About to do your first family home swap? Arranging a home exchange is an incredible, economical way to travel and allows for a much more intimate experience than staying in hotels.
Before setting off on your home swap, you need to prepare your home so that it’s ready and welcoming for the arrival of your guests. Since this part can sometimes prove a bit of a grey area for people new to home swapping, we’ve put together an easy guide for preparing your home for the swap.
Clean and declutter
Make sure you thoroughly clean your home and declutter prior to your home swap, so that your space is ready and welcoming for your guests. When preparing your home, leave some space in your wardrobe so that your guests have room to hang their clothes. Also, clear some space in your fridge and kitchen cupboards.
Put away personal items
Home swap guests tend to treat their host’s homes with the utmost respect, often leaving them even cleaner than when they arrived. However, for your own piece of mind, it can be a good idea to put certain valuables such as jewellery or perhaps a work laptop, out of sight. You might want to leave these items with a family/friend or perhaps put them in an ‘out-of-bounds’ locked room.
Go the extra distance
Go the extra distance to make your guests feel welcome. Leave them a small welcome gift (this could be a bunch of flowers, a bottle of wine or maybe a local delicacy… the choice is yours!) Make sure to put together a welcome folder and include in it any information you think your guests will find useful (local attractions, information about your home, emergency numbers, etc). Leave a few food staples for your guest’s arrival such as bread, butter, milk, sugar, tea, coffee etc so that your guests can immediately relax into their stay. You might even want to invest in some items such as board games or garden toys if you are swapping with a young family.
Guest post by: Johanna Cider
Johanna is a freelance writer from New Zealand who enjoys writing about travel and lifestyle. She is hugely passionate about sustainable living and loves working in her vegetable garden and exploring unconventional travel accommodation options. See more of her work here.