For years I had a recurring dream. The environment was different each time but the dream always ended the same way: I found a extra room in my home. Every time this happened my dream self had the same reaction "There it is! I knew I had one more room in this place!"
My colleagues in the world of psychotherapy can analyze this dream any way they please. I know what it really means: my apartment is too small. Sometimes an extra room is just an extra room.
Recently I haven't had this dream. I think I know why. We started getting offers for much bigger homes when we moved to a larger apartment. Most of the swap homes we have used in the past few years have been 4,000 square feet or larger.
In some ways having that much space is a luxury. Primarily, though, I find it to be a hassle. As a parent of two small children I don't enjoy stumbling down endless hallways to the children's wing of whichever McMansion we are using. And cleaning a gigantic house is an all-day project.
In fact, using large swap homes has made it very clear to me exactly how much space seems ideal. From experience with home exchange properties of various sizes I now think that adding about 50% more room on to my current apartment would be big enough. Without home exchange I might have imagined that bigger is always better. Now I know it isn't.
Home exchange helps us experience different living options. That can help us make life choices which will work better for us in the long run. Try different swap homes. You may find a new way to live, not just a great way to vacation.
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HAPPY HOME EXCHANGE HOLIDAYS!
Does home exchange make it into your holiday letter? Reader Kathie responded to the snippet of our yearly family update with her own beautiful effort. She interwove the details of her family's 2008 personal and professional triumphs and tribulations with their home exchange travels. Did you include home exchange in a year-end family news brief? It's a great way to let friends and family know about the concept. You could even find yourself swapping with someone you already know who becomes intrigued reading about your travels.
I enjoyed reading Kathie's holiday letter and I don't even know her! Kathie's family lives in England. Taking advantage of deals like a RyanAir penny (pence?) airfare sale they swapped their second home in France for vacations in Ireland, the Czech Republic and Portugal. I have always found it so compelling that people lucky enough to live in Europe can take a one hour flight and find themselves in one of a dozen countries.
How exciting to try tapas in Spain then take a quick jaunt over the border to France or continue a short drive up the Riviera to Italy. Ooops. I'm thinking like an American. We are famous for blitzing as many European countries as possible in the week or two we typically get for vacation. This is contrary to the approach of vacationers from France or Germany who are guaranteed months off per year. Swappers from Europe need to keep this crucial cultural difference in mind when approaching Americans. You are much more likely to find two American families who each want two weeks at your swap home than one family who can take an entire month off at once.
Unless you want to exchange in Texas. I read recently that soon-to-be-ex-President Bush spent an average of two months at his ranch during each year of his presidency. I think it's great that the guy with the most important job in our nation models such a balanced approach to work and leisure. Except for the whole "economy collapsing due to lax oversight" thing.
Hopefully we will all have happier news to report in our 2009 holiday letters. Wishing you health, happiness and lots of home exchange trip reports in the coming year.
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I enjoyed reading Kathie's holiday letter and I don't even know her! Kathie's family lives in England. Taking advantage of deals like a RyanAir penny (pence?) airfare sale they swapped their second home in France for vacations in Ireland, the Czech Republic and Portugal. I have always found it so compelling that people lucky enough to live in Europe can take a one hour flight and find themselves in one of a dozen countries.
How exciting to try tapas in Spain then take a quick jaunt over the border to France or continue a short drive up the Riviera to Italy. Ooops. I'm thinking like an American. We are famous for blitzing as many European countries as possible in the week or two we typically get for vacation. This is contrary to the approach of vacationers from France or Germany who are guaranteed months off per year. Swappers from Europe need to keep this crucial cultural difference in mind when approaching Americans. You are much more likely to find two American families who each want two weeks at your swap home than one family who can take an entire month off at once.
Unless you want to exchange in Texas. I read recently that soon-to-be-ex-President Bush spent an average of two months at his ranch during each year of his presidency. I think it's great that the guy with the most important job in our nation models such a balanced approach to work and leisure. Except for the whole "economy collapsing due to lax oversight" thing.
Hopefully we will all have happier news to report in our 2009 holiday letters. Wishing you health, happiness and lots of home exchange trip reports in the coming year.
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YOU CAN AFFORD TO VACATION IN 2009
No matter how tight your budget is, if you have a clean, safe home you can afford to vacation in 2009. We took a total of three weeks of vacation and three long holiday weekends at swap homes and spent as little as $10 per day over expenses we would have had if we had stayed at home.
TRAVEL COSTS
When you travel, your biggest expense is usually lodging, followed by restaurant meals. With home exchange we eliminate or greatly lessen those expenses. Airfares can be costly, but not if you buy in advance or use frequent flier miles. To pare costs to the bone you can simply limit your home exchange travels to a day's drive from home. Here on the East Coast we can drive for no more than six or 7 hours and find ourselves in another country (Montreal or Toronto); Washington DC with its dozens of free museums and attractions; historic Philadelphia or Boston; mountains, beaches and so on. Long distance coaches go to all East Coast destinations for as little as $1 per ticket (more on this in another column).
WHERE TO GO?
Tour books are available for free from every region's tourism department. Get a few for your own area or a neighboring state/province/country. There are thousands of fascinating destinations near your home that you have never seen.
OUR 2008 HOME EXCHANGE ITINERARY
We sent out our holiday letter via email because we just never got it together to do a holiday card mailing this year. One relative wrote back to say we seem to travel as much as if we were retired. Little does she know how much we plan to travel when we are retired. It will make our current peregrinations look like a walk around the block.
Here is our 2008 itinerary from the holiday letter. If you want to hear a really funny holiday letter go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3DyxaCYlfg
OK, it goes on from there but reading other people's holiday letters is generally rather boring, even (or especially) when home exchange is involved. Our 2008 trips don't represent that much travel, though. We did 3 long weekend swaps over the course of the year. We took two weeks during August to spend a week in each of two different West Coast homes. Now, for Winter Break we have a week, and the weekend days on either side of it, in another swap home. You can see that it's easy to rack up 6 separate swaps over the course of a year if you get three weeks of vacation or even just the standard long holiday weekends.
The total fixed cost for these vacations, over and above what we would have spent at home, was about $100 in gas money for the three local weekend swaps, and an average of $250 per person for flights on the West Coast trips. We used the home exchangers' cars on the long distance trips so our only other unavoidable expenditures were groceries for breakfasts and lunches at the swap homes and dinner out most nights at a restaurant.
The economy isn't in great shape, so leverage your most valuable asset, your home, to vacation in 2009. Whether you rent or own, someone out there wants to see your vibrant city or genuine small town. Happy Swapping New Year!
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TRAVEL COSTS
When you travel, your biggest expense is usually lodging, followed by restaurant meals. With home exchange we eliminate or greatly lessen those expenses. Airfares can be costly, but not if you buy in advance or use frequent flier miles. To pare costs to the bone you can simply limit your home exchange travels to a day's drive from home. Here on the East Coast we can drive for no more than six or 7 hours and find ourselves in another country (Montreal or Toronto); Washington DC with its dozens of free museums and attractions; historic Philadelphia or Boston; mountains, beaches and so on. Long distance coaches go to all East Coast destinations for as little as $1 per ticket (more on this in another column).
WHERE TO GO?
Tour books are available for free from every region's tourism department. Get a few for your own area or a neighboring state/province/country. There are thousands of fascinating destinations near your home that you have never seen.
OUR 2008 HOME EXCHANGE ITINERARY
We sent out our holiday letter via email because we just never got it together to do a holiday card mailing this year. One relative wrote back to say we seem to travel as much as if we were retired. Little does she know how much we plan to travel when we are retired. It will make our current peregrinations look like a walk around the block.
Here is our 2008 itinerary from the holiday letter. If you want to hear a really funny holiday letter go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3DyxaCYlfg
"Our Home Exchange highlights of the year were concentrated in the summer, thanks to the new strictures of the kids’ school schedule. We celebrated Independence Day weekend in...Canada. Not the most patriotic place to spend July 4th, but there were fireworks aplenty on the last day of the Montreal Jazz Fest. Montreal has an annual fireworks competition with fireworks displays presented nightly by a dozen countries. We picnicked on the river bank as the lights exploded overhead. A group of Hare Krishna men and women danced by, singing, in beautiful saffron robes. Our son watched in fascination then asked “Will the princesses come back?” The home exchange was a house we had used five years ago and it really felt like a home away from home.
Summer vacation in August found us on the best home exchange vacation ever. First we used a gorgeous house in the middle of the Napa vineyards. The home-owners run a day care center and treated our kids to a fun week of "camp". This allowed the adults in the family to tour wineries and visit gourmet restaurants without having to teach the little ones the proper way to decant burgundy.
We then flew from Napa to British Columbia and had a home exchange in upscale West Vancouver. The house was nestled in a redwood forest. We gave Grandpa the luxurious master suite on the main floor so he could avoid the stairs. We used a cozy guest room nestled above the floor of the redwood grove by a gurgling stream. After a week of hiking, biking, touring the city and eating the freshest sushi and fish we had ever had we reluctantly returned to NYC.
During leaf-peeping season we had a quick weekend home exchange to New Paltz in upstate New York. The trees were magnificent, as was the beer at the local brew pub.
We are spending mid- to late-December at a 1928 exchange "cottage" (that’s LA movie star language; it has five bedrooms!)."
OK, it goes on from there but reading other people's holiday letters is generally rather boring, even (or especially) when home exchange is involved. Our 2008 trips don't represent that much travel, though. We did 3 long weekend swaps over the course of the year. We took two weeks during August to spend a week in each of two different West Coast homes. Now, for Winter Break we have a week, and the weekend days on either side of it, in another swap home. You can see that it's easy to rack up 6 separate swaps over the course of a year if you get three weeks of vacation or even just the standard long holiday weekends.
The total fixed cost for these vacations, over and above what we would have spent at home, was about $100 in gas money for the three local weekend swaps, and an average of $250 per person for flights on the West Coast trips. We used the home exchangers' cars on the long distance trips so our only other unavoidable expenditures were groceries for breakfasts and lunches at the swap homes and dinner out most nights at a restaurant.
The economy isn't in great shape, so leverage your most valuable asset, your home, to vacation in 2009. Whether you rent or own, someone out there wants to see your vibrant city or genuine small town. Happy Swapping New Year!
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THE RICHNESS OF HOME EXCHANGE
Have I told you lately how much I love home exchange? We got to our Southern California palace a week ago. We have a flight out on Monday but I don't think I'm going to leave. I don't need a 5,000 square foot house but it's nice to use one from time to time.
Here's what's so great about home exchange: because we have the use of a big house with a fully stocked kitchen, a big patio and a gas grill we were able to host three families of our West Coast friends right here. For under $100 I served steak, chicken breast, wraps, bread, desert, salad and grilled veggies to eight adults and six children.
The home exchangers approved the party, of course, and facilitated it by making sure their grill was working. Because we are in a house where real people live we had a full set of cooking utensils, plates, cups, a big fridge to marinate the meat, and even the spices we needed for a dry rub. Heck, they have several great cookbooks on how to grill. Try finding any of that in a hotel, or serving a luscious dinner for 14 on less than $6 per person.
Man, I love home exchange.
One highlight of this trip has been meeting a friend I connected with through this blog. She and her husband are interested in trying home exchange. We also have a common interest in bilingual education for our kids. Home exchange has widened my circle of friends and provided such a richness of experience.
Man, I love home exchange.
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Here's what's so great about home exchange: because we have the use of a big house with a fully stocked kitchen, a big patio and a gas grill we were able to host three families of our West Coast friends right here. For under $100 I served steak, chicken breast, wraps, bread, desert, salad and grilled veggies to eight adults and six children.
The home exchangers approved the party, of course, and facilitated it by making sure their grill was working. Because we are in a house where real people live we had a full set of cooking utensils, plates, cups, a big fridge to marinate the meat, and even the spices we needed for a dry rub. Heck, they have several great cookbooks on how to grill. Try finding any of that in a hotel, or serving a luscious dinner for 14 on less than $6 per person.
Man, I love home exchange.
One highlight of this trip has been meeting a friend I connected with through this blog. She and her husband are interested in trying home exchange. We also have a common interest in bilingual education for our kids. Home exchange has widened my circle of friends and provided such a richness of experience.
Man, I love home exchange.
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HOME EXCHANGE REPAIRS
We are staying in an amazing home in Southern California. Our 10-day vacation is costing us nothing but airfare. Well, and the $15 I spent on plumbing supplies at the hardware store. And the $50 the tire place wanted to patch the swapper's tire, which he thought was fixed, but was leaking when we got the car. Oh, and the screwdriver and hardware to fix the cabinet door that was off the hinges.
When we got here, two of the five toilets in this house were not working. One of them just needed the chain re-attached to the tank flap. It was a simple job to fish around in the tank for the chain and bend it so it would not slip off again. The downstairs toilet was stopped up when we got here. All it took was a plunger to get things moving again.
This is the first swap where we have had to do minor home projects. But that is all part of living in a home. Yes, in a hotel room I could call the front desk and have someone else lift the lid of the toilet tank and reattach the chain. But I would then be trapped in a generic hotel room where thousands before me had expectorated, or worse, onto the bedspread.
Here I have over 5,000 square feet in which to spread out. The only reason I had to repair two toilets is that I am in a house with five of them. We fixed the kitchen cabinet because we have a full gourmet kitchen at our disposal.
Even the couple of hours I spent dealing with the exchanger's tire isn't a big deal. I would never have been able to rent a luxury European minivan at any price, and I am driving this one for free. Well, almost free. When we picked it up at the airport it had an almost-empty tank and was, well, "a mess", in the words of the swapper himself. We are driving it back to the airport and leaving it for the swapper with, of course, a full tank. And I spent several hours today browsing shops while it was hand-washed, waxed, vacuumed and detailed. If someone lends me a car, returning it in perfect condition is the least I can do.
Are you really interested in home exchange? Think it through. To me, doing a few minor home repairs and making sure whatever is lent to me is returned sparkling is nothing. It allows me to leave the swapper's home and possessions in better shape than I found them. That is the essence of home exchange. If you cannot stand the thought of ever having to call a plumber while on vacation -- or serve as one yourself -- call a hotel. But if you figure, "no big deal, I might have had to do the same work if I had stayed home" you just might be a home exchanger.
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When we got here, two of the five toilets in this house were not working. One of them just needed the chain re-attached to the tank flap. It was a simple job to fish around in the tank for the chain and bend it so it would not slip off again. The downstairs toilet was stopped up when we got here. All it took was a plunger to get things moving again.
This is the first swap where we have had to do minor home projects. But that is all part of living in a home. Yes, in a hotel room I could call the front desk and have someone else lift the lid of the toilet tank and reattach the chain. But I would then be trapped in a generic hotel room where thousands before me had expectorated, or worse, onto the bedspread.
Here I have over 5,000 square feet in which to spread out. The only reason I had to repair two toilets is that I am in a house with five of them. We fixed the kitchen cabinet because we have a full gourmet kitchen at our disposal.
Even the couple of hours I spent dealing with the exchanger's tire isn't a big deal. I would never have been able to rent a luxury European minivan at any price, and I am driving this one for free. Well, almost free. When we picked it up at the airport it had an almost-empty tank and was, well, "a mess", in the words of the swapper himself. We are driving it back to the airport and leaving it for the swapper with, of course, a full tank. And I spent several hours today browsing shops while it was hand-washed, waxed, vacuumed and detailed. If someone lends me a car, returning it in perfect condition is the least I can do.
Are you really interested in home exchange? Think it through. To me, doing a few minor home repairs and making sure whatever is lent to me is returned sparkling is nothing. It allows me to leave the swapper's home and possessions in better shape than I found them. That is the essence of home exchange. If you cannot stand the thought of ever having to call a plumber while on vacation -- or serve as one yourself -- call a hotel. But if you figure, "no big deal, I might have had to do the same work if I had stayed home" you just might be a home exchanger.
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EQUAL EXCHANGE?
We are staying in a gorgeous swap home in the Los Angeles area. The home-owners are visiting their family for the holidays. They only needed two nights at our place and we are using their home for 10 nights. That isn't exactly an equal exchange. On the other hand, the swappers are benefiting from having their home occupied while they are gone. If their pipes freeze we're here to deal with it. Robbers are likely to move on to the house with dark windows, not the one bustling with activity. We are always happy to feed swappers' pets, which saves our hosts kennel fees and ensures that their pets are more comfortable.
Still, exchanging 2 nights for 10 isn't an equal exchange. We tried to make it more fair in several ways:
PULLING STRINGS
We have connections in the theater world. These exchangers wanted to see several sold-out shows while in New York. We arranged VIP seats to one show for which no other tickets were available. We also got the exchangers our professional discount ticket price for another show and offered them complimentary tickets to yet a third Broadway show.
In the past, swappers have given us the same sorts of perks. Our favorite was the week of day care our kids enjoyed in Napa, CA.
TRANSPORTATION
These exchangers are letting us use their luxury car. The few miles we drive it on most days keep the battery charged and the fluids circulating so they won't come home to a dead battery or gunky engine. On the way to the airport, our hosts noticed that the tire pressure light was on. They stopped at a service station to have the tires topped off. When we started using the car we saw the light was on again. With the owners' permission we brought the car to a tire place. Workers there showed us two nails embedded in the leaky tire and patched the leaks. If we had not been driving their car the swappers would have arrived at the airport parking lot to find a flat tire and several hours of headaches.
We will leave the car at the airport so the owners can drive it home. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for parking during their entire trip they will only pay for one day. They will also find the gas tank full and the car hand-washed and detailed by a local car wash.
We offered the exchangers the use of our car while they were at our home, but no one likes to drive in New York City. Instead, we gave them transit passes which they used during the entire week they spent in our city, not just the last two days of their trip at our home.
There were a few other things we tackled to leave the house better than we found it. More on that another time.
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Still, exchanging 2 nights for 10 isn't an equal exchange. We tried to make it more fair in several ways:
PULLING STRINGS
We have connections in the theater world. These exchangers wanted to see several sold-out shows while in New York. We arranged VIP seats to one show for which no other tickets were available. We also got the exchangers our professional discount ticket price for another show and offered them complimentary tickets to yet a third Broadway show.
In the past, swappers have given us the same sorts of perks. Our favorite was the week of day care our kids enjoyed in Napa, CA.
TRANSPORTATION
These exchangers are letting us use their luxury car. The few miles we drive it on most days keep the battery charged and the fluids circulating so they won't come home to a dead battery or gunky engine. On the way to the airport, our hosts noticed that the tire pressure light was on. They stopped at a service station to have the tires topped off. When we started using the car we saw the light was on again. With the owners' permission we brought the car to a tire place. Workers there showed us two nails embedded in the leaky tire and patched the leaks. If we had not been driving their car the swappers would have arrived at the airport parking lot to find a flat tire and several hours of headaches.
We will leave the car at the airport so the owners can drive it home. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for parking during their entire trip they will only pay for one day. They will also find the gas tank full and the car hand-washed and detailed by a local car wash.
We offered the exchangers the use of our car while they were at our home, but no one likes to drive in New York City. Instead, we gave them transit passes which they used during the entire week they spent in our city, not just the last two days of their trip at our home.
There were a few other things we tackled to leave the house better than we found it. More on that another time.
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