Today, I received an email from a despaired home exchanger. She addressed a problem inexperienced home swappers often face.
Her home exchange offer included a beautiful large house in an attractive French tourist area. Her travel destination was a particular spot in Scotland this summer. 

She was surprised that nobody had responded to her offer even though she had put her listing up with a large home exchange club. I wrote to her what I have learned myself from very experienced home exchangers: 

“If you plan a home exchange to a particular place (especially, if it is not in a typical tourist area) and you have a restricted travel schedule, try to arrange your home exchange way in advance (like a year). To find and arrange a home exchange just takes time, unless you live in a luxury apartment in Paris.

Your home is lovely and your area a popular tourist destination. It makes for an attractive vacation spot for Europeans and overseas travellers alike. Therefore, it should not be too difficult for you to find an interesting home swap as long as you are not bound to a specific destination.

• I suggest postponing your travel plans to Scotland until that perfect match comes along.
• In the meantime you could try out home exchanges in other areas.
• Most home exchange clubs have a section where you can indicate your preferred travel destinations. I would suggest using that service, typing in your favourite vacation spot in Scotland and “open to offers”. Other home exchangers can then find your home exchange offer more easily.   

One word to home exchange clubs. A club with many listings does increase your changes of finding a good match. Check out their listings in your favourite area as well. Have also a good look at how current a listing is. A good club shows member details on the listing (like date of last update, member since etc.).”

So, dear JewettStreet members and visitors don’t despair if you can’t find that perfect home exchange right away. Try to be open to several travel destinations. Evoke the adventurer in you! With some flexibility and an open mind you can find yourself in places you never dreamed of.