Copyright VCA Ltd 2013,
The Definitive Guide to Home Exchanging Copyright VCA Ltd 2013, Contents Introduction 1 Our home exchange journey 2 Overview - What is home exchange and how does it work? Is it popular? The main benefit Other advantages First step Case Studies - French Polynesia and Quebec, Canada 3 Using a home exchange website Making or receiving offers Searching for options Search Example Request emails Responding Doing your research Case Study - Northland, New Zealand 4 Writing a great profile Photos Information Specifics Example profile Case Study Tahiti 5 Negotiating, agreeing and building relationships Hearing back Regular communications Hitting roadblocks Confirming the agreement Establishing expectations Contracts or formal agreements Website feedback Case Study - Melbourne, Australia 6 Where should my home be and who do I swap with? Do I have to live in a mansion? Quiz - what are you looking for in your next holiday? Case Study - Oregon, USA 7 What are the different types of exchange? Non-simultaneous swaps Multiple swaps Hospitality exchanges Generosity and compromise What about money? 8 Reciprocate instead of pay Expensive or sentimental items Mortgage, rent and bills Insurances Phones Case study - Portland, USA Is it safe? 9 Worst case scenarios 10 biggest home exchange mistakes When things go wrong... 10 What happens when an exchange falls through? What happens when the plans of one party have to change? Who does it and doesn t it suit? 11 Who does it suit Who doesn t it suit Case Study- New Zealand What do I need to do to get ready for an exchange? 12 Getting started Prepare your home Cars and keys Creating your home exchange pack What sort of questions will I be asked by house swap partners? 13 Home exchange etiquette 14 Do s and dont s Case Study- New Zealand What website should I use? 15 Home exchange site recommendations Copyright and discounts! VCA Ltd 2013, All Rights Res Rentals Frequently Asked Questions 16 And finally... 17 Appendices 18 Example Enquiry Email Example Decline Email Example Home Exchange Contract Example Home Exchange Pack 2
Copyright VCA Ltd 2013, The Definitive Guide to Home Exchanging erved. Figures Home exchanging can save you (on average) 2,202 (over $3,300) per swap! taken from ww.lovehomeswap.com, 2013 All prices shown in this guide are in either Great British Pounds ( ) or US Dollars ($), prices are current as of Summer 2013. 3
The Definitive Guide to Home Exchanging Copyright VCA Ltd 2013, Introduction Hi, We are Hannah and Chris, a British couple who stumbled upon home exchanging quite by chance. Like a lot of people, our desire to travel far out-stripped both the amount of time we could take off work and our budget! So we took a step back to see if there was anything we could do about that. Five years on, we have changed the way we can earn a living so that we are much more independent; in fact, we don t work for anyone but ourselves! And having a largely internet-based business also means that we have a lot of say over where and when we work. Home exchanging has been instrumental in allowing us to work from just about anywhere (we have done over 20 exchanges so far!) and we wanted to give you some tips on how you can get more out of your travel, irrespective of where you live, your budget, your family, or how often you like to get away. Home exchanging is becoming an increasingly popular, mainstream way to travel for many families and couples, whether for a two-week vacation or weekend getaway. We ve crammed in A LOT of home exchanging experience into a relatively short time, so we decided to share everything we have learned so that you can weigh up the pros and cons of home swapping. We realise that it s not for everyone, and those who are very resistant to the concept are unlikely to ever really feel comfortable with the idea. However, there are also a lot of people who are open to this unique practice but aren t sure how to get started. Without home exchanging, we wouldn t have been able to arrange incredible trips to places such as Australia, Canada, French Polynesia, or Mexico not without getting a huge loan, anyway! Home exchanging doesn t just offer you a place to stay; it can provide a window into different ways of life if you let it. When you live in someone else s home, it s fascinating to be part of a whole new lifestyle for a 4
Copyright VCA Ltd 2013, The Definitive Guide to Home Exchanging First, a bit about our home... short while; barbequing at Christmas when you d usually be snowed in, swimming in waterfalls on a weekend when you might otherwise be at a shopping mall, or even watching dolphins at sunset when you d usually only see your neighbour s cat skulking around the garden! With a comfortable, free place to stay, you can dedicate more of your holiday budget to enjoying new experiences rather Hopefully, these pages will answer some of your questions and help you recognise some of the possibilities. When you start to look for an exchange, unexpected and intriguing options will present themselves. Our advice to you is to join a site, create a profile, and see what offers land in your inbox. You don t have to accept them all, or even any, but it s a lot of fun seeing what trips the next 12 months could hold! All the best Hannah and Chris You can find out more about how we combine family, work, travel, and play, plus tips for how you can do the same at www.loveplaywork.com On our last home exchange we had a hot Aussie Christmas! To receive so many wonderful exchange offers, we must live in a mansion, right? We wish! A common misconception is that your home has to be spectacular in order to organise exchanges. That s simply not the case, which we hope the details below will show you. Location Our south coast UK home is pretty convenient. It s a fifteen minute walk to seven miles of sandy beach and a ten minute stroll to bars, restaurants, and shops. We are only a ten minute car ride from the main town centre. The home Our home is comfy but compact (sales-speak for small!) We ve got two decent sized bedrooms, both with en suite bathrooms; handy if exchange partners want to bring friends. We have an open-plan kitchen and living room. It s big enough for four people but a bit snug for too many more than that, so we don t recommend that families with more than two kids exchange with us. We have a balcony large enough for a table, barbeque, and plenty of flower pots. We are surrounded by tall trees so the gardens we overlook are in the shade by lunchtime, but our balcony catches the light until sunset. Finally, we have an office with two desks, which is where we run our business from when we re here. Why do people come? The homes we have stayed in are usually much bigger than ours, but there are all sorts of reasons visitors want to come to us. Some like being close to the beach and the New Forest (20 minutes away), others like the proximity to London (2 hours by train), historic cities like Salisbury (45 minutes by car), Bath (2 hours by car) or even the impressive Jurassic Coastline (45 minutes away). We ve had families come because they have a son or daughter at the local university, relatives in the area, or even so their kids can attend a football camp. Some people have just liked the look of the place and wanted to visit somewhere in the UK. The feedback we generally receive is that they like that our home isn t too big (easy to keep clean!) and is a comfortable and convenient base for further exploring. 5
The Definitive Guide to Home Exchanging Copyright VCA Ltd 2013, Our home exchange journey Sometimes it s not the practicalities that help you decide whether or not home exchanging might suit you; it s the real-life stories. Talk to anyone who has done a home swap and they will have their own tales to tell, plenty of highlights, a few lowlights, and probably a lot to laugh about! Our journey has perhaps been a little different from some, as the flexibility of our work means we can arrange swaps of a month or more as regularly as we can manage. Many people prefer one or two weeks exchanging to coincide with their annual holidays. It really just depends on what works for you. There is a slightly unexpected twist to our story. After our first few exchanges, we got a little more ambitious. This led to our epic Round in the World in Home Exchanges adventure of 2012 and 2013. This seven month extravaganza took us to fifteen home exchanges all round the world, from London to the United States, Mexico, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, and home again. We share some of our diaries on the next few pages. We hope our tales intrigue you about the possibilities home exchanging can bring as you dive into the rest of the book which covers the practicalities, hows, whats, and whys of getting your own house swap adventures underway. We aren t sharing these stories to brag, but to show you what is attainable (go to page 18 if you d prefer to skip this section!) However you choose to do it, swapping your home will give you plenty to talk about! Who knows what experiences it will bring? There s only one way to find out... Our very first exchange Our first experience of house swapping was a month in Quebec, Canada. We exchanged with a French Canadian family - a mum, dad, and two daughters aged 9 and 12. 6