User talk:Stevegriswold
From Wikitravel
Home Exchange is the latest way to travel the world and make new life long friends, all while saving the money you would normally spend on a hotel room. This idea has been around for awhile, but with the internet, and the recent increase in travel costs, it has just now started to go main stream.
The concept is simple. Everyone loves to travel and staying longer, going farther, and doing it for less money is appealing to everybody. So what if someone could stay at your home while you stayed at theirs. Even better what if you have a second home, or are away or business from you primary home and want to save up credits for your home exchange vacation later on - a non-simultaneous exchange? You can do that too. So that way if you have a small vacation condo you can exchange this out several times and save up credits for a large villa in Paris when you want to take your vacation. This is a unique concept that allows home exchange members to trade credits amongst themselves.
Why Home Exchange.
1. A unique local experience. You get to live like a local, meet neighbors and friends and eat at local favorites.
2. Meet new Friends When making a home exchange you get to know about the other family, share interests and hobbies, learn about the area and plan a unique vacation with a local before you arrive.
3. Money. You can save a great deal by doing home exchanges. This is more than just the hotel cost. You can save on meals now that you have a kitchen. You can do laundry instead of sending it out at the hotel for $10 a shirt. You also have additional amenities. Some homes have DVD’s, toys, games, bike, internet access etc.
There are several Home Exchange companies available to get you started. Home Exchange Companies can be divided into two main groups, ones that are Free and ones that charge. There are all levels between these two groups as well. Some home exchange companies are free to join but charge for extra photos in your listing, or charge for a second listing, etc.
When deciding on a home exchange company, look for one that is a community. When I say community I mean a place that has a forum, blog, newsletter, etc. It does not have to have all of these items but the home exchange site needs to have more than just listings, it needs a place for members to interact with each other, share home exchange experiences, tips and interests. This allows you to make new friends so you are not just exchanging your home with a stranger. So look for a site that offers ways for you to connect with other members one on one as well as in a group setting.
It is also very important to join a home exchange site that offers private messaging. If you go to a home exchange site and can start emailing anyone you like without even registering yourself, then those members have been opened up to receiving a great deal of spam and junk emails. A home exchange site should make you list your home either for free or for a fee. This way you are involved in the community. What separates the good home exchanges from the great ones is how they allow you to contact members. A great home exchange club makes it easy to connect with other members, but keeps your personal email, phone number and mailing address safe. If you decide to share this personal information with other members you can, but until you are ready to agree on an exchange with another member all communications should be done via a private message system on the home exchange website itself.
