| Jennifer Merin Whether you want a week in the heart of Paris or two months in the Connecticut countryside, its possible to swap your home with someone who wants to vacation where you live.
The arrangement is less expensive than a hotel would be. Theres no tipping, and you can save on restaurant bills by eating in when you want to do so. It also lets you interact with the area and its residents -- to get to know them from the inside, so to speak.
The trick is to find an appropriate swap -- a place where you would feel comfortable living, a place owned by people who you wouldnt mind giving your living space to in exchange.
If you think that sounds like a tall order, youre right. It is. But, fortunately, there are several reliable and very experienced home exchange agencies waiting at the ready to match up prospective swappers around the globe.
Intervac US - International Home Exchange Service, established in 1953, is the oldest organization. It has an international set up with national representatives in the thirty plus countries it serves.
The US representative is based in San Francisco, and covers the mainland, US Virgin Islands, Outer Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Puerto Rico. You can find exchanges almost everywhere in the US, and there are testimonials from satisfied swappers in every corner of the country.
Intervac publishes a substantial properties directory with thousands of potential swaps. A good percentage of the properties are in the US, but the organizations international reach is really enormous. You can get a good swap in most countries ranging Argentina to New Zealand, from Norway to South Africa. In other words, all around the globe.
The Intervac directory is online at http://www.intervac.com). Its updated frequently and very easy to use. It features photos of all the properties it lists, descriptions of the families (including the professions of the adults and ages of the children) living in them, whether bikes and/or automobiles are necessary and/or included in the swap, and a wide range of the local services and attractions that are available and might be of interest to you. The listing also references the propertys previous swaps. Its really a great package.
Youre able to take a look at available swap properties on the Intervac site without becoming a member of the organization, but you must join the service and log on in order to get contact information for the owners of the properties that are of interest to you. Membership is the US costs about $100 a year. Thats a very reasonable price, when you think of how much youll save by swapping instead of booking a hotel.
As with every travel service and product, its best to shop around before buying. So, before signing up for Intervac, you should also visit other online property swap services.
HomeExchange.com (http://www.homeexchange.com) boasts having been featured in The Holiday, the romantic comedy in which Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslett use the home exchange in order to swap lives as they occupy each others homes in Los Angeles and England. The site offers some 32,000 properties for exchange, lists most popular destinations and provides a lot of useful information about assuring a successful exchange. Annual membership costs $9.95 per month.
The Vacation Exchange Network (http://www.thevacationexchange.com) features properties only in the US, and only in vacation areas. So, the service is slightly differently than those that feature actual property swaps. Vacation Exchange Network actually facilitates your use another members home even if that member doesnt want to use yours in exchange. In other words, this is more like a membership rental service instead of a straight out swap of properties -- which may or may not be to your liking.
Vacation Exchange Network features 1,500 properties, and you can view all of them before joining the service. The first year of membership costs nothing, and you can post one photo of your property and access contact information about all other members. The fee for each subsequent year of membership is $40. But, each member must pay a $250 fee each time an exchange is arranged. Its still cheaper than a hotel, especially in some of the pricier resorts where exchange properties are available.
Global Home Exchange (http://www.4homex.com) offers a wide range of property swaps for vacationers, but also features a special home and job swap service for teachers. If youre qualified, this really represents a wonderful opportunity to experience another countrys life and learning style. You can find out more about the teachers swap at http://www.4homex.com/teacher.htm.
Note that none of the services guarantees a perfect swap. But they do offer tips, check lists and protective steps to take to assure a satisfactory experience.
All suggest that its important to give yourself sufficient lead time -- about six months is best. This allows time to check references and exchange letters, talk over the phone and get to know your swap partner.
You should negotiate whether youre going to swap your house intact, with bed linens, pots and pans included and, possibly, bikes and autos, or whether each of you will keep a locked room for your person effects that are not to be used by your swap partner. Agree in advance how to handle deposits and payments for phone bills and other utilities, and coverage for any breakage or other damages.
You should also be realistic. If you live in a luxurious oceanfront condo in an exclusive Honolulu neighborhood and plan a mid-winter trip, youre probably better off subletting your condo at a profit than swapping, unless youre heading for Telluride at the height of ski season.
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COPYRIGHT 2010 JENNIFER MERIN
Copyright 2010 Jennifer Merin
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