Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Who are the Most Successful Home Exchangers?

'Having the world's best idea will do you no good unless you act on it. People who want milk shouldn't sit on a stool in the middle of a field in hopes that a cow will back up to them.' - Curtis Grant

I saw this quote in an ezine recently. Although the context in which the quote was used was (how not to) run a business, it is a very good analogy for (how not to) approach arranging a home exchange too.

The most successful home swappers are not always those with the grandest homes who appear to have most to offer, but rather those who are so enthusiastic about the idea of swapping homes that they are prepared to spend a good deal of time and effort to find suitable matches. Such people enjoy the whole process of making contact with others and getting to know them through regular correspondence, making this part of the fun of home exchange holidays.

As home exchange is, of necessity, a do-it-yourself arrangement between individuals, it is always best to allow plenty of time to find and arrange an exchange (be as flexible as possible on dates, length of exchange and locations for the most choices).

If your genuine enthusiasm for sharing your home and local attractions with others, along with an appreciation of their homes and areas, comes across in your personal exchange offer messages, you are much more likely to receive more positive responses than if your enquiry messages are impersonal and merely a description of your own great home and possessions! Worse still is to sit back and wait for the offers to flood in. This certainly does happen, especially for those who are fortunate enough to live in very popular areas but, more often, it is those who are proactive, contacting several others with their exchange offers (and checking new listings often), who are the most successful at finding the perfect home swap matches, however modest their own homes may be.

So, if you are thinking of a home exchange vacation in 2006, browse current listings, join Home Base Holidays - and start compiling your thoughtful exchange offer messages today!

Doing Laundry When Away from Home: Another Advantage of Home Swapping

This week's Travel Tips Newsletter from CoolTravelMail.com included very useful suggestions for handling the problem of keeping clothes clean while travelling. As Tipmeister, Pierce, says:

'It's one of those universal truths about traveling that many of us don't like to admit:

The key to packing light is a willingness to do laundry on the road.'

And yet, there are very good reasons for travelling light (not having to carry so much, maybe being able to manage with a carry-on case to save the angst of waiting ages by the carousel for your suitcases to appear). In fact, a few weeks ago I added a post on this very subject, Home Exchange Vacations: Travelling Light, with a link to the excellent One Bag site.

Do read the 24 January issue of Travel Tips on the newsletter's blog for it's excellent laundry suggestions while on the move but, if you are swapping homes, keeping your clothes clean shouldn't be so difficult. After all, you will be living in a real home and most homes will have a washing machine (plus usually a clothes dryer), iron and ironing board - to make laundry a lot easier than if you were staying in hotels and living out of one suitcase.

I do remember several years ago a Canadian Home Base Holidays member, who had a home exchange in England, contacted us later to say how puzzled he and his wife were as they had looked everywhere in their British exchanger's home but couldn't find the promised clothes dryer. They found out later that the clothes dryer referred to was actually the clothes line in the garden, i.e. good old 'solar' drying! A clothes dryer is called a tumble dryer in the UK. This is one example of being 'divided by a common language' that can sometimes happen on exchanges between English speaking countries. Most home exchangers will take these simple misunderstandings in their stride as something to laugh about later!

Questions People Ask about Home Exchange: What did we do with our "Good Stuff"?

Enthusiastic home swappers are the best ambassadors for promoting home exchange vacations and we're always pleased to receive their useful feedback. Australian Home Base Holidays member, Maureen Poulton, recently sent these comments and suggestions:

'The reason I am writing this to you was to tell you about the huge amount of enquiry we got from friends and family over the holiday who wanted to know all about Home Base Holidays. Gerry and I found ourselves holding the floor on more than one occasion and always reaching for paper and pen to write down the website.

The main question always was "What did we do with our Good Stuff?" And the answer was Gerry bought a galvanised tin outdoor shed and installed it inside our garage with a padlock (in photo). Our thought initially was we would store the Villiroy & Bosch, the Wedgewood Crystal, the Royal Albert and anything we really treasured in this shed. But the reality was by the time we got to know our swappers over the internet, the only things that went into the shed was a 2 drawer filing cabinet with our household and banking papers and our clothes we wanted to move out of the wardrobe to make room.

On the flip side when we reached our swappers home they had left all their "Good Stuff" for us to use too. We really appreciated its use as we entertained family and friends. I think in the end, we broke one cup and they broke one vase, neither of any importance so all worked out well.

So, Lois, just thought I would say all that for you for future reference on "questions people ask".'

Maureen and Gerry's house is situated on Queensland's Gold Coast, with magnificant beaches & tourist attractions. Excellent golf courses & the sun shines all the time - warm weather guaranteed any time of year. They have a swimming pool with spa and the rear balcony overlooks a lake so the views are spectacular (in photo). See the Poultons' full home exchange offer and more photos, HE14532.

Travel the Home Exchange Way ... is a Bloggy Award Winner!

I was checking email last night, about to switch off, when a message from BloggyAward.com popped into my in-box. What a pleasant surprise - this blog had been reviewed yesterday and had received a great accolade - a Bloggy Award! This is the description in the review:

'Have home, will travel! This blog is all about the latest thing in travel - home exchange. Here, you’ll find an interesting blend of true stories, answers and advice of those who’ve dared to go on a home exchange vacation. Appealing, fresh and very informative, if this well-written blog doesnt convince you that this is the next vacation to take, I’ll eat my hat.'

It is particularly pleasing to receive the Bloggy Award as blogs are judged on five separate criteria, each scored on a 10-point scale: Visual Aesthetics, User Friendliness, Reading Enjoyment, Useful Info and Overall Experience. The total score is then averaged to come up with the overall score. To win, a blog must score 10 out of 10. Under Overall Experience Travel the Home Exchange Way is rated as:

'A superb blog all round, and also with a conscience as it touches on the effects of tourism on the local environment. Travel the Home Exchange way is up to date, informed, and engaging - a deserved Bloggy Winner!!'

Read the full review of Travel the Home Exchange Way. Check BloggyAward.com for more blog reviews, organised under several categories (plus an additional category for the 'chosen ones' - the winners of Bloggy Awards!)

Visiting Relatives, Settling into a Home and Exploring the Local Area: Part of the Home Exchange Adventure

There may be as many reasons as there are home exchangers for what makes a home swap an interesting way to travel. Here's one reason (or rather several!) put succinctly by a Home Base Holidays member from Vermont:

'My son and daughter both live and work in Berlin, Germany, as musician and artist. I use home exchanges to visit with them either in Germany or we love to meet in Ireland where we have many relatives as well. Often my two sisters join us and occasionally a friend. We love to settle in and get to know a place. Walks, hikes, time to relax and explore the area, enjoy some good meals and music, whatever the local area offers is always part of the adventure.'

Check out this enticing offer in Poultney, VT:

'Our lovely home built 1840 is a classic Vermont clapboard house in a quiet walk around college town. Shops, restaurants within walking distance as well as hiking trails, meadow, river, organic farm. Short drives provide scenic countryside tours.' Read the full exchange offer and see more photos, HE17610

Whale in the Thames: an Unexpected London Visitor

Yesterday there was great excitement in London when a northern bottle-nosed whale was spotted in the Thames near the London Eye. The poor creature, which normally lives in the North Atlantic, will be very stressed and disorientated. At the time of writing, rescuers are still trying to guide it back out to sea (full story on BBC News).

Had my son, Mark, been in his office near London Bridge yesterday, he would have been in a prime whale spotting position. As much as the appearance of a whale caused great interest (and concern), to both office workers and tourists lining the South Bank and Embankment to catch a glimpse, I doubt London home exchangers can add whale watching to the attractions of London just yet!