Thursday, November 12, 2009
CONFIDENTIAL: TO JEAN R
A big "thank you!" to everyone who wrote in with questions for my new RoofSwap.com advice column. If you have any questions related to home exchange or travel, please drop me an email: NicoleF(@)RoofSwap.com (parentheses added to foil spammers).
To Jean R: I would love to hear more from you but I have no way to reply to comments left in response to one of my posts. I do not see the email addresses of people who post comments. Anyone who wants to get in touch with me needs to do so by sending me an email.
Write with questions or comments to: Nicolef @ Roofswap.com (no spaces before or after the @ symbol). Thanks!
Sunday, November 01, 2009
VOTE WITH YOUR HOME EXCHANGE DOLLARS
Exciting news is brewing in the world of Home Exchange. A visionary team of enthusiastic home exchangers have come together with an approach that is going to revolutionize our community.
For over three years I have been writing the most popular home exchange blog that isn't affiliated with any swap club. Most websites and blogs take ads, or at least advertising dollars. This blog has never done that because I wanted to report on trends in home exchange -- and start some -- free of some company's business agenda.
Dozens of entrepreneurs have approached me over the years. Some wanted my input on their bright new idea for a home exchange club. Others asked me to join their companies. I have always had good reason to say "no thanks."
Passionate home exchangers have turned their love of this rich travel method into successful small businesses that make home exchange possible. Thanks to their swap clubs I have stayed in the beautiful homes of over 40 families and met interesting, well-traveled people from all over the world.
Since the first club was founded in the 1950's, home exchange businesses have offered pretty much the same formula. Let people describe their homes and charge them for displaying their listing to other swappers.
The "new ideas" in home exchange pitched to me have often been, at best, unnecessary. At their worst, folks have thought up some really terrible ways to make a cut each time two families decided to vacation at each others' homes.
For me, home exchange is a community. I am not interested in any project that doesn't help more good people become home exchangers. Needless to say I have never been tempted to become part of any new home exchange business.
Until now. I am proud to announce that, in addition to writing this blog, I am contributing a weekly advice column to a new home exchange club called RoofSwap.com.
RoofSwap.com has a professional team that loves home exchange and wants to make our community stronger. They looked at every home exchange club out there. Instead of trying to figure out how to turn the existing swap club model on its ear in order to make a profit from each vacation trade, the RoofSwap.com staff asked how they could make home exchange easier and more appealing.
What really excites me about RoofSwap.com is its commitment to outreach about home exchange. RoofSwap.com is actively educating travelers about the home exchange concept.
RoofSwap's team realized that just hearing about the home exchange concept will bring thousands of eager vacationers into our community. And RoofSwap.com is providing the educational resources to get those new exchangers off on the right foot.
Many new clubs put effort into trying to poach members from existing clubs. RoofSwap already has 14,000 listings because it combines the listings of some of the best swap clubs out there. I'm excited about the unique approach RoofSwap has taken to consolidating the listings and best ideas of some really great home exchange clubs. It means RoofSwap.com members have access to broader listings than members of single-source clubs, which often draw most of their membership from a narrow geographical area.
RoofSwap.com hired excellent web designers to create a sophisticated yet simple-to-use site. Creating a listing is quick and easy. Extensive resources at RoofSwap.com outline the steps to follow to set up and enjoy a home exchange. The RoofSwap forum lets new and seasoned exchangers trade tips and get their questions answered.
RoofSwap's site protects members privacy by letting us control when to share our personal information with possible swap partners.
The RoofSwap.com team is committed to excellent customer service and support. But what is more important to us as exchangers is that RoofSwap.com actively supports the best ideals of our community. RoofSwap.com donates 10% of profits to Habitat for Humanity. Nothing better reflects home exchange ethics than helping create homes for those who really need them.
Instead of gimmicks, RoofSwap.com is giving our community the tools we need to be bigger, stronger and healthier. For three years I have tried to educate home exchangers. RoofSwap.com is using the best minds in the field to bring home exchange from a hobbyist niche into mainstream consciousness.
Easy, clear and educational with an education to expand home exchange into the mainstream. RoofSwap.com is my home exchange dream come true. It's exciting to me that more people are going to learn about home exchange and find just what they need to get started vacationing for free.
I am excited to be part of RoofSwap.com's innovative work. I hope you will vote with your home exchange club membership dollars. Join RoofSwap.com to help our commuity grow. Or at least send in a question for my new RoofSwap.com advice column. You can reach me at NicoleF@RoofSwap.com.
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For over three years I have been writing the most popular home exchange blog that isn't affiliated with any swap club. Most websites and blogs take ads, or at least advertising dollars. This blog has never done that because I wanted to report on trends in home exchange -- and start some -- free of some company's business agenda.
Dozens of entrepreneurs have approached me over the years. Some wanted my input on their bright new idea for a home exchange club. Others asked me to join their companies. I have always had good reason to say "no thanks."
Passionate home exchangers have turned their love of this rich travel method into successful small businesses that make home exchange possible. Thanks to their swap clubs I have stayed in the beautiful homes of over 40 families and met interesting, well-traveled people from all over the world.
Since the first club was founded in the 1950's, home exchange businesses have offered pretty much the same formula. Let people describe their homes and charge them for displaying their listing to other swappers.
The "new ideas" in home exchange pitched to me have often been, at best, unnecessary. At their worst, folks have thought up some really terrible ways to make a cut each time two families decided to vacation at each others' homes.
For me, home exchange is a community. I am not interested in any project that doesn't help more good people become home exchangers. Needless to say I have never been tempted to become part of any new home exchange business.
Until now. I am proud to announce that, in addition to writing this blog, I am contributing a weekly advice column to a new home exchange club called RoofSwap.com.
RoofSwap.com has a professional team that loves home exchange and wants to make our community stronger. They looked at every home exchange club out there. Instead of trying to figure out how to turn the existing swap club model on its ear in order to make a profit from each vacation trade, the RoofSwap.com staff asked how they could make home exchange easier and more appealing.
What really excites me about RoofSwap.com is its commitment to outreach about home exchange. RoofSwap.com is actively educating travelers about the home exchange concept.
RoofSwap's team realized that just hearing about the home exchange concept will bring thousands of eager vacationers into our community. And RoofSwap.com is providing the educational resources to get those new exchangers off on the right foot.
Many new clubs put effort into trying to poach members from existing clubs. RoofSwap already has 14,000 listings because it combines the listings of some of the best swap clubs out there. I'm excited about the unique approach RoofSwap has taken to consolidating the listings and best ideas of some really great home exchange clubs. It means RoofSwap.com members have access to broader listings than members of single-source clubs, which often draw most of their membership from a narrow geographical area.
RoofSwap.com hired excellent web designers to create a sophisticated yet simple-to-use site. Creating a listing is quick and easy. Extensive resources at RoofSwap.com outline the steps to follow to set up and enjoy a home exchange. The RoofSwap forum lets new and seasoned exchangers trade tips and get their questions answered.
RoofSwap's site protects members privacy by letting us control when to share our personal information with possible swap partners.
The RoofSwap.com team is committed to excellent customer service and support. But what is more important to us as exchangers is that RoofSwap.com actively supports the best ideals of our community. RoofSwap.com donates 10% of profits to Habitat for Humanity. Nothing better reflects home exchange ethics than helping create homes for those who really need them.
Instead of gimmicks, RoofSwap.com is giving our community the tools we need to be bigger, stronger and healthier. For three years I have tried to educate home exchangers. RoofSwap.com is using the best minds in the field to bring home exchange from a hobbyist niche into mainstream consciousness.
Easy, clear and educational with an education to expand home exchange into the mainstream. RoofSwap.com is my home exchange dream come true. It's exciting to me that more people are going to learn about home exchange and find just what they need to get started vacationing for free.
I am excited to be part of RoofSwap.com's innovative work. I hope you will vote with your home exchange club membership dollars. Join RoofSwap.com to help our commuity grow. Or at least send in a question for my new RoofSwap.com advice column. You can reach me at NicoleF@RoofSwap.com.
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Sunday, October 25, 2009
IT PAYS TO READ THE SWAP LISTING
Taking the time to read a swap listing pays off. We get dozens of offers each month from people who have just cut and pasted the same general offer to everyone in our town. In my experience the follow up to this approach is often to ignore my response and not even bother thank me for my interest if someone else answers the email more quickly or with a better offer.
The kind of offer that gets me excited to swap with someone arrived this morning and is included below, with the permission of the swappers. From the first sentence it is clear that the exchangers are considering our interests as well as their own. When I clicked through to their listing I found a very tempting and well-writen description of their home and town.
The only suggestion I would have is offering more lead time for this trans-continental exchange. My winter home exchange plans are already set. If they were not, these exchangers would definitely be strong contenders, just because their approach showed they think about our needs as well as their own.
This exchanger could easily send exactly the same email to everyone he contacts, changing only the first sentence of the offer. That lets him highlight the best of his area while taking into account the unique preferences and concerns of this possible swap partners. This person is new to exchanging but he has made a good start. We can all learn from his approach.
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The kind of offer that gets me excited to swap with someone arrived this morning and is included below, with the permission of the swappers. From the first sentence it is clear that the exchangers are considering our interests as well as their own. When I clicked through to their listing I found a very tempting and well-writen description of their home and town.
The only suggestion I would have is offering more lead time for this trans-continental exchange. My winter home exchange plans are already set. If they were not, these exchangers would definitely be strong contenders, just because their approach showed they think about our needs as well as their own.
"Hey there ,
You write that you have to be within a drive from NYC, but you ALSO write that you enjoy the PNW. So here goes...
My wife and I live in Bellingham, Washington State, at the foot of the Cascade Mountains. We are about one hour\'s drive to Mt. Baker, world-record snow accumulation and supposed first home of snowboarding (http://www.mtbaker.us/ AND the same distance to Vancouver, B.C. There is skiing right around Van, or Whistler is another 1.5 hours north.
We\'ll be in NYC from Feb. 11-15 to visit my grandmother who lives on the Lower East Side. This, by the way, is opening weekend for the Olypics in Vancouver. Our house will be open during this time and will probably be open from Dec. 21-30 when we should be on vacation in a sunny place.
Food for thought...let us know if you\'ve any interest.
Cheers,"
This exchanger could easily send exactly the same email to everyone he contacts, changing only the first sentence of the offer. That lets him highlight the best of his area while taking into account the unique preferences and concerns of this possible swap partners. This person is new to exchanging but he has made a good start. We can all learn from his approach.
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Tuesday, October 06, 2009
SHOULD YOU PAY TO REMODEL THE SWAP HOME?
Your hotel room had better be perfect. If it is dirty, or you want another pillow, just call the front desk. Unless you stay at the No-Tell Motel management is going to do what they can to satisfy you, the customer.
Based on your experience with paid lodging you may not expect to invest any money in the swappers' home.
Hey, it's your vacation. Why not enjoy the exchange more by assuming things at the swap will NOT be perfect.
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
You get to the swap home and it's just not comfortable. That is not a slight against your exchange partners. They like their home just as it is. That does not mean you will have the same taste or preferences as the family who lives in that home. Chances are something will be lacking that you really need to be comfortable.
LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT
You only sleep on down-filled pillows. Your swap partners are allergic to them. Wire hangers damage your fine outfits. The swappers use the hangers they get from the cleaners'. Nothing is more pleasant for you than a breeze from an electric fan. The exchangers don't have any fans in their home.
CUSTOMIZE THE SWAP HOME
When we get to a swap home we plan to invest a reasonable sum to ensure our comfort. When our kids were young we bought a stair gate at one home and a port-a-crib at another.
It is reasonable to expect to spend some money just to make sure the swap home has the amenities you prefer.
WHAT DO I HAVE TO BUY?
Some items you may need, but not find at the swap home, based on my experience over 40+ swaps, include
* reading lamp
* fan
* cooking gear like a decent chef's knife
* extra blanket
* radio
* 100% cotton bedding
* down pillow
* bath mat
* mattress pad
* vase
The possibilities are endless. Mind you, no exchange home needed all of these items. It is likely that you might have to spend the equivalent of one night's hotel cost to buy things you need to be truly comfortable.
STRANGE BED, FELLOW
One common theme to the list of equipment I have bought for the swap home is "bedding".
There is nothing more individual than sleeping preferences. If the exchangers like a hard mattress you may need to buy a foam mattress topper. If the bed is too soft a bed board could be needed.
Don't sacrifice your comfort because the swap home doesn't have every item you prefer. It will not be your home, and that is the point. Assuming you will need to buy those things will ensure you are happier with your home exchange experience.
LEAVE IT OR CHUCK IT?
Now that you know you will have to buy a few things to really enjoy your swap, be careful about leaving them for the exchangers. They may see the presence of these items as a rebuke.
Swappers once left us a home exchange gift of generic dishtowels. I couldn't help but inspect our stack of 20 or so dishtowels. Did our home exchange partners fail to find them? Were they stained?
Most likely the message being sent was "perhaps you would enjoy these dish towels".
Leaving items you considered "missing" from the swap home could imply that you were uncomfortable there. While it might be wasteful to throw out that foam mattress pad you only used for one week, don't leave it for the swappers.
SO WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH IT?
Every community has some sort of charity organization that would love your donation of lightly-used home goods. Donate it to a thrift shop, shelter, etc. Just don't risk offending or inconveniencing the exchangers by leaving them a pile of things you needed to be comfortable in their home.
THE SWAP HOME MIGHT BE COMFIER THAN YOURS
There is a flip side to spending a little of the vacation budget to outfit the swap home. You may find a wonderful item there that you can't live without.
Actually, that's another benefit to home exchange. People elsewhere live differently than you do. Whether you find your way or their way superior you are sure to learn something from your home exchange. Even if you need to buy some nicer bedding to do so.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
COMING HOME TO PROBLEMS
Every home exchanger's first nightmare is to arrive at the swappers' address to find a vacant lot or a lock that doesn't fit their key. That just doesn't happen. But there is another fear that is more realistic: coming home to damage.
Will the home exchangers take good care of your house? Probably they will. You will not, however, come home to find your home in exactly the same condition as when you left. It just isn't possible for a couple or family to live in your home for a week, a weekend or even a day without moving something, using something else or simply not making the bed the way you like it.
Before you open your door, be aware that part of home exchange is that your home will be used. Even if you find something broken or lost, keep your perspective.
We came home from a recent vacation expecting something to be messed up. The swappers were not, to phrase it diplomatically, tech-savvy. They had called us in a panic several times, unable to make the television or wireless internet work. The typical problem was a surge strip they had accidentally turned off.
We were not surprised, or too annoyed, to find that they had let certain battery-powered devices drain, or that they had accidentally erased our outgoing answering machine message and left the message machine turned off. It was a little more inconvenient that they lost the television set remote control, despite the fact that it is not needed for watching tv (only the cable remote is used).
It is important to keep perspective. While the television remote will cost $50 to replace, we are not even contacting the exchangers about it. After all, $50 is a small sum compared to renting a vacation home and car for two weeks.
You may come home to a house that is cleaner than you left it, or find some home repair projects completed. Conversely you may find new repairs are needed if your swap partners are not too careful. Just remember to keep things in perspective. Home exchange means someone is in your home. Value the richness that brings to your travel experience, not the cost of minor repairs or replacements.
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Will the home exchangers take good care of your house? Probably they will. You will not, however, come home to find your home in exactly the same condition as when you left. It just isn't possible for a couple or family to live in your home for a week, a weekend or even a day without moving something, using something else or simply not making the bed the way you like it.
Before you open your door, be aware that part of home exchange is that your home will be used. Even if you find something broken or lost, keep your perspective.
We came home from a recent vacation expecting something to be messed up. The swappers were not, to phrase it diplomatically, tech-savvy. They had called us in a panic several times, unable to make the television or wireless internet work. The typical problem was a surge strip they had accidentally turned off.
We were not surprised, or too annoyed, to find that they had let certain battery-powered devices drain, or that they had accidentally erased our outgoing answering machine message and left the message machine turned off. It was a little more inconvenient that they lost the television set remote control, despite the fact that it is not needed for watching tv (only the cable remote is used).
It is important to keep perspective. While the television remote will cost $50 to replace, we are not even contacting the exchangers about it. After all, $50 is a small sum compared to renting a vacation home and car for two weeks.
You may come home to a house that is cleaner than you left it, or find some home repair projects completed. Conversely you may find new repairs are needed if your swap partners are not too careful. Just remember to keep things in perspective. Home exchange means someone is in your home. Value the richness that brings to your travel experience, not the cost of minor repairs or replacements.
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Tuesday, September 08, 2009
COULD THIS BE THE NEXT WAVE IN HOME EXCHANGE?
Judging from the increase in questions I am receiving from new would-be home exchangers, nothing makes the idea of free travel more appealing than a global recession. People who have considered doing a vacation swap are now actively researching our way of traveling.
It is always great to welcome hospitable new swappers to our community. But there is another wave of potential home exchangers on the horizon: retiring baby boomers.
Yes, the commune-dwelling hippies of the 1960's are themselves reaching their 60's. As they do so, who better to turn to home exchange than this independent generation who embraced lifestyle alternatives and brought them into the mainstream. Will they do the same for home exchange?
America's post-war "baby boom" generation is poised to retire. We already see huge numbers of seniors in our home exchange community. Retirees have flexibility to travel that is denied those of us who are tied to traditional jobs. Boomers are reaching retirement age after a lifetime of openness to new ways of living. Home exchange may be just the latest in a string of new ideas the Boomers popularize.
After all, Boomers were born at the same time as organized home exchange. It is reasonable to expect that they will embrace home exchange travel in even greater numbers than the generations which came before them.
People comtemplating retirement naturally want to do some of the exploring they did not have time for when they were working and raising a family. Retirees must also decide where to spend their golden years. Home exchange is the perfect way to meet both of these goals without straining a fixed income.
Welcome Boomers. The doors of home exchange a thrown open to you.
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