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Are you serious about home exchange? 

Be serious about exchanging homes for a vacation. Once you start corresponding with a potential exchanger, sooner or later you will need to make a commitment to pursue the exchange or leave it go. If you pursue the exchange be committed to exchanging homes. 

Home swaps are not like making a reservation at a hotel where you can change your mind and cancel your reservation by 6 pm. 

Once you start corresponding with a potential exchanger, sooner or later you will need to make a commitment to pursue the exchange or leave it go. If you pursue the exchange, purchase air tickets together, if air travel is applicable and be committed to the exchange.  Many home exchange members ask for written confirmation of the exchange along with dates that each others homes will be available.  Home swap and vehicle swap contracts

Please be serious about trying to arrange a exchange before you go beyond initial correspondence. 

We have new members sign up after they had disappointments with exchanges falling apart, all from travelers that either have a home listed on a free site or have come to us from a free home exchange bulletin board. 

From what appeared to be a genuine inquiry, some photos and good correspondence exchanged only to have the potential exchange partner write back and say they hadn't talked to their husband/wife/partner yet about the exchange and would get back.... they never did or the person who said they were really looking forward to the exchange in July but couldn't tell us if they would be available until the end of June as they might go to Europe instead on another exchange.

99% + home exchanges go without any major problems. But what happens if your exchange partner cancels at the last minute or needs to return before the exchange is completed?

Sometimes such circumstances cannot be avoided and exchanges need to be cancelled. However, cancellations are only acceptable in cases of real crisis. Not because you found a better exchange. If you must cancel, please inform your exchange partners immediately and try to find your guests alternative accommodation with family or friends. If this is impossible, we will do our best to help you through our network of partner clubs and by publishing availability under our feature listings under last minute exchanges.

Accidents and medical emergencies happen. We have talked with an older couple that had a lifetime dream of visiting Australia realized and made more affordable with a home exchange. They planned to be away for five weeks with the first week spent relaxing on a south seas island stopover. One night they went for a walk in a poorly lit area and unknown to them construction was being completed on the sidewalk with no barriers. Our couple fell down a huge construction hole and ended up in the hospital with many injuries including broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Their vacation was ruined and they had to fly back home to Europe immediately. As their home was too small to accommodate both them and their exchange partners, the couple from Australia was faced with either going home or finding other accommodations.


Have an emergency plan in place and talk about this with your exchange partners before you go on exchange.

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