Home Exchanges – Finding the Right Place for You!

Home exchanges can be done in almost any city, suburban or remote area, of any country in the world. Home Exchange Sites are set up in a way that are very convenient to use. They can be found by doing a search on the internet. A reasonable annual fee is charged by the site, but it’s definitely worth it even if you use it only once a year! 

Once you’re on a site, you can select your destination by country or specific city, by clicking on the map shown, typing it in a search box, or making selections from a list. There are many different ways to find your desired destination. But if you have any trouble, there is usually help through a chat box, email, or phone contact. 

There are also selections for non-simultaneous exchanges, pet friendly places, smoking or non-smoking, second homes (which could be easier for an exchange), retired folks, etc. This helps to make your search faster and easier to find what you’re looking for exactly. 

I like the fact that you can also enter a selection in the search box, to find other exchangers that are interested in visiting your area. As an example, there might be about 200 homes for exchange in the area you’re interested in visiting. That would be a lot of homes to sort through to see what meet your needs, and to find others that are interested in your home. This can be time consuming. But if you filter out the exchangers who were interested in visiting your city or state or anywhere in your country, that will narrow the choices down to maybe about 20 exchanges or less. You would then only have to contact those people. Therefore you can find an exchange, by making more efficient use of your time, which would work out perfectly for you!

Another important factor, is that retired people have more flexibility in their travel time, than people with school-aged children who can only travel on the school breaks. People with families can filter for other people with families, who can only travel during certain times of the year. The exchangers with a flexible schedule can filter to get other exchangers with a flexible schedule. This makes the search easier, and it doesn’t become burdensome and frustrating. (Which in turn could lead one into giving up!)

A practical tool that is efficient to use is the way inquiries are sent. You may send the same message to many possibilities simultaneously, thus reducing the time of your search. Then some people will answer “no interest” immediately, some might not answer at all, but you’ll get some that are interested. Just remember that it’s a “numbers game”. 

Don’t give up if you can’t find exactly what you want. It may sometimes take a week or two, as new listings and availability pop up. You might have to inquire with 80-100 exchanges to find what you are looking for, but it is definitely worth it in the long run, and you will have an enjoyable, economical vacation! 

Plan as far in advance as possible (some people plan an exchange a year or more in advance, although some do it a month or so prior) to ensure a great exchange!!

Packing for a trip can be quite frustrating or overwhelming. For a FREE general packing list, click here.

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