Our members reveal their top HomeExchange tips

Wondering how to make the most of your membership for affordable vacations? Our members share their top tips and tricks for securing and preparing for the best home exchanges!

One of our favourite things about the amazing HomeExchange community, is just how friendly our members are. So when we asked them if they’d be willing to share some of their top tips and tricks for finding, securing and enjoying amazing home exchanges, we were inundated with loads of great videos!

We’ll keep sharing these with you through our emails, blogs and webinars – but here’s a few to get you started!

‘Primary homes are more likely to host you in the summer…’

Alanna is a new addition to our friendly community, but she's already enjoyed a trip to Amsterdam, and is excitedly anticipating a trip to Barcelona. She explains how she uses the 'primary home' and 'secondary home' filters on our website to find people who are likely to accept her request to stay in their home.

Free webinar: Learn our top tips and tricks for making this the year that you start home exchanging!

In this short webinar, we'll share how you can successfully arrange lots of amazing vacations. With insight from our members and our team, discover how to get the most out of our app and website.
Not sure if you can attend? Register your interest and we'll send you a link to the replay!

‘It’s ok to put away stuff that you don’t feel comfortable sharing’

Patricia from the UK has been traveling with HomeExchange since before the advent of the internet! With years of home swapping experience under her belt, she explains the simple steps she takes to prepare her home for guests.

‘Find a home with children of the same age’

Cliona from Ireland has been a member of HomeExchange for 14 years, and she describes her experiences as ‘incredible’! As her children have grown up using HomeExchange for their family holidays, she appreciates the immense value of finding a family with kids of a similar age, so that you can share everything from bikes to beach equipment.

‘I go the extra mile to make my guests feel comfortable’

Collette from Norfolk knows that the little touches can elevate someone’s stay in your home. From leaving tourist leaflets on the coffee table through to stocking the fridge with local jams, she makes sure her guests feel 100% comfortable from the minute they enter her home.

‘Make sure you’ve got insurance for car swaps, and ask for pool maintenance instructions!’

Avid HomeExchanger Tamie loves this unique way of traveling, and she has enjoyed the most amazing adventures with her family. She shares her suggestions on how to ensure an exchange goes smoothly, including making sure you understand how to maintain the home you’re staying in, and the value of insurance if you’re including your cars in the exchange.

‘Be open-minded about where you want to go’

Jill has been a member of HomeExchange for just over four years, and she loves exploring new places that she wouldn’t have considered visiting unless she’d received an exchange request. Her vacation experiences are further elevated with the local recommendations her hosts leave her, plus little gifts such as a bottle of wine or local cheese!

‘Leave a guestbook and a welcome pack’

Janet from Bath is an experienced HomeExchanger, and has traveled all over Canada, America and Europe. She suggests leaving a guestbook so that her guests can share their tips with each other, plus she creates a welcome pack that includes lots of local information. From walking routes through to details about the idiosyncrasies of her home, this is an invaluable tool for ensuring her guests have an amazing stay at her place.

We’re here to help!

If you’re new to the concept of home exchanging, or you’d like to get even more out of your membership, then we’d love to share some additional info with you! We’ve got lots of great resources available to make this journey even easier – which in turn will help you discover loads more travel possibilities…

• Listen to a webinar. We’ve got lots of webinars available on-demand, or you could even join one of our live events. Better yet, they’re all free, and they’re jam-packed with helpful hints and tips.
• Browse our FAQs. We’ve covered every conceivable topic, so you’re bound to find an explanation for your most burning questions.
• Send us your questions, and we’ll get back to you.
• Take a look at our blog. We’ve listed a few of our top articles below, but there’s lots more to discover.