Just a quick note today to say that we’re feeling pretty chuffed here at http://en.homeforhome.com with the progress that our site has made so far.

We’ve got lots of feedback from you, our dear users, and lots of it has been positive. Most importantly, nearly ALL of it has been helpful. That’s what we like. Users who are interested, active, engaged, and tuned in.

We’ve even been mentioned on a few blogs and news articles, especially (surprise surprise) papers that are writing about the changes that the global crisis is making to day to day life. Alternative energy resources, alternative holiday resources…. You do the math.

For example this site here has got us nailed.

So Google translate.

It’s more about getting the message across than slaving over accuracy and the finer points of grammar. Let’s do a little example. Let’s take this cordially written Spanish request for a home exchange:

Estamos planteando la posibilidad de disfrutar de unas largas vacaciones en londres. No tenemos muchos conocimientos de inglés y creemos que la posibilidad de vivir un tiempo en inglaterra nos ayudaría a perfeccionar el idioma.

The translation that you will receive through Google translate is this:

We are raising the possibility of enjoying a long vacation in London. We do not have much knowledge of English and we believe that the possibility of living a time in England would help us to refine the language.

So you understand the message, but it sounds a little odd. This does not mean that the prospective people who want to exchange with you are freaks!!!

Far from it. Who knows how our own genially thought-out messages are being ever so slightly tinged with the non-quite perfect taint of the happy-go-lucky google translation.

Things get a little bit lost in translation. Not merely the words. Sometimes there are other cultural differences that may be reflected in various messages sent between countries. Let’s not forget this. Some cultures are a lot more direct. Whilst Brits might be more likely to write lengthier, verbally acrobatic proposals, and the Americans may don their pens to ever charming epistles… Some European or South American users may well cut out the tight-rope walking that we put ourselves through, and just stick the details down and ask you, quite frankly, if you’re up for it.

This doesn’t mean that they are rude or that they lack grace. It’s just a cultural difference. Something that we should very much keep in mind when we’re whizzing messages to and fro across the home-exchanging-globe.

HOWEVER: despite all the cultural differences that there might be, there is one common ticket amongst us home exchangers. Something UNIVERSAL that we must abide, above all else.

We must let people know, in some shape or form, whether we are interested in their exchange or not. And whether we be Italian, Lebanese, Argentine, Italian or Dutch, it’s very important to at least send some form of thanks for the proposal.

If you take a look in some of our forums, you can see that some people actually feel a little perplexed, or dare I say…hurt that they’ve had their exchange proposals ignored or rejected without so much as a word.

http://en.homeforhome.com is a community that you can trust and rely on. Let’s keep our fellow users in mind and maintain that loved up community vibe! <3

If you’re thinking of doing a long home exchange, we recommend that you try to plan ahead as far as possible.

As bonny are the days of cheap-travel-when-you-book-early, this kind of advice is probably taken for read. But with home exchange there are other factors to consider besides the advantages of cheaper travel deals.

1) You widen your options. The longer you leave arranging your holiday, the smaller the group of available people there will be. If you get in there first, you’ll have more options.

2) If for any reason, the home exchange falls through, you’ll still have time to organize another one.

3) Organizing in advance gives you the opportunity to develop more of a relationship with your fellow exchange partners. You can get chatting on MSN or Googletalk and start to not only swap advice and recommendations of your respective local areas, but also to build up a rapport before you make the trip.

4) You can use the extra time to post a comment on the website and see what other users have to recommend about your chosen area. So you can even aument your own travel guide research with the real opinions and experiences of other users just like you! Just got to http://en.homeforhome.com and whack your idea out there!

5) You’ve got time to clean through the house bit by bit, so you don’t have to do a ginormous turn over of the entire property on the brink of doing all your packing.

The system of home exchange is part technological and part human.

Whilst we can help you with the electronic side of things, there is also a concept of user responsibility. If you get a home exchange proposal from someone and it doesn’t interest you, it`s very important that you let them know that you’re not interested. “Rejecting the home exchange” is not a question of politeness - you simply have to do it if you know that it’s not going to happen.

If you feel rude in just clicking on the “reject” button, you can always sugar-coat the blow with a message explaining why you don’t want to do the exchange, or why you can’t do it.

But what you should never do is accept an exchange proposal and then just ignore the person. It makes it very difficult for other people to plan holidays, it is frustrating and it could potentially result in them turning down a real offer of a home exchange.

If you have found yourself in this situation, then don’t worry. If you have accepted an exchange proposal but have realised that you cannot or don’t want to continue with it, then all you have to do is send that person a message and let them know.

If you feel awkward doing it, or uncomfortable then that’s only natural. But 100% of users would very much prefer to just be told that you’re pulling out - even if it’s at the last minute - rather than to be left in the lurch.

Communication is key, and above all we must be upfront and honest about whether we’re going to do a particular exchange or not. is a friendly site and we want to really build our community spirit!

Doing a home exchange between Europe and Australia is sometimes difficult.

Let’s face it. It’s a long way to go. One of the problems that Australians would have with home exchange with Europe is that they often want to see more than one European country in order to make the most of the trip.

Which makes perfect sense. If you travel all that way, you’d definitely want to sample some of the rich tapestry that Europe has to offer.

But this should not be a problem though. Why not do two home exchanges? It’s not that difficult to co-ordinate. You spend a couple of weeks in France, a couple of weeks in Portugal, and then take a few days out to travel between the two.

From the other perspective, depending on the number of people that would be interested in this, the system could work very well. Australia is a popular destination for travellers, and generally people are interested in poking around in various different areas across the country in one trip. So, if a European family did a two week exchange in one part of Australia, they could then take a few days to travel around, and then reach their second holiday home exchange destination.

A trip between Australia and Europe could be costly, flight wise. So saving money on other expenses such as accommodation could definitely soften the blow!

Here at Homeforhome.com what we’re suggesting for the Australia Question is simply: double home exchange, two week slots.

But more than anything, we need to get talking about Australia. Who is interested in going there? Who knows people in Australia who would be interested in doing home exchanges? The Australia Question is a big one. But if we can facilitate cheap and comfortable holidays, cracking the big Down Under would be massive for our home exchange community. Massive!

Just a little post about the website etiquette at Homeforhome.com.

First of all, feel free to start up discussions in the forums. That’s what they are there for. They’re not just for fun, they’re there so that Homeforhome.com members can help each other out. It’s a good way to find people that would be interested in doing a home exchange with you, that might not have thought of it before. In the forums you can discuss anything: interests, experiences you have had, things you would like to try, tips and suggestions for other members, and most importantly of all - your questions!

Secondly, there is an internal messaging system. If someone sends you a home exchange offer that doesn’t interest you, don’t be afraid to decline it with a message. You can let them know if you’ve got other plans or are simply not interested in their area. Or maybe you couldn’t see the photos very well. It’s always good to keep the communication up, because people can always benefit from some constructive feedback (but let’s keep it positive though!). Also, you never know what other contacts or connections people may have, so don’t be afraid to just be casually in touch with people. It’s what the site is for, amongst other things!

Thirdly and finally today, the ratings. Once you have done a home exchange with someone, you get the opportunity to rate their performance as a home exchange partner, and the home that you stayed in. This is a great chance for you to let them know how much you either enjoyed the home exchange, or give some tips for the future. Nothing is static, and people are often new to the system of home exchanging, so advice and encouragement are all to the good. Also, it is another way for members to build a good profile. If you perform well (are helpful, leave the house in good condition, etc) then you will get a high rating, which means that more people will want to do home exchanges with you in the future.

So the name of the game is communication and encouragement.

What is the biggest security risk to your home when you go away?

Well if we`re talking natural disasters, that obviously depends very much upon the area in which you live.

But generally speaking, leaving an empty house is the biggest risk to your property when you go away on holiday.

So what shall we do? Get the house sitters in? Pay them? You could get the neighbours to come round everyday to open and close the curtains every morning and evening. To pick the post up and put the newspapers in a pile. To feed the cat. To turn off the burgular alarm if it goes off for no reason.

It would be a whole lot easier to do a home exchange. You wouldn`t only be saving hugely on the costs of the holiday, but also on money for the house sitters, or the favours that you would be asking of the neighbours.

It´s like free insurance. Some people worry about the security of risks of home exchange. When in fact, if you consider it objectively, it gives you a much securer way of leaving your home when you go away.

You would be in the other family´s house. So there you have it, bound by mutual interest to respect and treat the other person`s home as if it was your own.

On top of this, they will be the general task managers of keeping everything in order for you, and keeping your fortress occupied and protected from harm whilst you`re away.

A win win situation!

The thing about hotels…

Is that you have to pay. Yeah, we know that. That`s why home exchange exists! A great deal of people are attracted to it because it`s cheap, fun and comfortable.

Did we mention clean as well?

It might be a bit of a media fetish at the moment. The sheer load of viral content covering nearly all of the surfaces in hotel rooms. But once you start thinking about it, it`s something that we really should take very seriously.

Shared keyboards are something that education institutions send out health warnings about. A very common way of contracting flu virus is through touching the keys that a variety of other people also touch, day in, day out.

The concept extends to hotel rooms. Of course they get cleaned and tidied after every use. But to what extent?

What about the remote control for the TV? Those rotten little pieces of rubber have been mercilessly fingered by literally thousands of other people. Every day, different people have been wiping their noses and then fingering the key-pad.

And coming off the airplane. No one really has time to wash up before entering the hotel room and TURNING ON THE LIGHT. That light switch. It`s gotta be its own little island of bacteria. Breeding and spreading, all warm and contagious.

Think about how many people have traipsed across the bathroom in their shoes. Or worse, in their bare-feet. All those different species of verucas being wiped across the surface of the bath-tub. Whatever you do, don`t have a bath. No one wants verucas on their butt.

Also you have to bear in mind, that some people like to use various surfaces within the hotel room for different things. Changing diapers. Having sex. Leaving tissues around. Be careful where you put your food. Well, let`s say food, personal belongings, things that touch your skin. Or put in your mouth.

With home exchange, you don`t have any of these problems. There will have only been one family. Doing normal things. Cleaning their house meticulously, just for you, just before you come.

There won`t have been thousands of alien germs of complete strangers flying around. There will simply be the one family, who have a similar routine to your routine.

Clean, normal, one group of people. Just like your home.

See? Just another one of the many advantages of home swapping…

Home exchangers of the world unite!

Here at Homeforhome, (because we`re nice), we want to give you some tips and advice in creating a selection of photos that will help you receive more home exchange offers.

We know what it`s like. You`ve spent the time uploading your profile, and you just want to get through the process and hurry up and get home exchanging. And then you realize that you need to go and take photos of your house.

Which means finding your camera. Finding the cable. Cleaning. Tidying. Waiting until there`s some decent day light.

But it really is worth it. A good photo can give someone a real taste of all the great things about your home, and why you love living there. Which raises YOUR stakes in the home exchange system.

So firstly, let`s assume that it`s all clean and tidy and ready for action. A few “do`s” and “don`t”s.

The “Don`t”s

1) Try to avoid dark photos where you can`t see much of the house. It will give other users the impression that the house is badly lit, uncomfortable, or not very welcoming. People will just have a negative sensation and won`t feel very excited by your offer.

2) By all means you can include photos that include people. However, it is important to focus on the house. People are thinking of the space in which they will able to spend their precious holidays. The home needs to be the focus. And let`s be honest. Photos of dark rooms with a bright light shining on a young child, or a mug-shot of the owner are not likely to attract many exchange proposals.

3) Photos of you scuba diving, or dressed up in 16th century fencing costume are fine for your profile picture (each to their own!), but when it comes to photos of the home people will be put off if you don`t have some serious photos. Generally, people are a little suspicious and want to know that their prospective exchange partners are serious. If you don`t have proper photos up, then the other user does not have much to go on.

4) Don`t put up pre-saved photos that you have in your image bank. *That*pink flower or *that* sunset. It`s frustrating for other users. It`s actually worth the wait of getting your own photos up there.

5) Don´t put a photo that is larger than 3mb because it won´t load. All photos have to be 3mb or less.

The “Do”s

1) Take plenty of photos of the rooms of the house, the garden, and if you like photos of local interest points.

2) Try to stand back, for example in the door way, or stand outside of a window looking into the room in order to be able to capture a good section of the room.

3) The rule of thirds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds Imagine that the image is divided into three equal parts horizontally, and three equal parts vertically. Try put the natural lines or sections of the photo along these imaginary lines.

4) Make sure that you rotate the images first on your computer before uploading them, as you won`t be able to rotate them once they`re up on the site.

We`ve said from the beginning that we`re a new company, and we want to keep on improving our services.

Rome may be a BRILLIANT home exchange holiday destination, but it certainly wasn`t built in a day.

And neither was our website. Our latest edition to the site makes things a hell of a lot easier.

To save you from ploughing through all those bitter-sweet exchange proposals, which can sometimes be a little fastidious if the person you are propositioning only has eyes for, let’s say Italy, and you`ve got a house in Alaska. And every time it`s the same. “We want to go to Italy.” It`s frustrating. And we just don`t think you should have to go through that.

So what we`ve created to save you a lot of admin and searching, is an INVERSE SEARCH OPTION.

So you can look up people on the site who are actively seeking a home exchange in your country. It`s like match-making, but better.

What you do:

1) Click on the big green tab that says “search” at the top of the screen.

2) On the left hand side of the page, where you have the search form to fill in, go about it as you would normally. E.g.: enter in the dates that you would like to do a home exchange, and fill in the town, country and city.

3) Underneath the box that says “Town/City” there is a little tick box that says “That are interested in travelling to my country.” If you click on this box, a green tick will appear. This means that all the search results will be from people who are actively interested in doing a home exchange in your area.

Handy, huh?

Don`t say we don`t try. It`s kind of like a magic wand.

So that`s what we`ve come up with for the moment. And we still have our computer programming geeks slaving away in the labs to come up with other improvements.

If you have any suggestions, as we`ve said before, do not HESITATE to get in touch at info@homeforhome.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!