If a travel agent tells you s/he had a bad home exchange experience there may be an ulterior motive. After all, why would a travel agent suggest that you enjoy spacious, free lodging, avoid renting a car at your destination through car swap and support local restaurants only when you don't feel like using your full kitchen? There are no travel agency commissions for them when you do home exchange.
It is understandable why anyone in the travel industry would trash home exchange as often as possible. But the "travel industry veteran" who wrote a recent newspaper article on what a disaster her home exchange was made so many obvious mistakes that I wouldn't even trust her judgment to book me a flight.
1) LENGTH OF SWAP : Three months is too long for a first-ever home exchange. Try a weekend the first couple of times so you get a sense of what to expect.
2) DISTANCE OF SWAP: Flying thousands of miles to Hawaii is not the best bet for a first home exchange. Stay in your local area so you can go home or stay with friends if your swap home is a dud. That way you can also visit the exchange home before the swap begins to make sure you will be comfortable there.
3) PHOTOS OF SWAP HOME: This travel agent did her first exchange in 1988 when few people were using the internet. No sites existed with detailed photos of the exchange home. But cameras did exist in 1988. The travel agent had no idea what the exchange home looked like before she showed up in Hawaii. This was unwise and unnecessary.
4) FINDING YOUR SWAP PARTNER: The travel agent found this home by "placing an ad in the Honolulu newspaper". I do recommend this method for finding a swap in "invisible home exchange" areas with few listings. However, it is only for experienced exchangers who can mentor the non-exchangers they find this way. First-time exchangers should not swap with people who have no idea what home exchange is. Someone has to know the ropes. In addition, Honolulu is not an "invisible swap area". There are hundreds or thousands of listings there. Placing a newspaper ad was both unnecessary and inefficient. Better to join a swap club and contact people who are already eager to exchange.
Do everything right in finding your swap partner and I will hold your hand and pat your back if something goes wrong. Do everything wrong and I will also empathize, but not when travel agents use their own ridiculous mistakes to trash a wonderful way to travel.
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