The best part of the site is the way native speakers help fellow students hone their language skills. Everyone is a native speaker of some language, so it doesn't matter which foreign language site members are studying: everyone can help someone else on the site become more fluent.
You might think the main feature of the site is the free lessons, but, for me at least, it isn't. I love studying foreign languages, but it's harder to get cultural questions answered. Other site users have written to me asking about holidays we celebrate here in the US, or certain customs they have noticed. I asked a native speaker for appropriate ways to start a conversation with others who come from her country.
It is this access to the mores of other societies that I find most compelling about the language site. The same is true, for me, about home exchange. I have met many swappers with whom I will never trade homes. I often invite them over to see my apartment so we can determine if a future swap is a possibility. I have struck up friendships with others who have written asking me for a home exchange, just because they seemed interesting.
I got some interesting comments when I described home exchange as a "free lunch". One person who seems to live off the beaten tourist track reported great difficulty arranging each of the five swaps the family has completed. I am not sure if this is a woman or a man because I have no access to info about anyone who leaves comments on this site, but here is part of what s/he said:
"the whole �home exchange is so easy--it�s like a free lunch� gig was a bit deceptive. Most people who do not live in Manhattan, in the middle of San Francisco or Boston, or on beachfront property in Newport are not going to get the offers from the Tuscan villas and Big Sur ocean view homes that you like to wax poetically about. Most people will need to blanket regions of interest to get the exchange they want, and perhaps settle for something a little (or more) outside Florence or Barcelona. They might end up in Paso Robles rather than in Carmel. Long Island rather than Manhattan. Sometimes they get lucky and hit it just right and end up with a dream exchange, but that usually comes after many rejections and a lot of inquiry-sending. They need to be realistic. I am sure you get a lot more inquiries now, living in Manhattan, than when you lived in that small town"
In home exchange, as in other parts of life, we often have to put in a lot of effort to get what we want. I don't think it's "easy" to find a swap, even when you live in Manhattan or San Francisco. It's just that I enjoy the process of communicating with other exchangers.
I do find it extremely easy to find home exchanges, but not because I live in a prime location. The reason it's easy for me to get swaps is that I am extremely flexible about where I will travel. I do not pick my home exchange destinations based on needing to be in a specific place on an exact day.
The only times I have been disappointed and put in a lot of effort without finding the exchange I needed was when I only wanted to be in a particular town, or I needed exact travel dates.
For instance, I am currently looking for a swap this August. My limitations are that I need to travel after the first week in August, and I want to be able to drive to my destination. I want to stay in a clean, nice-looking home with at least 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. These criteria limit me to pretty much every swap home offered in the eastern United States or Montreal. That's pretty broad.
Part of the pleasure of home exchange is reaching out to others in our community, and embracing serendipitous offers from regions I would never have planned to visit. I still think that home exchange, which offers free accommodations and connects us to others all over the world, is the closest thing I have ever found to a free lunch. As long as you are open to tasting whatever is served, instead of demanding your first choice of entree, you can enjoy the same tasty treat.
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