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In This Issue: Swap Talk
QUICK TIPS
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We are thankful for the wonderful year we have had, the best ever for our now not-so-little club of enthusiastic travelers. Last year we got an early holiday present with the release of the movie, THE HOLIDAY, which introduced a worldwide audience to home exchange. The movie led to media interest that included segments on The TODAY Show, travel shows and media stories around the world. As more people hear about and try home exchange, it is becoming the mainstream vacation alternative we all knew it would. Our Membership has almost doubled, and we now have almost 20,000 Listings!But what has been most gratifying has been the calls, letters and emails from Members, new and old, telling us about how their home exchange experiences have enriched their vacations, saved them money or even changed their lives. Personally, we were pretty busy, and in 2007 did a few non-simultaneous home exchanges of our own. The one we have set for Christmas is typical of the opportunities available. We live in Southern California and the family decided to have our holiday gathering in Berkeley (near San Francisco), at my wife’s sister’s new home. Last month I sent out about 20 inquiries on a Friday, and by Sunday we had arranged a non-simultaneous exchange for 5 days around Christmas! So instead of two hotel rooms at $200/night for 4 nights, we are going to be able to relax in a lovely home a short distance to the family. It really can be that easy.Next year some of you will be getting inquiries from us as we are hoping to do exchanges to Italy, Washington DC, New York City and Canada. Plus some weekenders to San Francisco and Wine Country California. Hoping your next year is as good as you wish it to be. Make it happen. Happy holidays and bon voyage, Ed Kushins
 OUR 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
GIVE THE GIFT OF HOME EXCHANGE AND SAVE 50%!
As a member of HomeExchange.com, you already know that home exchange is not only perfect for that long vacation far from home, but is also great for quick weekend trips close to home, or shorter vacations nearby.
Click the following link to learn more about how you can purchase a one or two year gift membership at a 50% savings to you! One year: regularly 99.95 - Now only $49.98! CLICK HERE TO BUY THE GIFT OF HOME You will be able to enter your name, your friend's name and email address, and a note; we will send an automatic gift email directly to your friend as soon as you submit your order. With over 18,000 Listings on the site, you will be giving them a year of unlimited free vacations! There is no gift on earth that keeps on giving like the gift of a HomeExchange.com Membership, so get one for that special someone and be prepared for the biggest "thank you" of your life. Give the gift of Home Exchange today! CLICK HERE TO BUY THE GIFT OF HOME
The Ashton Family - Arizona I have lived in Arizona with our four children since 2000, where my husband owns a golf course: www.golfjohnsonranch.com. After taking 7 years of French from junior high through college, I had always wanted to spend time in France. My husband and I had visited France several times the last few years, and always left wishing we could stay longer to enjoy the food, culture, and even the challenge of the language. Last year, after signing up with www.homeexchange.com looking for a vacation swap, much to our surprise we were approached with an offer to exchange homes for the school year with a French family from a small Provençal village called Mougins. Who could pass that up? In May my husband flew to Nice and stayed with the exchange family for five days to check out the town, the house, and the schools, and to get to know the Ginefris. He loved them immediately. But even after committing to the exchange, we were afraid to tell our friends for fear of being unable to pull it off. There were a lot of details to work out: enrolling in school, figuring out bill-paying, and keeping Dave's business running properly. But homeexchange.com had introduced us to people we felt a connection with, and that wanted similar things out of life. It gave us the courage to say, "sometimes you just have to let the chips fall where they may." Last July, off we went. The kids are now settling in the public school in Mougins, trying to make new friends and learn how to speak to them! My husband and I are as well. We're all adjusting to the way of life in Provence, and in many ways it's better than we imagined. Every day is an adventure!
We got so many interesting comments from our last Survey that we were encouraged to write THE book on HomeExchange, and let our Members help tell the story. This month’s One Minute Survey is your chance to let us know that you would like to take part and contribute your own story or home exchange experience. Over the next few months we will contact you to tell us your own personal stories, give us some quotes, tips and suggestions that will help get the message across to people looking to enhance their own home exchange experience. We’re not asking for your stories now, but this is your chance to let us know if you would like to be involved in this fun project. (There may be some secret rewards)We are looking to introduce new people to the concept of home exchange and really let people know what the excitement is all about. More Members means more home exchange opportunities for all of us! CLICK HERE to take this month’s survey LAST NEWSLETTER SURVEY RESULTS
We want to again thank those Members who responded to our last Survey. We are going to implement many of your suggestions, and are in the process of collating your stories and testimonials. Here are the results of the two questions asked (the results are rounded to the nearest percent). We are pleased that most of the ratings are high, but hope that there are no negatives in future surveys. It points out how important it is to be accurate and honest in describing your home, and to be considerate and respectful in your exchange partner’s home. We are going to add some tools to help people better describe their homes prior to an exchange. In the meantime, please do everything you can so that your own home is “Exactly as described” and that your care would be rated as “Excellent”.
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! Whether it’s talking to a group of people hearing about home exchange for the first time, or doing a journalist interview, the most common question I hear is “Aren’t people concerned about having a stranger in their home”. And I always give respond with some variation of the same explanation; that the entire process, from even before you send or respond to an inquiry, works to show the personal side of your potential exchange partners, starting with the way they describe their home, their neighborhood and especially themselves, in their Listing. Home exchange is not a rental situation where you really do have people you know nothing about come stay at your property. This is home exchange, where “ Bob late 60s retired importer Carol 50 something recently retired after a long career as an elected representative in local government (urban planning & development). We purchased this apartment in December 2004 and have used it to relax every now and then during Carol's career. Now that Carol has retired we can pursue our dream to travel and to use the apartment for home exchange. SO LET IT ROLL !! (Listing 40850)” I just had the perfect example of that kind of experience. Someone I was corresponding with happened to see the photo of me sailing in San Francisco Bay. That led to a whole series of emails exclusively about sailing and where our paths might have crossed. We were looking forward to meeting, even if not on a home exchange! That’s how it works with most exchanges, by the time the exchange is arranged, you are anything but strangers. So no, Members are not concerned about “having a stranger in their home”. Because you never do an exchange with a stranger, you do an exchange with a new friend. Have fun out there.
Most of the letters we get are unsolicited testimonials from really happy Members. But with a “family” of almost 20,000 families, it is inevitable that we get some sad news. In October, we learned that one of our Members in Berkeley California “was returning home from work, and was struck and killed at a train crossing. Her death was instantaneous and painless for her, if not for us.” The news was especially painful as she had done a home exchange with our Rep in Spain a few years ago. Our condolences to the family, and a reminder, carpe diem.
Hobbies - everyone has at least one! Did you know that one of the best ways to connect with someone on the HomeExchange.com site is to find people who share the same interests and hobbies that you do? On our search page, you can do a keyword search and browse Listings by any hobby or interest you can think of!
I play bass and guitar, and am in a band that gets together to play and rehearse at least once a week. Music is a big part of who I am.  Just now I did a search on "guitar" and got over 350 Listings with the word GUITAR in it! The dozen or so I looked at all had a guitar player in the home. What a great way to connect with someone! Seeing as I also play the guitar, I can immediately make reference to a shared hobby, and that sometimes awkward first email really becomes a much more friendly and direct connection with someone who shares something with me. And let's talk about ping pong for a minute. I LOVE to play ping pong. Over 200 of our property Listings have the word "ping pong" somewhere in there. If you love ping pong as much as I do, then what better way to break the ice then to send an email to a Member who is a ping pong champion? What hobbies and interests do you have? Odds are that one of our 18,000 plus members shares your passion, and that means you are well on your way to a connection you might not have even known about! Do a search for a hobby today and you might be surprised how many of our Members share your same interest! -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/200712.html Bon Voyage! The Staff of HomeExchange.com
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All of us at HomeExchange.com wish all of you a healthy, happy holiday season, and onward into 2008.
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