Home manuals can be quite a confusing thing to write. “How much information about my home should I include in it?”, “How long should it be” or “Should I also include some recommendations or information about my neighbourhood?” might be some questions running through your minds. As with anything else home exchange-related, we encourage you to do what you feel most comfortable with and to remain available for your guests should they have any questions.
Discover HomeExchangeWe asked in our Facebook groups last week what kind of information they appreciate most in a home manual and these are the top three favourites.
What HomeExchangers appreciate most in a home manual
1. Most of you appreciate most the instructions and information about the home
“The house, but especially its particularities and for example, the watering of the plants, the maintenance of the swimming pool...Aand the dustbins: when, where, how!”
- Florent, 34 exchanges
2. The second thing most appreciated is having local recommendations of places around the area
“For our house, I’ve prepared a map with the My Maps app that provides information about places to visit, their uniqueness and the distance to our house in kilometers and time. I send it before (the exchange) and this way you have time to prepare your itinerary. I learned it from another HomeExchanger in Mallorca and it is very useful.”
- Carmen
Psst! We’ve compiled more than 1,000 recommendations from locals all over the world to help you travel like a local!
Discover it here
3. The third most important thing was information about how to live like a local and about the culture
Everyone has their own way of doing things
For some hosts, they prefer sending their home manual to their guest prior to the exchange. For others, they prefer to leave all this information printed and waiting for their guests at home. Some members prefer to present their home before the exchange in a video call and others prefer to take videos of how to use the keys, how to access the home, etc. for their guests.
The key: communicating it with your exchange partner
As always, communication is key with your exchange partner. Even with all the preparations made for the exchange, your guests could still have questions about your home and the surrounding area so stay alert in case your guests have a question for you!
A guide to help you prepare for your exchange
If you feel like you need more information about what to include in your home manual, don’t hesitate to read our second HomeExchange guide about preparing for your first exchange. Even if it’s not your first time, it could still be a useful reminder for you ;-)
Discover the second guideJoin our Facebook groups to share your opinions about these kinds of topics in our weekly polls!
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