home exchange

Posts Tagged ‘home exchange’

How to do a Home Exchange – Part 2

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Whenever I tell people I have done three home exchanges, they exclaim interest in doing the same but many have some trepidation and a slew of questions about attempting a house swap. Yesterday I gave advice for getting started in doing a home exchange. Here are some more tips for making the most of an exchange vacation.

Family Home Exchange

My daughter playing on a backyard tire swing during a home exchange a couple of years ago

Get to know your exchange family
Once you have found a home that appears to be a good match, email back and forth a few times asking and answering questions. After dates are tentatively agreed upon, set up a time to chat by phone or Skype. If the exchange family seems put out by your questions, emails, or request for a phone meeting — perhaps this is not the right exchange for you. You should feel a sense of comaraderie and comfort with your home swappers.

Consider a car or pet exchange
During my last home exchange, we swapped cars and cats as well. This saved both families a considerable amount of cash on rental car fees and pet-sitting services. We considered exchanging dogs as well but decided scheduling our vacation days around doggy potty breaks might put a damper on both of our vacations.

Use a contract
Since our first two home exchanges were informal swaps with friends of family, we had never bothered to draw up a contract. However, if exchanging with a previously unknown family (or even with friends), it’s probably a good idea to go the legal route. This is especially true if swapping cars and animals. Spell out expectations and obligations within your home exchange contract, such as any household rules (like no eating in the living room), maintenance expectations (such as watering plants and scooping the kitty litter box), and what either party will do if a household item is damaged (like pay for carpet cleaning in case of a spill or pay for any broken items). A sample contract is available on HomeExchange.com that you can modify as needed. Exchange signatures on the contract before the exchange either via fax, email or traditional mail.

Hide expensive items
Even if you’ve built a rapport with your exchangers, put away anything you don’t want to risk being stolen (such as expensive jewelry) or broken (like an heirloom vase or irreplaceable sculpture). Put important documents and valuables in a hidden lockbox or store them with a trusted friend or relative until you return.

Expect a few glitches
Lest you think a home exchange is nothing but rainbows and unicorns, it is not without its downfalls. My family felt quit chummy with our last home exchangers. Living in someone else’s home for a week gives a sense of intimacy and trust. We even arranged it so we could drive each others’ cars to the airport and swap keys in-person since our exchangers were boarding the very same plane that we disembarked. Our children ran around the gate giggling while the adults thanked one another and talked up our vacation adventures.

A few days later, our new friends emailed to say we had left behind a few items and offered to ship them back. I said that would be great and told them to delete the shipping costs from the check for the extra mileage they owed us when we agreed to let them drive our minivan over 200 miles to Los Angeles and back. The response I received was surprisingly sour, alleging that we had not left the gas tank full enough and that we instead owed them money. We wound up calling it even and all ended well but this served as a warning about how easily things could go astray in a home exchange situation. This was over a few measley bucks for mileage, gas, and shipping. What if someone had spilled red wine on a new couch or gotten into a fender bender, or worse?

Exchange away
So, would I do it again? Absolutely. The extra room, better sleep, homey conveniences, and huge travel savings outweigh the risks of doing a home exchange for me. Just be sure to get know your exchange family beforehand, be explicit regarding expectations and consquences in your contract, prepare your mind for glitches, and don’t fight any battles not really worth fighting.

To learn more, see How to do a Home Exchange – Part 1.

Would you ever do a home exchange vacation? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

How to do a Home Exchange – Part 1

Sunday, October 9th, 2011

Would you like to have lots of space to spread out on vacation, with a kitchen for snacks and convenient meals, separate bedrooms for all family members, and maybe even a big yard with a swing-set for the kids? Would you like all of this for free (or close to free)? If you said, “Yes!” — a home exchange might be right for you. My family has done three home swaps with varying levels of success. Here are some home exchange tips for those considering this type of vacation.

Dandelion blowing in the wind

Start with friends & family
Exchanging with friends, family, or acquaintances can be less stressful than doing a home swap with a previously unknown family. This is also true if exchanging with friends of friends because your buddies can vouch for the exchangers in question. Plus, swapping homes on your own saves money over using a professional home exchange service.

As a first step, check with people you know about doing a home exchange. You may not know anyone who lives in your destination of choice, but your Uncle Bob might know someone who does. Send out an email to your contacts or do a Facebook update announcing your desire to do an exchange. In my experience, email works better than Facebook but you might want to do both to reach a larger group.

Craft an exchange email
In your exchange email list travel dates, desired locations, and anything enticing about your house and home town. State any major requirements too. If you absolutely can’t exchange with anyone who has stairs or owns cats, say that. Don’t include a grocery list of perfect vacation home desires. Keep it simple — two short paragraphs maximum. Offer to send photos and additional information to anyone who might be interested in learning more.

Of course, you should contact anyone who lives in your destination of choice, but also include those who live in other spots (even in your home town) in case they might know someone who would be up for an exchange. Be sure to ask recipients to forward the email to anyone they think might be interested in the exchange.

Keep the number of email recipients to less than 20 to avoid getting lost in SPAM and type email addresses into the BCC box so you don’t start an annoying “reply all” stream.

Sign up for a home swapping site
If your attempts to find a home exchange through your network is unfruitful, do not despair. You can always sign up as a member of a swap site such as HomeExchange.com, HomeLink.org, or HomesForSwap.com. I have personally used HomeExchange.com but the other sites appear to work in a similar fashion.

With HomeExchange.com, you pay $9.95 per month for a year or $15.95 per month for three months. Then you add a description of your home, apartment, or condominium plus some information about your neighborhood and town. You can also list destinations you are interested in visiting along with potential travel dates.

Peruse potential exchange homes
The fun part is next: perusing potential matches. Narrow down your search by travel dates, destination, and/or exchangers interested in visiting your location. I get a kick out of taking a peek into the homes of others — imagining myself as the main character in the story of their lives for a brief period of time.

Try to exchange with similar vacationers
Ideally, you should try to exchange with a family similar to your own. If you have teenagers and so does your exchange family, you both will probably have sturdy furniture that can take a beating plus X-boxes and teen-pleasing entertainment. If both families have babies and young children, the two homes will likely be safety-proofed and come stocked with enticing tot toys and a full-sized crib. A retired, childless couple with an immaculate home may not be the best fit for a family with five messy children. Matching up family types is not always possible, of course, but it is a factor to consider in finding a suitable exchange.

Narrow down choices
If you find someone who looks like a good match, you will send a message through the site that includes a link to your home’s profile. You should be courteous by replying to every inquiry you receive, even if only to say, “Sorry we can’t exchange…good luck!”

Now comes the not-so-fun part: realizing how difficult it can be to get all of the vacation gods to smile down upon you so a fortuitous exchange can take place. It can be challenging to find vacationers 1) who are interested in your location, 2) who like your house, 3) who can exchange during the same timeframe as you, 4) whose location you like, and 5) whose house you like.

Have realistic expectations
If you live in a popular vacation destination like San Diego, California (like I do), you will likely have an easier time finding an appropriate exchange than someone who hails from Des Moines, Iowa. But you never know…there may be someone residing in your ideal destination looking to come to your corner of the world to visit family, attend a wedding, or see a new slice of the world. If you hail from a less popular destination, you may need to lower your expecations in terms of square footage or proximity to attractions to nab an exchange.

Paint a positive, but realistic, picture
Play up the benefits of your home — do you have a billiard table or a community pool? Is your home within walking distance to shops and restaurants? Or might your country home with nearby hiking trails be a wonderful retreat for a city dweller? While you want to paint a positive picture of your home and location, do not over-exaggerate. You want to find someone who will appreciate what your house has to offer instead of drawing in a disgruntled temporary inhabitant of your home.

Check back tomorrow for How to do a Home Exchange – Part 2 with tips on getting to know your exchange partners, doing car and pet exchanges, using a home swap contract, and handling exchange glitches.

Would you ever do a home exchange vacation? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

How to Survive Visiting Family during the Holidays

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

You want to visit family during the holiday season to introduce your little one to long-treasured traditions and catch up with far-flung loved ones. But you may be nervous about cramped sleeping quarters, squeezing in quality time with everyone on your must-see list, and staying sane on someone else’s turf. Below are some strategies to make sure your visit is as stress-less and joy-filled as possible.

No Room at the Inn?
Settling in at a loved one’s home can be a restful retreat under the right circumstances. Staying as a guest at grandma’s house makes it easy to engage in holiday activities like cookie baking and tree trimming. It also gives you easy access to gift wrapping necessities and a kitchen for food preparation and storage. You may even be treated to some home-cooked holiday meals during your stay! Plus, after your child’s bedtime you are free to chat, watch “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or play board games with your hosts.

All the better if your hosts are eager, or at least willing, to help out with childcare duties! Most grandparents and other doting relatives are more than happy to babysit while you duck out for last-minute gift shopping or a much-needed night on the town. Whenever I stay at my folks’ house in Arizona, my mom outdoes the best nanny – she helps with naps, feeding the kids, and even does our laundry!

Consider staying at a hotel if there there isn’t enough room for you at the in-laws or if having your own space will be the best way to keep your family’s schedule (and sanity!) on track. Choose a convenient middle ground between far-spread family members to cut down drive-times. A hotel near eateries and amusements or with amenities like an indoor pool, may increase the fun factor of your trip. Staying in a hotel can make your visit seem more vacation-like too. After all, your Aunt Emily doesn’t offer room service, daily towel changes, or chocolates on your pillow.

Another option is to book a vacation rental home or condo, or do like I often do, and participate in a home exchange. Check out HomeExchange.com or Homelink.org.

Plan a Holiday Potluck Party
In the several years since I moved from the Midwest to the West Coast, I have slowly pared down the list of must-see people during visits home. Hosting (or asking someone to host) a holiday potluck is a festive way to get everyone together while disbursing the cooking duties and keeping stress to a minimum. A casual get together enables you to 1) show off your darling prodigy, 2) squeeze in time for second tier friends and relatives, and 3) free up your schedule for other activities – like naps!

Double-Up Social Visits and Make Your Schedule Known
During one family visit, my mother-in-law broke into tears when she learned my husband and I – and most importantly, our children – were booked for brunch at my sister’s house for our last few hours in town. We eventually convinced her and Grandpa to join us for pancakes and playtime, but not without more tears for her and guilty feelings for us.

Spelling out which days will be spent with whom ensures quality time with everyone on your must-see list, sets appropriate expectations for everyone, and decreases guilt-trips significantly! This is especially true during the holiday season. If visiting more than one set of grandparents, make sure to spell out which nights of Hanukkah will be spent with which family members or with whom you will be celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Doubling-up visits with multiple families or social circles can give you some much-needed down-time.

Safety-Proof Your Temporary Digs
A Christmas tree laden with glass bulbs, tinsel, and strings of beads is a beautiful holiday tradition, but one that can pose a hazard to young children. If traveling with a baby or toddler, ask your hosts to encircle the tree with a safety gate or to place the tree in a room separate from where your child will be exploring. Likewise, holiday candles and decorations should be kept far out of grasp.

Long-treasured items saved by well-meaning grandparents can be dangerous for your child as well. The high chair at my mom’s house, for example, is 45-years-old, which happens to be my sister’s age. The rickety chair has no belt or leg divider to keep a baby from slipping out. The tray threatens to pinch tiny fingers with its metal claw mechanism for attaching to the base. Even more dangerous are old cribs, in which little arms, legs and (heaven forbid) heads can get stuck, leading to serious injury or even death. Many old cribs were painted with lead-based paint too. Scary old cribs, although sentimental to a grandmother who has stored it for 20-plus years, should be tossed in the trash.

To avoid such hazards, have baby gear shipped to your destination through a company like JetSetBabies.com. An alternative is to rent highchairs, cribs, and other items from a baby gear rental company. You may also want to pack some outlet covers and hide away grandma’s delicate collection of Hummel figurines for the duration of your stay.

Schedule Alone Time
Constant social visits will stress out even the most easygoing parents and children. Why not sneak away from the holiday hubbub for a stroll to see holiday lights or to take a jog to work off all of those gingerbread cookies and candy canes? Making room for exercise and relaxation will minimize meltdowns and enable you to be at your best when showing off your adorable offspring!

Enter to Win
To make your holiday travels even merrier, enter to win a $150 gift certificate to JoggerMom.com, your ultimate resource for joggers, strollers, and travel gear like baby carriers and travel bags. THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Kelly Morse is the creator of Joggermom.com and the mother of four children (a set of triplets and one singleton). She was inspired to create the company while attending a stroller fitness class. She said, ”I kept noticing that the mommies pushing the (strollers with small wheels) were always in the back of the class. I was pushing all four of my kiddos the first few months of class so I could not understand why they would want to work harder than they had to pushing a smaller wheeled stroller. The bigger the tire, the easier it is to push.” JoggerMom caters to parents of all types: moms and dads interested in fitness, parents of multiples, traveling parents, and parents looking for the perfect stroller, jogger, baby carrier, or stroller accessory to fit their family’s needs.

One winner will be selected at random using RANDOM.org. You may enter up to three times, using each method of entry once, by Saturday, December 12, 2009. JoggerMom.com will provide the gift certificate to the winner.

1) Visit JoggerMom.com and pick out which SPECIFIC item(s) you would choose if you won the giveaway and how this prize would help you travel better. (For example, don’t just say, “a jogger,” tell us which jogger you want!)

2) Sign up to Become a Travel Mama to receive the Travel Mamas bimonthly e-newsletter. If you are already on our mailing list, instead post a comment mentioning the e-newsletter and stating what you like about TravelMamas.com.

3) Tweet about this contest on Twitter by copying and pasting the entire phrase below. Be sure to post a comment with a link to your tweet!
Win a $150 gift certificate to JoggerMom.com! Visit @TravelMamas to enter! http://bit.ly/5jcjL5