HomeExchange is a community of 400,000 members ready to share their homes and best local tips for unforgettable holidays and unique experiences. In this article, we want to honor the hospitality of our Members, their gestures of kindness and thoughtful touches, which makes our home exchanges such a special experience 🖤
"When we arrived at our exchange in Belgium, a good rhubarb cake was waiting for us," Â - Carole
All these little extras gestures are common in HomeExchange. Chocolates, local specialty dishes, travel guides are left as thoughtful gestures that make for a warm and friendly welcome in the home. To the delight of their guests, our Host Members greet the HomeExchangers in their own unique way.
Deepening ties with our guests, welcoming them as friends or family, so they truly feel at home - this truly is the HomeExchange culture. To ensure an enjoyable stay for her guests, Ann, like most of you, always leaves the basic food products (milk, sugar, salt, oil). This gesture, as simple as it may seem, allows the guest family to be comfortable as soon as they cook their first meal. In fact, in an online survey 100% of members said that they make these products available to their guests (even in exchanges with GuestPoints, it does not change the philosophy!). Everyone also agrees on one thing:
"If a guest finishes something, he has to replace it, it’s a matter of courtesy!"
Through your stories, we also witnessed the attentiveness of our Host Members from the hosts. You never feel alone during your holiday, with the advice of locals, you discover a region and feel truly at home.
"Our host was always amazingly available when we had to reach her for different questions. She had emailed us to explain in detail the operation of their home to make our arrival easy. When I contacted her when my daughter became ill, she immediately answered to recommend her doctor, indicating her consultation times and her address. A real plus for us to not have to worry about finding a trusted doctor for our daughter." Joan recounting her exchange in Martinique
The relationship and trust that is automatically fostered through HomeExchange can sometimes naturally lead to the building of authentic friendships, and invaluable experiences. We love the testimony of Bonnie, one of our American ambassadors, who shared his many adventures ... and found it difficult to choose his favorite memory:
To be invited to Easter lunch at a neighbor's house in Northern Ireland? Driving through the French countryside in a convertible, lent by our hosts? Being the guests-of-honor of an evening event organized by the neighbors of our hosts? Being driven on the motorway in Germany by our host's friend, a very high-speed movie stuntman? Â
Often on our first exchange, we are surprised that the simple fact of being greeted is so uncommon these days. Without monetary exchange, we can experience hospitality in the purest form: an ever-changing human experience, nourished by kind gestures that make the stays lasting memories.
