Hi Nicole,
Really enjoying your blog. Thank you for all the information. I am wondering if you have had any experience with back-to-back exchange. I have an agreement with a family in Belgium this summer for two weeks. A couple days ago I received an offer from a family in France. I am considering exchanging with one family for the first two weeks in August and the other the last two weeks of August. I guess my concerns are 1. Relying on my cleaning person to prepare the house between the two families 2. should there be any damage to my house, what would I do if both families denied having caused it.
Have you ever done anything like this? Both families seem to be ok with it.
Best,
Randy Frazier
Hi Randy
Our honeymoon was a home exchange Grand Tour of Europe. We completed four different home exchanges over the course of two months. It was a wonderful experience and we did not have any problems with having multiple swap groups in our home. It is wise to be cautious, however. You have identified the two main issues in doing back-to-back or "consecutive" exchanges with two or more families.
Here are the things I suggest swappers keep in mind when they host two or more swap groups back to back.
WORK UP TO IT
Consecutive exchanges, especially when they involve foreign travel, can be tricky. Try a single, simultaneous local weekend swap to iron out the bugs before you take on a more complicated home exchange. Our home exchange honeymoon was an intricate patchwork of travel logistics. It also occurred after I had already done two dozen shorter, simpler exchanges and knew what contingencies to expect.
HAVE EYES ON THE GROUND
Enlist a friend or relative who knows your home to thoroughly check every room in your home for damage after the first swap family leaves and before the next group arrives.
PROVIDE A GUIDE
The person who checks your home cannot remember every detail. Take clear photos of the rooms of your home so your house checker can make sure nothing is amiss.
REMOVE PRECIOUS ITEMS
It is always a good idea to lock away anything you don't want touched or broken. When hosting two back-to-back swap families it is especially important. You won't have to worry which of the families broke your Ming vase if no one can access it.
CALL THE RENTAL CAR COMPANY
Needless to say, consecutive car exchange is a no-no. Either plan for only one car swap or find another transportation option. Cars are often damaged in parking lots or on the street so a swapper could use your car and not even know that a ding occurred. You won't want to approach exchangers after your vacation to try to track the source of car problems they may not know existed.
FIND A KENNEL
With multiple swap groups, don't force your pets to adapt to new strangers every week or two. Relying on one family to take proper care of Fido and Fluffy is already somewhat risky. Someone's travel plans may get changed, or the exchangers could disappear on day trips. You won't want to wonder exactly who forgot to feed the pets over the course of the weeks or months you are on vacation. Free pet care is a big benefit to home exchange but consecutive swaps make it less appealing.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
Remember, you have home-owner's or rental insurance (right?!?). Whatever your insurance deductible might be, it is less than the cost of a month of European hotels. Most damage done by swappers is minor and people almost always take responsibility for it.
WHAT IF YOU'RE ON THE OTHER END OF THE DEAL?
Are you heading off to a swap home before or after another group of exchangers? Stay tuned for my tips to protect yourself in those situations as well.
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