People from all over the world use the home exchange Web site, which requires a $100 fee for unlimited usage. The basics of the Web site include posting pictures of your home along with a description to see if anyone would be interested in staying there. You also need to provide the dates and length of time you would optimally like to travel. Many weeks went by and many people reviewed our information before "our" family contacted us, and they still needed convincing to come to South Carolina (my husband wrote them a three page e-mail about why Charleston is so amazing). There is no security deposit, credit checks or any other protection for your home or personal items. It's all based on faith and being willing to take the risk, in exchange for a free place to stay anywhere in the world.
Like our family, the family coming from Holland also had a 4-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy. The next step was preparing everything for them. We wrote house instructions (for appliances, thermostat, linens, phone, computer, etc.), we collected information on Charleston and things for them to do, we mapped out grocery stores and beaches on a road map, we made room in our closets and drawers for their things, we put our personal items in a lock box in the bank and any relevant paperwork we stored at our neighbor's, we scheduled lawn maintenance and we cleaned our car and car seats with a little extra care. This was all in addition to getting the kids their passports, booking our flights, and planning our own one-month trip and complicated agenda (we added side trips from Holland that included France and Belgium).
When we landed at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, we had to find their car (which they left for us) based on a phone call we received at 4 a.m. from the dad the previous day. This was the point in the trip where it dawned on me pretty heavily how risky this excursion was. Nevertheless, we found the car. Then the second most relevant thought regarding the home exchange came; it's just stuff. Essentially, that's what it was all about, exchanging stuff (i.e., your car, your house, your kids' toys) and in return, spending a month in a place that would otherwise be cost prohibitive. The last significant realization came when we arrived at their house. Before then it had never occurred to me how stressful it would feel to try to maintain and respect the home of the people we were exchanging with. This to me was the biggest downfall of the home exchange. Let's face it, at a hotel, you don't worry if there are hand prints on the walls, or your kid decides to have art time on the kitchen table without paper.
Of course there were incredible up sides to it, and it was all worth it just for the experience of spending a month in Europe. The beauty of the home exchange was that we lived there; when you stay in a hotel, you're always a tourist. There was a different feel for traveling this way, where your home base is actually a home. I recommend it for those who are adventurous and willing to take risks. I look at it this way, if nothing else; my 2-year-old knows the Eiffel Tower because he's seen it.
Excellent! All the answers to the questions I would ask. Go for it mama!
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