Sometimes a situation demands, that you have to travel on the spur of the moment. Unless you have already previous (home exchange) contacts at your travel destination, it is almost impossible to set up a home swap on such a short notice. Building your very own home exchange network in a particular geographical area can help you broadening your opportunities for that next home exchange.
With my older daughter, I stayed at a guest suite of a retirement community in New England last week, where my former mother-in-law recently had moved. What a great place! It had the atmosphere of an elegant large hotel but with a much more personal touch and with very happy inhabitants. In addition, a whole scope of household services was offered to the residents and guests. In their comfortable communal dinning room, Nora’s grandmother introduced us to some of her new friends. When I directed the conversation toward home exchange, it turned out that one of them had a son who was an enthusiastic home exchanger and he lived nearby! It comes at no surprise that we exchanged addresses.
When you know you will return to a particular area repeatedly, you could do even more to increase your chances of finding a local home exchange. Before your trip, get in touch with regional organizations and communities whose activities interest you naturally. A garden lover could contact the local garden society, the passionate golfer the nearest 18-hole golf course and ask them to post your flyer with your home exchange offer. You might not only find some interesting new contacts but with some luck, also your next home exchange!
