When my high school friend wrote to ask how she should go about getting her first swap there were several good signs pointing towards a positive future for her in home exchange. She lives in Los Angeles, California and wants to find a one-week exchange in Boulder, Colorado for late this summer.
* She began her search for a swap about six months before her planned trip.
* The destination she selected for her first swap is in the region where she lives. I recommend that the initial home exchange be within a short train or car trip from the new exchanger's home, this swap is pretty close to those parameters. She probably won't choose to drive because it will take two 7-hour days in the car to reach Boulder from her home. However, a regional shuttle flight linking the two cities is a relatively inexpensive investment for the four family members, and one that she would have anyway since she has a specific event to go to in Boulder.
* A long weekend is the best time-frame for a first swap. If something goes wrong it is pretty easy to tough things out for a few days, then head home. This exchange is scheduled for one week. That is a reasonable length of time for the initial exchange.
* While not chock-full of swap homes, Boulder has a decent number of exchange homes on offer. Looking for a first exchange in an extremely specific destination with few exchangers can be frustrating. The fact that the preferred destination is near my friend's home should make an exchange more tempting to possible swap partners.
* My friend compared what she was looking for in an exchange home to the size of other lodging she could easily obtain by renting or staying with family members. This means she is flexible about the size of the home she uses. If she insisted on using a home that was the exact same size as her own she might have trouble landing a swap for the exact dates she wants. The more flexible she is about home size the better, since she is not very flexible about dates.
* The final reason I think my friend will do well as a home exchanger is that she and her husband are adventurous, open-minded people. However, there are some possible pit-falls that could get in the way of her success with home exchange. We should consider those another time.
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