Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Home Exchange Offers: Tips for Increasing Response Rates

This will definitely be a repeat of similar posts published in the past but, as it is always a disappointment for the small number of members who don't receive replies to their home exchange offers, it seems a good idea to re-publish ideas for increasing response rates from time to time.

Celia, who lives in Dungaran, co. Waterford, Ireland, has recently sent this plea to fellow home exchangers:

'I am writing to ask members who receive requests for an exchange to please reply, even a one liner. I never fail to send a reply immediately either saying that I am definitely not interested, or to leave it with me to think about. It's only good manners after all.

I have had two extremely successful exchanges, and can supply references. I don't think that is the problem. I think some people just don't bother to reply if your house is not in a country that they wish to visit, which is frustrating. I have sent two requests in the last year for exchanges and I have not had any reply.'

As well as home exchange, Celia is also interested in hospitality exchange:

'I am a widow aged 60 (extremely fit), I hillwalk and setdance and cycle. If any other person or couple in the same position as myself would like to "exchange" in a slightly different fashion, I would love to have someone come to visit me while I am in my home and can show them around. Then I can visit them in their home to have company while visiting their country, and to be shown the local sights.'

Celia's home is an ideal base for any tourist wishing to tour or holiday in Ireland's 'Sunny South East'. See her full exchange offer, HE15369.

Here are a few ideas sent to Celia to help her increase her chances of finding an exchange/get responses to her exchange offer messages:

1. First, ensure you have given a very good description of your home and area in your home exchange listing. Then, if you haven't already done so, add a selection of good, clear photos (up to eight). Photos enhance exchange offers and generally increase the number of offers received. Also, allow plenty of time to find and arrange an exchange before the dates you want to travel.
2. Take time to compile an enticing exchange offer message, offering to be as flexible as you can on dates/length of exchange, and including brief information on your home, area and your interests. Include your User ID within your message as well as in the subject line to make it easy for members to find your full listing. And, of course, target your messages carefully, sending your offer to members who, from their destination requests, are most likely to be interested in your offer. Unless your own request is very restricted by location you will consider, you should find more than two possibilities to send your offer to from all the listings for members joining during the year.
3. It is easier to compile a standard message to copy and paste in your messages to send to all members you contact but be sure to personalise each message before sending by addressing each member by name and referring to their exchange offer - what attracts you to their home and area, why you think their home would suit you and why your home should suit their needs. Everyone responds better to thoughtful messages which show that you have read their listing carefully and have noted their own requests re dates, destinations and any special needs. Offer to answer any questions they have and ask that they reply even if they can't consider your offer or can't make a decision at short notice. If you are contacting any members whose first language isn't English, it will make your offer stand out if you can at least start your message with a sentence or two in their own language, giving the most important information on your location and dates.
4. Some legitimate messages may be put in your spam folder by mistake - check through your junk mail before deleting in case any replies to your exchange offers or exchange offer messages sent to you have been filed there.
5. As a few ISPs block all messages sent from some other ISPs, if you don't receive a reply to your exchange offer sent via the form on the website after a week, re-send your message using the email link in the member's listing (this will send the message from your own address/computer). Then, if you still don't get a response after a further week, it's best to move on to other offers as it's unlikely the member will respond (unless they have been away and not checking email regularly - this does happen!)
6. Here are a couple of earlier posts on the blog that might be useful:
7. Home Exchange Offers: Waiting for Responses
8. Send Enticing Home Swap Offers
9. Check the New Listings often (log on to your member area to access the link) and contact new members whose listings are of interest without delay before they have had time to agree to another offer.
10. If the dates you want to exchange are getting close, log on to your member area and click the link, Boost My Profile, which adds your listing to the separate Last Minute Offers list for a month. Also check for other possibilities on the Last Minute Offers list and contact members whose offers would suit your needs.
11. Read the Guidelines on the site for more information.

It would be unrealistic to expect a 100% response rate to exchange offer messages. But, hopefully, by being proactive in contacting other members, taking care before sending exchange offers, targetting members carefully, checking regularly for suitable new offers, and sending your exchange request to several members, you should soon find your next home or hospitality exchange partners.

Other suggestions for improving response rates to exchange offers are very welcome!

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

Home Exchange in Harry Potter Film Locations

Family Travel Files, a top-rated American family travel resource, has recently updated an ezine article, 'Britain: Exchanging Places in the Spirit of Harry Potter', to coincide with the release of the latest J.K. Rowling book, 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows' and the new Harry Potter film. Parents continue to contact the site for advice about vacationing with Harry Potter. I am delighted that arranging a home exchange (or two) in the UK through Home Base Holidays is prominently recommended:

'In the spirit of the popular book series and the movie sequels, muggles with a penchant for adventure can make plenty of interesting and magical connections even without a ticket for the night bus.

Our first suggestion, consider exchanging places. What does Harry Potter have to do with home exchange? Not a lot! But one company in the UK, Home Base Holidays based in London offers an assortment of homes near Harry Potter film locations, a good start on an adventure. They have choices throughout the UK, many within easy access of one of the film locations.'

We supplied samples of current home exchange offers within easy reach of Harry Potter film locations and these offers have been fully described in the article, along with photos of the homes, including a central London apartment in a Victorian mansion block, 100m from Tower Bridge and the River Thames. Visit Home Base Holidays to view all the home swap possibilities. Listings in England are sorted by county so, to quickly find all possibilities near a location in a particular county (these include Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire plus London), first choose England from the country list, and then, the county from the state/county list. Choose Scotland from the country list to view all current Scottish listings, some near film locations.

Do read the full article, 'Britain: Exchanging Places in the Spirit of Harry Potter' for detailed information, and links to further resources, which will be invaluable for any families planning trips to the UK, especially when travelling with muggles.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

Imminent Home Exchange to Location with Extreme Weather Conditions

I arrived back in London from Canada on Saturday to news reports of major flooding in parts of central England (after earlier floods in Yorkshire and the East coast). It is a terrible situation for those people who have been caught up in these almost unprecedented conditions, with heavy rainfall and severe flooding along some rivers. As the summer is prime time for home swaps to the UK, there may be some members viewing the images of flooded streets and homes in towns and villages in England with increasing alarm if a date of departure to the UK for a home exchange is drawing near.

Without wanting to downplay the seriousness of the floods for all those affected, it is important to keep a perspective on this, and any other severe weather conditions in countries or areas you plan to visit on a home swap. Most of England is not affected by the current flooding (although we have certainly had much more rain than usual and it's hard to believe that this time last year we had a drought!) So, whatever you do, don't panic and unilaterally cancel your home exchange plans at short notice.

For updates on the current flood situation in parts of central England check the Environment Agency or BBC websites. But, most important, contact your exchange partners for information on weather conditions in their area and on any possible disruption to transport. When time is of the essence, don't rely on email but rather call your exchange partners to avoid delays or confusing messages that could lead to the unneccesary cancellation of an agreed home exchange.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

Farewell to a Very Special Auntie

My sister, Ruth, who lives in northern Alberta, and I (from London) have been meeting in Toronto (our 'half way' point) often to make the trip many times over the last few years to the small town of Wiarton, Ontario (where we were born), to visit our Aunt Mabel. Sadly, our trip during the last two weeks was to see our very special auntie for the last time. We were so glad that she was aware that we were there with her and could speak to us briefly. She passed away peacefully on 12 July in her 101st year.

Mabel, a quiet but charismatic lady, had friends of all ages and it was comforting to meet so many from both the local area where she had lived all her life and from further away, who came to be with us at a sad time. However, this was a celebration of a long life well lived. The photo was taken on her 100th birthday in March and this is the way we will remember her - happy to be surrounded by friends, family and very caring staff and, for once, pleased to be 'Queen for a Day'.

Mabel was our last remaining strong link with our roots but, perhaps this time more than ever, we appreciated the great natural beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, surrounded by Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, and know this beautiful part of Ontario will be part of our lives forever.

Love the Place Where You Want to Arrange a Home Exchange? Let the Residents Know!

Home Base Holidays members are often reminded to take a little time to personalise each home exchange offer message rather than send the same impersonal standard message to everyone. Most people will respond better to a thoughtful message which clearly hasn't been sent en masse to many others.

As well as addressing a member by name and acknowledging their own exchange requests (and why you think your home and location would suit their needs well), it is also a good idea to tell the member why you are particularly interested in their offer. Everyone likes to hear that others want to visit their area and that they feel the home would be perfect.

As well as letting members know within an exchange offer message that you love their area or city or, if you haven't been there, that you're really looking forward to visiting, also say within your home exchange listing why you want to exchange to a particular place. One family in Finland, recent Home Base Holidays members, who want to arrange an exchange in London, should find interest in their offer. After all, how many Londoners could resist exchanging with people who say:

'We have a huge crush on London and England.'!

And the lucky Londoners who arrange this exchange, have much to look forward to on their exchange in Finland too:

'We have a 2 bedroom apartment located near a lake with a beach (200 m distance). Bus to town (3 times/hour) 20 m. Foodstore in 10 minutes walk.

Our apartment has a living room, kitchen and bathroom. Sleeps 4. Kitchen is fully equipped. Bathroom has a shower. Equipment: Washer, dishwasher, frid0ge, freezer, oven/stove, microwawe plus normal appliances, three computers with internet access and flat monitors. Three Flat screen TV:s (32" x2 + 27"), three dvd players, three bicycles (more if needed). In the basement there's a well equipped gym.

The town of Tampere is 200 000 people, nice summer town with lots of beautiful nature and lots of sport (swimming, walking, jogging, skiing) opportunities.'

See full home exchange offer.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

Home Exchange Options: Not Much Different from My Coffee Grinder Choices Dilemma

A couple of weeks ago my trusty coffee grinder broke. No forewarning - just suddenly, nothing. Not the end of the world but Mark (my son) had brought me some delicious smelling coffee beans last week and it would be a shame not to use them at their best. So, for a little break yesterday, I decided to look at coffee grinders on a number of sites and ended up reading some of the customer reviews on Amazon. Reviews and ratings are meant to make choices easier, right? After all, people who've actually bought and used a particular grinder should be the best sources of unbiased information. As it turned out, one model I was interested in (a well known brand) did have a number of reviews and the overall rating was high. And then I started to read the individual comments ...

'A great machine'

'Probably the best at this price'

'Had it six months - and it's jammed up!'

'Doesn't grind fine enough for expresso'

'Noisy, messy, breaks down but grinds well' ??

And it doesn't stop there as the way people use even a simple gadget like a coffee grinder really does vary (you'd be surprised!) One man seemed to use his only for grinding seeds, another used it for grinding coffee but very infrequently, another was a real expresso connoisseur and very pernickety about getting the perfect fineness of grind, another reviewer seemed more concerned with looks than functionality.

The vast choice consumers now have (at least those well enough off to make choices) has actually made decisions much harder than in the past when choice was more limited and clear cut. And it's no different with home exchange. Pre internet (when it was very much harder to start and run a small business with an international focus), the choice of home exchange agencies to join was limited to a small number whose owners had to be in for the long haul in order to succeed, offering membership at modest rates, enough to ensure that members were committed to arranging exchanges and to cover the costs of running a small business. But, just as with the bewildering choice I found when looking at coffee grinders, so too those new to home swapping have an ever expanding choice of options, many of which, especially the free 'hobby' sites (going on recent years' experiences), that won't be around in a couple of year's time.

The questions you'll need to consider when choosing a home exchange agency are similar to those I've been thinking through before making a decision on which coffee grinder to buy:

• Do you stick with a brand you know or you've seen mentioned or recommended somewhere?
• Go for the marketing hype of the newcomer enticing you with a free listing offer?
• Choose primarily by cost of membership, claimed numbers of listings or a site's appearance rather than by content?
• If knowing that there will be on-going support and service is important to you, do you check for full contact details and call the agency if you have a question?
• Do you take the time to check the balance of exchange offers in areas you are interested in (i.e. how many members in your country or area are looking for exchanges in the same location and how many exchange offers are available there)?
• Can you can easily see how long exchange offers are kept in circulation (join and expiry dates in listings) to better guage your chances of finding a suitable swap?

How much time do you need to spend to have a realistic chance of making, if not necessarily the best choice, at least a satisfactory one? Maybe you will decide, as I have with the coffee grinder, to spend a little time on research, and then make a choice according to my own specific needs (I'm not likely to be grinding seeds or worrying unduly about the exact degree of fineness of the grind; function is more important than looks or having the latest bells and whistles model). I just want a reliable, tried and tested and modestly priced coffee grinder. Not too much to ask of any product or service.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below)