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In This Issue: Swap Talk
QUICK TIPS
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Because of some family situations, we had to stick close to home and couldn’t make any long range plans or long distance trips, but we were still able to arrange a few non-simultaneous exchanges. We might have actually set the record for the shortest distance home exchange, 21 miles, from Hermosa Beach to Beverly Hills. It’s not as crazy as it seems. We live at the beach, it’s very casual, I have a lot of neighbors who I’ve never seen wearing shoes, much less long pants. Our little community has some very nice restaurants, but definitely no “big city” shopping. We like weekend getaways to San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas because they are a total change and thought, “Hey, why not an exchange to Beverly Hills? It would be getting out of town, and maybe we could find someone in Beverly Hills who would like to spend a weekend at the beach.” It was easier than we thought, it only took about 2 inquiries. We were so close they were even able to drive over before the exchange so we could meet and show them our home.
From talking to Members, weekend exchanges are becoming more an more popular, and if our own experience is any indication, “local” exchange takes on a whole new meaning.
Now that summer is officially over, we are actually seeing a big increase in the number of new Listings, renewals, and inquiries being sent. It looks like people can’t wait to get started on their next adventures. We hope we can help with those plans.
It was only last April that we welcomed our 10,000th Listing, we are now approaching 18,000! More opportunities for everyone, as HomeExchange is being recognized as a mainstream vacation alternative worldwide.
We continue to make improvements to the website and welcome your comments and suggestions. Our One Minute Survey this month is just asking for you to tell us about your own recent exchange experiences. Hope to hear from you.
Bon voyage,
Ed Kushins Mr. Home Exchange
 NEW RESOURCE PAGE!Before you go on your next vacation, visit our new Resource Page at http://www.homeexchange.com/resources.php with specially selected links to helpful sites: -Passport/VISA/Drivers License Information -Tourbooks and Guides -Airline Tickets, Rental Cars, Tours -Travel Aids and Supplies -Maps and Route Planners -Recommended Site
WHERE IN THE WORLD DO YOU WANT TO EXCHANGE?
 Did you know that HomeExchange.com offers home Listings in over 110 countries all over the world? New Members are signing up around the clock, seven days a week, and you never know when a new country will be added to our ever expanding List of properties.
We did a travel show out here in Los Angeles earlier this year, and one of the greatest experiences was having people walk by the booth, say something like "I know you can't have any Listings in XXXXX" - Every single time, we were able to show that person the HomeExchange.com website on the laptop in our booth, and find Listings where they wanted to go! If you have any area you have really been excited to visit, check out the HomeExchange.com site and my guess is that there will be more Listings there then you found the last time you did a search on the site! HomeExchange.com is truly an international experience!
DON'T FORGET THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE HOME!
As I like to tell people all the time, home exchange is about people as much as it is about homes, travel and vacations. When I search for a home exchange, the first place in the Listing I look is the PEOPLE section. I always look for something I can relate to on a personal level with that Member, something we might have in common that breaks the invisible wall between strangers and starts us on the road to friendship.
Maybe they have the same kind of job I do, or share my hobbies or interests. Maybe they share the same love of music, or are really into Ice Hockey or movies like I am. There is no better way to start your initial inquiry email then saying "I saw you were a chef, well I love to eat, this exchange should work out perfectly!" Jobs, hobbies, sports, interests: all these things you can easily search for on the HomeExchange.com site and will lead you to someone who already has something in common with you, other than wanting to do a home exchange of course!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
One Minute Survey
There is nothing quite like seeing photos from all the home exchange vacations going on through the website! In our last newsletter we asked for photos, and received some really great photos of families from across the globe sharing their homes!
Home Exchange is growing! I promise you it is, and I see it happen, every single day. More and more people are joining the ranks and finding out that home exchange is the best way to vacation.
The movie THE HOLIDAY really jump started the home exchange industry: what it really did is get the word out to SO many people about what home exchange really is. No longer do we get questions like "is that time share?" Do you permanently trade your home? " and things like that.  The movie got EVERYONE talking about home exchange: Cameron Diaz offered to exchange with her co-star Kate Winslet, the Today Show had a BIG segment on home exchange, and even Jude Law said his family used to vacation by going on home exchanges when he was young!What does this increased exposure mean for you? Well, it means more exchange opportunities of course! We have had a record breaking year so far, going from about 13,000 Listings at the end of Dec 2006 to over 17,000 Listings by August of 2007. I remember when we had about 2500 members and most people who were not members had no idea what home exchange was! But all of that has changed, and our increased exposure in the media has really helped the entire industry of home exchange gain more attention and attract more people interested in this great way to see the world. I was on CNN last month talking about home exchange too! If you blinked, you might have missed me. I had an earpiece and could hear the host from New York while I was looking at myself in a monitor here in Los Angeles, very weird! But it just goes to show you that home exchange, and HomeExchange.com is really becoming more and more popular every day! Tell a friend! -George
We hope you have enjoyed reading this issue of "Switch". Please feel free to send your friends a copy! Just send them this URL: http://www.homeexchange.com/affinity/_en/newsletter/200704.html Bon Voyage!The Staff of HomeExchange.com
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