of it as the property equivalent of internet dating and social networking sites: create your profile page and either sit and wait for people to come to you, or go out hunting!

Either way, it's really important to take time to get to know each other and make some judgment about each other's lifestyles. If you don't want people smoking in your house, say so. If your house is full of precious antiques and white carpets, don't swap with a family of teenagers (and vice versa).

Don't assume anything you're not sure about that might bother you - ask. On Faux's point about being committed and buying tickets, I make sure there's an explicit email that sums up what we've agreed about dates and asks for confirmation that we are now committed to buying tickets: it's usually tied up with discussing flight timings and arrangements to swap keys anyway. Indeed, my last swap started with an email telling me they had flights booked and would be arriving quite late, and asking it was practicable to get to my place that first night.

I've never been too bothered about safety and security. I always research on the web what I can about the area I'm offered, local public transport and so on, and ask advice from people who might know the area. You can always ask a neighbour if they'll be on hand in emergencies (and/or keep an eye on the place).

As with anything else, time spent on preparation is rarely wasted. Even the tedious side of things (giving my own place a deep clean) is necessary (I might not do it so often otherwise).

I am [email protected] and, weber, you must have emailed me. I was sort of known as the person on AOL to contact about exchanging years ago. I did get at least one swap that way.

Yes, my method of working is very relaxed. I no longer seek out exchanges. Living just outside DC and with a short drive to Metro parking and transportation into town I do get offers. I don't get as many as I used to when I wrote letters (before the internet) or emailed, but I get enough. I am not fussy where I go. Insofar as Europe is concerned, I got two attractive offers this year and chose a swap in Vienna, Austria. I thought I had a deal with some French people, but they put me off about buying tickets--which made me very nervous. Vienna came in a few days later and I took that.

After awhile you have been to most of the major cities in Western Europe, so where you end up is not so important.

I have never had a serious offer from Scandanavia and perhaps some day I will get one. I will not, for example, sit around waiting for one if I get one from, say, France. I don't know how much time I have spent in France (it's certainly at least 6 months in total on various trips), but, if the offer is attractive, I will still take it because no one has seen everything and each house is an attractive base for day trips even if I have been somewhere else in the area before.

Aside from eating lunch in Spain (I was on the French side of the Pyrenees at the time), I have not visited there and want to go. Some year, but NOT in summer. Spain and Italy are too hot to viable as "fun" in summer in my book.

By the way, I was widely traveled in the UK and France before beginning to exchange. I got interested when the children were young. I wanted to take them to Europe but conventional expensive trips shelling out for two hotel rooms was definitely not the way I wanted to do it. I obviously got hooked on this wonderful way of vacationing.

I would advise becoming a member of an exchange org. and paying the fee.
You get a great selection that way'

We like major cities and, over the years we have turned done offers from small towns or rural properties in Europe, U.S. Canada and Australia. - it was not for us.
We have also received a good number of
"no, thanks" or some people don'T even answer (members from New York, and some other "hot" spots )
If you are interested, you will be able to do it .Just keep trying!

Yes, more people reject you than accept your offers. I have had some interesting exchanges all over in big cities, suburbs of big cities and even in relatively rural areas in Europe. Remember that Europe is tightly packed with people and, even in a relatively rural area, there is always plenty to do within a 2 hour driving radius (reasonable day trip distance). I have discovered places I would never have seen without exchanges. To me, it is the best way to explore Europe. You have a home base and you don't pay for it.

I'm curious how long exchanges are typically for. It seems like a huge amount of effort if it's only for one week. I tend to find reasonably priced hotels, self-catering, or B&Bs, and in most places, could easily stay a week for well under $1,000.

Oh, but I'd love to swap for a month or more. See,s like a perfect way to really get a sense of a different area.

well, it depends on you and your exchange partners. We have exchanged for 3 weeks in Europe but also 5 days in New York.
You can also combine : part exchange and part of your trip in hotels.

Either way, with a bit of cleaning and some preparation, one saves not only on hotels but also on eating all meals out ( breakfast is the one we like "at home") .

My longest exchanges were for a month in Europe. My shortest were long weekends in Williamsburg (twice with different people). Each exchange depends on what you negotiate. Obviously, if you are going farther, you will want to stay longer. Remember that an exchange has to meet mutual desires.

FauxSM;

Thanks for taking time to post all that information; I found it fascinating. I've never exchanged but living in midtown Manhattan, I suppose I would be able to without too much searching. An issue I've always wondered about is this: You say that you depart the day after the exchangers have arrived at your home. Where do you stay that final night? Together with them in your home? In a hotel? Or perhaps I misunderstood this point.

if you leave in midtown Manh. you can get an exchange ANY PLACE you wish. In my experience New York is the most requested destination in North America.
You can leave on the same date as you partners arrive and return on the date they leave.
We leave our keys with the concierge, but same people have mailed keys to us or left them with people next door or family members.
Take a look at exchange sites ( free visit) www.homelink.org or www.homeexchange.com
we belong to both and have had great results

Thanks! I might consider doing this someday soon. It is easier, I guess, since there are on-site handymen in the building in case of any mechanical problems.

I passed on this thread to a friend who is currently trying to exchange in France.

If anyone signs up for Intervac or Homelink, I would appreciate you telling them that Lauren Kahn (FauxSteMarie's real name) sent you. Intervac has traditionally had the more extensive European listings. Homelink does have European listings, but is stronger in US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I have found it a good investment to belong to both of them.

Homeexchange is half the fee of Hhomelink , we started using in 2005 with very good results

nbujic, how many members does Homeexchange have? Actually, you charge $60. Homelink and Intervac are about $80 each.

The key thing is the membership base. How do your numbers compare with Homelink and Intervac? What is your distribution of membership by country?

I am not trying to be argumenative or defensive. I genuinely want to know how you stack up to Homelink and Intervac, as I have no financial connection to any of the companies.

OK, I took a look at your site nbujic and you have a lot of listings from places other than Europe, but, as with all the companies, the numbers of those listings are small. All the companies need to get more listings from countries other than US, Canada and Europe.

Can you tell me which company has the most listings because I genuinely do not know? Can you tell me why I should switch or join you in addition to the other ones I belong to?

There are so many home exchange services now that it is hard to know which is best.

I think that is the purposte of knowyourtrade.com. Maybe we should all go over there and have a discussion because rating the different companies is one of the purposes of the site.

Homeexchange looks very interesting.

I have no idea about the number of membes of any company, I just know what has worked for us. We tried Intervac one year but did not get anything.
Homeexcange has a lot of lisings from Australia We got our Sydney and Christchurch (NZ) exchanges from them,but Melbourne from Homelink.
Some people are looking for more exotic locations ( Vietnam, China, Japan)but those are hard to find.
We are just happy to go to Europe and New York any time.

nbujic, I think you have basically got it down. As I previously mentioned, destinations other than Western Europe, US and Canada are difficult due to visa problems. I went to Chile this year on an Elderhostel trip. I would love an exchange there, but, again, the other side would need a visa and visas to the US can be hard to come by these days.

Homelink and Intervac have worked for me for all these years and I guess I am a creature of habit. It is hard to know which exchange service is "best". I suppose it is the one that gets you a deal in any given year. Some years have been better than others. After 9/11 home exchange was tough, but so was tourism everywhere. When peoople are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (and we all were) no one feels like traveling long distances. So, people "nested" for awhile before resuming their lives and adjusting to the new "normal".

I picked up on this post as I had an offer of a home exchange this week.

The exchange is for vacation homes and not residences. The dates will not be at the same time as each of us desires different dates. Since neither of us lives in the exchange base, it makes it easy for me not to have to worry about tickets.

This opportunity just came up and I actually never had considered doing something like this before.

My husband and I are thinking of taking our first trip to the Caribbean and the owners of the condo there would like a break from the Canadian winter next year.

Are home exchanges always for the exact number of days or does that not matter?
They would be staying at our house more days than we would in their condo. But the value of the properties, if rented, would be equal. Both are in areas where rentals are commonplace.

Just curious. Thanks for the website. I am going to check it out.

Hi,
you can work things out anyway it suits you and your partners .

I always tell people that an exchange does not mean you get as good a place as the one you leave behind. Most European homes, for example, are much smaller than American homes. They also often have washers, but not dryers. Instead of 4 bathrooms, you might get one or one and a half. What difference does it make? Remember that you are basically just sleeping in your exchange house. You are not hosting a wedding or bar mitzvah there.

If anyone is interested in joining Intervac, the exchange service with the most European listings--and, hence, the greatest chance of swapping in Europe--please contact me before you enroll. I might be able to get you a small discount. I have belonged to Intervac since 1990 and have gotten European exchanges that way. It is a great exchange club.

If you are interested, or have questions, email me privately at [email protected].

And happy travels everyone!

Haven't exchanged yet but hope to in near future. And this thread will be invaluable, including the links to the other sites. THANKS!!

RE: security of posessions, I did sublet my apartment for 6 months once when I was working out of town. I stuffed one closet with all the things I didn't want my tenants to feel responsible for: that is, anything I'd feel really bad about losing and that they'd hate to try to replace. I explained this, they were happy about it.
That brings up an issue not mentioned above: do you clear out some closet and drawer space for your trade? I left the bedroom closet empty, as well as a complete dresser, bathroom cabinet, etc, for my tenant. (And I told them to please eat anything in the kitchen, so they could gradually make room for their own groceries, but I didn't have to clear out half bottles of olive oil, etc.)

By the way, I would think Nashville would be an easy sell for a month, plenty of people from maybe LA or NY who want to do some business ... but in general, I think one place that might be a good source in the US for longer trades would be universities. Faculty on sabbatical, graduate students doing research, etc. ??