The Big Blue Marble Newsletter: Sample Article

Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the myriad new sights, smells, and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way.
Ralph Crenshaw

Meet the Stevens: Intrepid Home Exchangers

July 2004

Paul: How many exchanges have you done and where have you gone?

Joe: We have done 42 exchanges in the past 15 or so years; I counted them yesterday. 12 of those were in foreign countries, 21 in NYC, 7 in California. The remaining exchanges took place in other U.S. states.

Paul: What is your most memorable exchange?

Diane: We exchanged a home in Devon, England. The home was a cottage with a thatched roof, the type that would not be allowed to be built again in England today. The exchange partners suggested that we talk to their neighbors. The neighbors were out of an old time Hollywood movie. They lived in a large, brick Georgian style mansion. When we entered, we met the couple, a retired army officer and his wife. They sat next to a massive, crackling fire. Two large English hound dogs laid on both sides of the couple. They gave us sherry from a crystal decanter. He smoked a pipe. When we left, they offered to take us on a fox hunt. We agreed to come, because it was a great chance to see a bit of old England. When we showed up, we saw a group of animal rights activists out front. The fox hunt itself was just like you see in the movies. Everyone wore jodhpurs and a bugle was blown to start the race. It was certainly the type of experience you could only find in a home exchange.

What is your favorite place to exchange?

Diane: Half of our exchanges have been to New York City. Through our 21 exchanges, we have learned that New Yorkers are, contrary to popular myth, very friendly people. By living in so many different parts of the City, we have gotten to know New York even better than some locals who often tend to stick to their own neighborhood. We have grown to love New York so much, and have made so many good friends there through exchanging, that we have decided to live there part of the year.

Paul: What is the strangest thing that has happened on one of your exchanges?

Joe: One time when arranging for an exchange in New York City, the woman said as we were finalizing the final bits, ?Oh yes, there is one other thing. Would you mind if our two teenage children are still here in my home during the two week exchange?? I am not kidding. We got some more information, decided to do it and the kids and the exchanger were wonderful folks. We have gotten to be good friends with them and see them each time we are in NYC. And, by the way, the exchange home was/is unbelievable. On Central Park West and if you know NYC, that ain?t bad. We?ve exchanged with them more than once (helped with the kids both times) and they are terrific.
Diane: The kids were amazingly self sufficient. We only knew that they were there when we heard their alarm clocks go off in the morning. The son was an accomplished musician and the kids were both more than willing to give us advice about New York when we asked.

Paul: Tell me a little about your first exchange

Diane: Our first exchange was to London in 1990. Our exchange partner was an interior decorator with a very attractive and well located flat. Since he was connected to the London Opera, he gave us tickets to some of the best seats for an opera at Covent Gardens. When he came back to California, a couple years later, he invited us down to San Diego and took us out to an opera there. In fact, it was him who gave us a love for the opera. Prior to those tickets, we did not know much about the opera.

Paul: What type of people make good home exchangers?

Joe: People who do exchanges have to be a bit loose and not too obsessive or rigid. Worrier types should not apply. Exchangers should not have preconceived expectations as to exactly what sort of home you are getting. Only so much can be learned through descriptions, photos, etc. though of course we always expect descriptions. But neighborhoods, views, and home layouts cannot be fully understood until you get there. Again, obsessives who need to know everything should not apply. Part of the fun of exchanges for Diane and me is the surprise of a new location, house, etc. We have exchanged for a few places that were not quite up to our usual standards and we have exchanged for more that were far above.
Diane: We only had one disappointing exchange. One time, we ended up staying in the apartment of one of our exchange partner?s son in New York. The apartment was just like you?d expect for a young college student: small, cramped, and dirty. However, it was only two weeks so Joe and I made the best of the situation. After all, it is only two weeks not the rest of our lives.
Joe: On the other hand, we just got back from a three week exchange on the Mexican Riviera. When we got there we thought we were staying in a town house that was part of a complex. However, it turned out that the whole building was one unit. It was not only the most wonderful exchange home we have ever had but, and I mean this literally, the nicest home I have ever been in my life. If this home were on the coast, east or west, in this country it would probably sell between 10 and 20 million dollars depending on the location.

Paul: Aren?t you afraid that one of the home exchangers will steal your stuff or trash your home?

Joe: Everyone, including us, who considers doing an exchange always asks at first: 'What? You expect me to let a complete stranger come into my house and not steal stuff, learn all my secrets and trash the place? The answer is yes. First of all they are not 'complete' strangers as you have gotten to know them a bit by emails, phone calls, photographs, letters, etc. before the exchange takes place. Also it would be rather circuitous for a thief to think: ?I know what I?ll do, I?ll join this exchange club for a certain number of dollars per year (Paul?s note: most home exchange program cost around $50-75/year to join, there are some non-profit agencies that do maintain exchange listings for free), then I?ll give these folks I?m going to rob my name, address (after all, one needs the address to know where in heck you are going to exchange) and let them stay in my own house for a week or two or three, then I?ll rob them and when they get back home and find that everything is gone including all the jewelry, the dishes, and the beautiful bib-and-apron set that Aunt Sadie crocheted them....they?ll never expect it was me. I mean, after all, you are going to be in their house while they are in yours. Theft just isn't going to happen.?. When I joined our exchange club (Homelink) 15 years ago, I asked the manager of the club how often they had theft reported. They had been going for a number of years and though it was impossible to know exactly, they thought there had been perhaps 50,000 exchanges through their exchange book/website by that time and they had not had ONE report of any theft. I asked him the same question this last year, 15 years later, and he said that after all these years and thousands and thousands more exchanges there had been ONE report by a woman who 'thought' an exchanger had taken a half dozen books. So, we don?t worry about theft. Obviously if you have a million dollar diamond I wouldn?t leave it out on the porch but other than that, forget it.
Diane: One time, we did get stuck paying for a phone bill of over hundred dollars left by one of our exchange partners. I guess we should have suspected that this could be a problem. When we got to the exchanger?s home in Ireland, we noticed that we had to unlock the upstairs phone and that the phone downstairs was, believe it or not, a pay phone.

What is the best part about exchanging?

Joe: Diane and I have had great fun with exchanges and have made really good friends through the process. In fact, other than a few friends in our home town, our best friends are folks we?ve exchanged with.
Diane: I met my best friend, Carol, through a home exchange. Our friendship began over a clothes swap. After Carol arrived at our home, she discovered that it was colder than expected. She looked in my closet and noticed that we wore the same size and that I had a lot of clothing that she liked. She called and asked me if she could borrow my clothes. I said yes and asked if I could borrow her clothes. One day, a few months after our exchange, Carol sent me some clothes she was tired of. Since that time, we have visited each other hundreds of time. When Carol?s husband became sick, Joe and I got our apartment in New York in order to help Carol.

Paul: Other than the one exchange experience you mentioned with the dirty apartment in New York City, have you had any problems caused by cleanliness (Paul?s note: this is the most common issue according to all home exchange companies). Have you had any other issues?

Joe: We have always had the house left perfectly clean as we leave the exchanger's house when we return home. Often exchangers leave flowers or a bottle of wine. We let the exchangers use our car and there has never been any problem though I would check with your car insurance company. For our insurance provider, and I think for most, it is like loaning your car to a friend or relative. If something happens, you are covered (Paul?s note: Most insurance companies treat exchanges like they did in Joe and Diane?s case. However, you should check with your carrier. If there is a problem, contact your home exchange service and ask them for advice).

Paul: Is there any advice you have for making the exchange a good experience for the people coming to stay in your house?

Joe: I always leave a 2 or 3 page information sheet about the house and the local area, restaurants, etc. I am in the midst of updating this now as we are heading out for a month long exchange in Paris for the month of August.

Paul: Do you have any parting suggestion for readers of the Big Blue Marble newsletter?

Joe: Obviously if you are going to be traveling through a country it doesn?t make much sense to do an exchange and park yourself in one city because you?ll be traveling all the time staying in hotels. Exchanges are a good way to see a city or a small area of a country but not the whole country....unless it's a pretty small one. Say maybe Monaco. Of course, many day-trips can be done to a local area and then back to your home of exchange at night.