Getting to know you
Essential guide table of contents
Swapping homes first involves establishing a friendship based on mutual trust. For some, trusting is easy, for others it may take a little longer. Like any new friendship, start slowly. First you need to find out a little about each other and the area you each live in.
Your Fact Sheet
The first thing you should do is to prepare a fact sheet that describes your home and neighbourhood.
In preparing your own fact sheet:
- Try to be objective about your home’s attractions and the advantages of the area in which you live. Think about enclosing a map.
- Give some information about transport links to areas you think your exchange partner might like to visit.
- How many people are in your party? Are you travelling alone or with a friend or lover? Are you looking for one bedroom or two?
- Do you have any special needs and requirements?
- If you have exchanged before, can you provide references from any previous exchange partners?
- Be accurate in painting a picture of your home, as it is vital that visitors to your home have realistic expectations. There is nothing to be gained by leading your potential exchange partner up a blind and misleading alley.
Plan early
Always make initial contact a few months in advance, as the earlier you contact potential exchangers, the easier you may find it to be flexible with your exchange dates, if you have to.
As soon as you receive a reply to your initial communication consider what you are being offered in return very carefully. If the offer you receive doesn’t meet every single requirement you had thought of; don’t dismiss it immediately, as it too might be worthy of consideration. Be flexible.
If your exchange dates simply do not match and you have a guestroom to spare you might consider making a hospitality exchange instead. In this way, at least one of the partners is able to make the exchange vacation; the ‘return’ is simply ‘banked’ until a later date.
If the exchange seems perfect in every way but your ideal exchange dates cannot match, perhaps one of you is able to be flexible or even postpone the exchange until a future, more mutually convenient time.
Enjoy your communication
Most of our members communicate by email. As time moves on, you may decide to make phone calls, send photos, home videos, or even chat on web-cam. As your communication develops, describe a little more about yourselves and the area you live in, carefully answering any questions you may have been asked.
Think about:
New Guests – Once your initial arrangements get underway you may discover a friend may ask if they can join you. Do not simply assume this is going to be just fine with your exchange partner. Your exchanger has a right to know exactly who is going to be living in his/her home.
Changing plans – Keep your exchange partner abreast of any changes you may need to make as soon as you know about them yourself, as even with the best of intentions our plans may need to be adapted. If disaster strikes at the last minute and you have to back out of an agreement, remember your exchange partner may already have bought travel tickets ~ under these circumstances it is up to you to try to make alternative arrangements on their behalf. Be responsible.
Being organised – You may find it helpful to keep all correspondence and notes of telephone conversations in a file, as you may need to refer to it more than once. Time spent now makes all the difference to a vacation that runs smoothly or one fraught with misunderstandings. Notes taken now will be of enormous help, should you decide to prepare a final letter of agreement.
Listening to your inner voice – We all have one. Allow yourself to be guided by a blend of common sense and intuition. As your communication develops, hopefully a friendship that is both mutually beneficial will bloom. If a new friendship doesn’t blossom for whatever reason, simply shrug your shoulders… and try again. Remember there’s always someone out there looking for a home just like yours. We’re here to help you find each other.
Please remember to reply to every offer you receive, whether or not you wish to make the exchange.