ExchangeHomesBlog.com

I know I’ve blogged about this home exchange membership problem before, but because it continues to happen, I’m writing about it again. Repeatedly, people email or phone to complain that they can no longer log on to the ExchangeHomes.com web site. They are indignant, impatient, often angry and accuse us of of a whole variety [...]

I was honored to learn this week that John Van Kirk’s Travel Blog – aka The Travel Answer Man, has rated this blog #10 in his list of 100 Best Travel Blogs. He ranks us above some other very respected blogs and I’m thrilled by the news. During the summer months posts have not been [...]

ExchangeHomesBlog and ExchangeHomes.com are delighted to announce a brand new alliance with BedandBreakfast.com. With summer now over and Christmas beginning large on the horizon, what better gift idea can you think of than a BedandBreakfast.com Getaway Gift Card – Get Free Shipping as well! I try to be extremely careful who we forge alliances with because [...]

No-one ever pretends that setting up a successful home exchange is easy. To the contrary, if you don’t live in one of the more sought after locations, it can be a challenge. But a challenge is not an impossibility, quite the opposite, a challenge if viewed positively can be enormous fun! There are a few [...]

3 reasons I consistently hear from people why (in their opinion), home exchanging would be impossible for them! I couldn’t possibly trust strangers in my own home. Yes you can. Your exchange partners will be trusting you to live in their home responsibly and ethically so why should they be any less trustworthy than you? [...]

Several clubs have recently begun experimenting with short, 6-month membership options which could be attractive to people completely new to the concept of home exchanging. Possibly the shorter commitment gives them more confidence, if they later decide that home exchange isn’t for them after all, their up-front commitment has been much less. So, following this [...]

There is a definite and growing tendency for aspiring home exchangers to seek exchange partners via classified ads such as Craigslist. Is this a good idea? Absolutely not! I know the immediate reaction to that statement—well, that’s just sour grapes, coming from a home exchange company owner, but I assure you that’s not the case. [...]

The question I am repeatedly asked is, “Why should I not be worried about having a stranger in my house?” My immediate response is always the same, “Why should your potential exchange partners not be worried about having you in THEIR house?” Be rational and pause for a moment to think: Why should you assume [...]

On several occasions recently it’s been suggested to me that the current economic climate is working against home exchange, rather than in its favor. Airlines, hotels, cruise lines and even cities such as Las Vegas are digging deep into their pockets offering travel incentives never before imagined. To a certain extent today’s travel bargains are [...]

It may only be June, but I’m already beginning to receive emails and phone calls from people who feel they may have left it too late to arrange a home exchange this year. This may not be the case, particularly for those whose travel plans stretch into August and September, and especially for those who [...]

With the present economic environment, I find I am more and more being asked to justify the value of a home exchange vacation. People point out various examples of unbelievable offers being promoted by hotel chains and tour companies and ask how home exchange can continue to compete. I agree—they have a point. My husband [...]

Nothing to do with home exchanging, but it gave us a huge laugh …! Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren’t representative of their actual usage. But no matter how they tried to conserve water, the high bills continued. Although they could see nothing wrong, [...]