The New Year is on the road, and you probably made some resolutions and set some special dates aside in the calendar. Of course, with a brand new year, it seems like you’re going to have time for everything, but as the days start to go by, there are things that start trailing behind in the agenda. However, we want to encourage you to reserve some time to plan your vacations. If you choose home exchange, it is a good idea to get ahead of things, since it takes time for some people to find a good match to their swapping intentions.

There are several alternatives to plan your holidays using HomeForHome, whether a short trip to that nearby location you’ve always wanted to visit, a romantic getaway to Paris, a relaxing family vacation in a rural area or the coast, an intense trip to a busy capital, a cultural swap to a distant destination, whether you prefer skiing or surfing or trekking or if your favourite sport during vacations is intensive recreational reading, all these options are waiting for you a few clicks away.

We want to help, so here are some items for your agenda:

- Update your HomeForHome profile, share something new, add more photos, get involved in the community forum, get out there.

- Check your passport and all related travel documents you may need (travel assistance/insurance, credit/debit cards, etc.). You don’t want to find out in the last minute you were supposed to have them renewed a week ago! Remember that your passport needs to be valid for the duration of your trip and some countries even require travellers to have at least six months validity remaining on their passports.

- Mark dates that are set apart for other important activities and exclude them when you search for a place to stay, flights, etc. Also, if you know your house will be free during those dates, mark them as “available” in your HomeForHome availability calendar, since it may help you find non-simultaneous swaps.

- Take the initiative, contact other HomeForHome users, ask them about their homes, their availability, invite them to check out your home. Maybe you can make some new friends along the way.