Want to help even more people discover the wonders of home swapping? Read on!
Most of HomeExchange’s community remembers what it’s like to start your home swapping journey. There are inevitable nerves about posting your home online, inviting strangers into your place and staying in someone else’s home. So we thought it’d be nice to help our newest members settle into our community with some honest thoughts about the reality of being a HomeExchanger… which is why we’re asking our members to take part in our video challenge!
Simply send us a short 1-2 minute video of yourself (and maybe even your family too) talking about your HomeExchange experiences - and as a token of our thanks, we’ll put 150 GuestPoints into your account!
You can read more about how to take part in this challenge later in this article...
The videos are already rolling in!
Our members are already sharing their amazing HomeExchange experiences. Here are just two examples of the brilliant films we've received...
Gwen from Ireland: 'HomeExchange has changed the way we travel'
Adam from Brighton: 'We feel like the privileged guests of our hosts'
How you can get involved
- Find a quiet place in your home (or your holiday destination) and use your smartphone to record a short film of yourself talking to the camera that’s around 1-2 minutes long. Ideally this should be horizontal, and you shouldn’t be too close to the camera. You don’t need any filters or editing skills - just a nice, clear shot of you and/or your family talking to the camera is ideal.
- Talking in either English or your own language, start by telling us your first name, who you usually travel with, where your home is and how long you have been part of our community.
- Then share your thoughts on just one of these topics:
- Describe your first, last or most memorable HomeExchange experience. Why does that HomeExchange stand out?
- How do you get your home ready for your guests? Cleaning preparations, fridge-clearing and hanging space are hot topics that generate much interest among new members, as it’s usual to feel nervous about preparing a great environment for your first guests!
- If you travel with children, how have your kids coped with sharing their belongings and bedrooms - and have they enjoyed the HomeExchange experience?!
- What are your recommendations for HomeExchange beginners? If you’ve got tips on securing swaps, remaining flexible with dates and locations or even how to write the best exchange requests or home profile, we want to hear it!
- Is it worth traveling with HomeExchange? We’re biased and we think it is, but if you’ve got thoughts on the price-to-value ratio, or how much you enjoy the exchange process, then tell all…
- Have you ever had an incident when hosting a guest or staying in someone’s home (or preparing to), and how was it resolved? Share the details!
- Or anything else that you’d like to share about your HomeExchange experience.
- Next, submit your film via this Google Form! This is a really simple process, that will automatically tell us who you are, and which is your home profile - so that we know which home to link to your anecdote. If you’re having trouble uploading your videos via our form, you can also use a cloud storage site of your choosing (such as iCloud, WeTransfer or Dropbox) and send the link to us on social@homeexchange.com
- Now sit back and wait for 150 GuestPoints to arrive in your account. We’ll transfer these by Friday 8th September 2023 at the latest.
Become a pro!
- Position your phone so that you can film horizontally, and make sure you’re not too close to the camera.
- Avoid having a light behind you, otherwise your image will look dark.
- Avoid white backgrounds. Instead, try having some stuff behind you, such as a sofa, books or a colorful wall...
The practical stuff…
- Don’t forget that everyone who takes part in this challenge will receive 150 GuestPoints by Friday 8th September 2023. Videos must be submitted by August 31, 2023.
- You’re welcome to submit more than one video, but we can only offer you one allocation of 150 GuestPoints per (active) HomeExchange account. So get filming!
- By sending your video(s), you agree that HomeExchange can use these for commercial purposes on any of our channels.
