Does home exchange make it into your holiday letter? Reader Kathie responded to the snippet of our yearly family update with her own beautiful effort. She interwove the details of her family's 2008 personal and professional triumphs and tribulations with their home exchange travels. Did you include home exchange in a year-end family news brief? It's a great way to let friends and family know about the concept. You could even find yourself swapping with someone you already know who becomes intrigued reading about your travels.
I enjoyed reading Kathie's holiday letter and I don't even know her! Kathie's family lives in England. Taking advantage of deals like a RyanAir penny (pence?) airfare sale they swapped their second home in France for vacations in Ireland, the Czech Republic and Portugal. I have always found it so compelling that people lucky enough to live in Europe can take a one hour flight and find themselves in one of a dozen countries.
How exciting to try tapas in Spain then take a quick jaunt over the border to France or continue a short drive up the Riviera to Italy. Ooops. I'm thinking like an American. We are famous for blitzing as many European countries as possible in the week or two we typically get for vacation. This is contrary to the approach of vacationers from France or Germany who are guaranteed months off per year. Swappers from Europe need to keep this crucial cultural difference in mind when approaching Americans. You are much more likely to find two American families who each want two weeks at your swap home than one family who can take an entire month off at once.
Unless you want to exchange in Texas. I read recently that soon-to-be-ex-President Bush spent an average of two months at his ranch during each year of his presidency. I think it's great that the guy with the most important job in our nation models such a balanced approach to work and leisure. Except for the whole "economy collapsing due to lax oversight" thing.
Hopefully we will all have happier news to report in our 2009 holiday letters. Wishing you health, happiness and lots of home exchange trip reports in the coming year.
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