We are staying in a gorgeous swap home in the Los Angeles area. The home-owners are visiting their family for the holidays. They only needed two nights at our place and we are using their home for 10 nights. That isn't exactly an equal exchange. On the other hand, the swappers are benefiting from having their home occupied while they are gone. If their pipes freeze we're here to deal with it. Robbers are likely to move on to the house with dark windows, not the one bustling with activity. We are always happy to feed swappers' pets, which saves our hosts kennel fees and ensures that their pets are more comfortable.
Still, exchanging 2 nights for 10 isn't an equal exchange. We tried to make it more fair in several ways:
PULLING STRINGS
We have connections in the theater world. These exchangers wanted to see several sold-out shows while in New York. We arranged VIP seats to one show for which no other tickets were available. We also got the exchangers our professional discount ticket price for another show and offered them complimentary tickets to yet a third Broadway show.
In the past, swappers have given us the same sorts of perks. Our favorite was the week of day care our kids enjoyed in Napa, CA.
TRANSPORTATION
These exchangers are letting us use their luxury car. The few miles we drive it on most days keep the battery charged and the fluids circulating so they won't come home to a dead battery or gunky engine. On the way to the airport, our hosts noticed that the tire pressure light was on. They stopped at a service station to have the tires topped off. When we started using the car we saw the light was on again. With the owners' permission we brought the car to a tire place. Workers there showed us two nails embedded in the leaky tire and patched the leaks. If we had not been driving their car the swappers would have arrived at the airport parking lot to find a flat tire and several hours of headaches.
We will leave the car at the airport so the owners can drive it home. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for parking during their entire trip they will only pay for one day. They will also find the gas tank full and the car hand-washed and detailed by a local car wash.
We offered the exchangers the use of our car while they were at our home, but no one likes to drive in New York City. Instead, we gave them transit passes which they used during the entire week they spent in our city, not just the last two days of their trip at our home.
There were a few other things we tackled to leave the house better than we found it. More on that another time.
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