Today, at work, in your activities, your vacation and of course in your home exchange, something that can heavily influence the success or failure of what you do, is your attitude. If you think positively, it usually ends up paying off.  On the other hand, if you are defeatist, negative, fearful and reluctant, then you’ll drive away your potential exchange partners.

Using this premise, and a positive open attitude means that the dialogue you will have with potential exchange partners will be more pleasant. Your exchange and your discussions offer important signs that will be the triggers that will make people want to come or not see what’s happening in your area.

And it is quite normal, we all want to exchange with people who seem nice, funny and postive. So. It’s time to conquer the exchange field, put on your broadest smile, and listen to your little inner voice that tells you: “ouaaa they look too cool, that’s it, we’re going! This may be a good holiday!” That is the best attitude you can have for home exchange.

Take full advantage of home exchange by adopting a positive attitude, believing that a smile can change your destiny, and let the magic happen!

Home exchanges can be used to celebrate a variety of special occassions, whether you go en masse or as a single family unit.

Something unique to couples however, is the idea of an anniversary exchange. If you are interested in celebrating a wedding anniversary or a relationship anniversary of any nature abroad, then home exchange is an economic and romantic way of doing this.

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.

So, Europe. What does it have to offer? France. Spain. Italy. Germany. England. Romania. Poland. To name but a few of the choice cuts of the continent. Whether it be the impassioned political fervour of the French, the darkly elegant style of the Italians, or the striking openness of the Dutch, you have to admit - there´s a wealth of culture over there. And how exquisite it would be to understand the seamless poetry of Dante, the tortured prose of Proust, or the emblematic tales of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra´s Don Quijote, in their original versions.

The best way to learn a language is to get yourself in a country where it is spoken. This way you really drench yourself in the culture, you are constantly absorbing new vocabulary from the road signs, the posters, the conversations you over-hear on the metro – and most importantly of all – you make friends you can talk with.

When I was a child, we did a house exchange with a Belgian family. We stayed in their house for four weeks. All my brothers and sisters were older than me, and whilst I had a fabulous time playing with the new doll´s house that I found, eventually I wanted some company of my own age. It just so happened that there was a little girl living in the house next door. Lea, her name was. She was taller than me, wore brown buckle-up shoes, and spoke no English. And we had the best time together. Even now, I remember going with her to buy chips from the local chip shop (chips dressed with a particular sweet and sour cream that I´ve never been able to find anywhere else in the world), dressing up to perform a play for her parents, and going cycling in the velvety forest with her school friends. While I don´t remember being conscious of speaking French, it was certainly the language we spoke in, and as all children do with languages, I took to it like a duck to water.

And I now see just how wonderful and welcoming that small community was. The neighbours especially, welcoming strangers into their houses, looking after a little foreign girl, helping the slightly eccentric English family make friends and feel welcome in a different city. For the rest of my family, living in that neighbourhood for a month was the perfect way to really practise their French and make exciting new friendships.

If you´re interested in European culture, and are looking for an opportunity to practise or to learn a new language, doing a home exchange is the ideal way to do this. You get delivered right into the marrow of the community – socially, culturally, and most crucial of all - linguistically.

So if you´re a dab hand for languages, or if you just want to practise some French asking for a croissant and a white coffee while you read the paper in a quiet café in Bordeaux, a home exchange ensures that you´ll make new friends and not only see, but really live the new culture.