You have a general idea of the exchange home's location. You like the family and are interested in confirming a swap. Wait! Unless you are very familiar with the area you will be visiting, there are a few more steps before you finalize the exchange.
NICE NEIGHBORHOOD?
It is ridiculously easy to get information about the exchange home's area. Just type their neighborhood and city into a search engine like Google and see what comes up. You will probably see a map of the area and tourism resources like festivals, parks, outdoor recreation, restaurants, museums and public transit. Don't see any of that? If nothing interesting is available in the swappers' neighborhood it may not be the ideal place for your vacation.
BAD NEIGHBORHOOD?
Just to make sure, check out the demographics where the exchangers live. A search for "crime" and the name of the exchangers' home area should reveal some interesting information. City-Data.com has photos, weather, real estate figures and info on who lives in each town. Demographia.com is a similar site for world-wide cities. The other interesting place to go to research towns or neighborhoods is Wikipedia, an on-line encyclopedia.
WHICH NEIGHBORHOOD?
Exchangers should readily tell you the name of the town or area where their home is located. Before you confirm a swap the home owners may not want to tell you their address for confidentiality reasons. That's smart. If someone knows exactly when you will be on vacation it may not be a good idea to reveal your exact street address.
DON'T BE CROSS
The solution to getting more information on an exchange home's exact location without being too nosy is to ask for cross streets. Exchangers can tell you they live on Main Street near the corner of Maple Drive without sacrificing their privacy.
A LANDMARK LOCATION
Finding out how far the exchange home is from a particular landmark could be an even better way to feel oriented to their location. My own home is situated half a mile South of the flagship Macy's Department Store and half a mile North of the well-known Greenwich Village neighborhood. It's less than a mile South of Times' Square and its Broadway Theaters and a mile North of SoHo.
Another way to describe your location is by travel time: we are three subway stops from Lincoln Center's concert halls, a five minute walk from the Madison Square Garden stadium or two hours via commuter train or car from Philadelphia.
DUE DILIGENCE
When you are ready to say "yes" to a swap, please get the exact address of the exchange home before your confirm. It's perfectly legitimate to say you are ready to confirm but just need to do a little trip planning. Most exchangers are honest, but make sure the home is located in the neighborhood claimed. Calculate the route from their home to places you want to visit. If the walk or drive is too long, this may not be the home for you.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Your first choice of location may not be your best choice. We'll explore that in more detail another day.
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