Home Exchange Back-Up Contingencies
I remember that years ago in newsletters and posts I frequently stressed the importance of always having back up arrangements available—just in case. I have to admit that recently I’ve let this advice slip, until my own recent dilemma brought it very much to the forefront for me again.
At the end of last month, my husband and I had an exchange arranged with a couple in Washington (the state, not the city). They had contacted us months ago because their daughter was commencing university at Texas A&M in the Fall Semester and they were anxious to travel down with her and spend a few days helping her get settled in.
My spouse and I had no special need to visit Washington, but their location in Bremerton seemed idyllic and we’d been induced by the detailed and descriptive offer they’d sent us. Why not spend a week in such a delightful area?
Communications and arrangements had progressed smoothly, then just three days before the exchange a medical emergency made it impossible for us to travel during that week. What on earth was to be done? I found myself truly a victim of ignoring my own advice because I had absolutely no contingency plan available.
In the end the fates saved us. I mentioned our predicament to my hairdresser and she was quick to offer us the use of a vacant rental apartment that she owned. Of course it wasn’t appropriate to provide a tiny apartment for our exchange partners who were expecting the use of a large family home, so my husband and I moved in there for a week, and or house was free exactly as planned. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Bremerton ourselves as we had hoped, but our partners have offered us the use of their home for a week next spring when they will be away on a cruise.
The moral of this story is—you never know. Assume the worse and have an alternative plan to fall back upon. Think of it this way, a home exchange is not a hotel where you can pick up the phone and cancel a booking. Canceling a home exchange means total disruption for your exchange partners which usually includes expensive air fares.
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