March 26th, 2008
Home exchange traveling has reached a new level. For the first time, home exchange experts and clubs have come together to form an independent professional organization - CHECtravel - for the benefit of the individual home exchanger, the clubs and home exchange as a way of traveling.
By selecting JewettStreet as your home exchange club you have proven excellent judgement. Since its launch in late 2006, JewettStreet has steadily built on its reputation as a trustworthy and reliable home exchange organization. Our nomination as a CHEC certified home exchange club simply confirms our commitment to high quality and standards in relationship to our members.
JewettStreet has also helped formulating CHECtravel standards and practises as a council member.
Who are CHEC members?
Members of CHEC are individuals and home exchange clubs who:
meet strong standards of conduct within the home exchange community
agree to follow the highest principles of ethics and voluntary self-regulation
either have a proven track record of honesty and integrity in their home exchange activities or promise to abide by the CHEC code of conduct
endeavor to make home exchange a safe, secure and reliable way to travel
Why we recommend you become a CHEC member
CHEC members enjoy peace of mind when exchanging with a fellow CHEC member who adheres to the same ethical standards
Individual CHEC exchangers benefit from the safety and security provided by a CHEC member club
CHEC mediation service
Rebate package including home exchange travel insurance, car rentals, luggage and other travel accessories (Ten plus Ten Plan), books, maps and tours (Ten plus Ten Plan)
And other services
CHEC membership discount for JewettStreet members
The CHEC membership introductory price is US$ 25 for the first 500 members (regular price 49,95). In addition, JewettStreet members receive a 20% discount. In order to get your discount when signing up, simply type in the following code: chc
We will be happy to add information about your CHEC membership to your JewettStreet listing so that other JewettStreet members will recognize you as a CHEC member. Please simply reply to info(at)jewettstreet.com. In the subject field type: CHEC.
More information on CHECtravel
Tags: CHECtravel
Posted in General Topics | No Comments »
February 25th, 2008
- Brittany Home Exchange Offer now at JewettStreet
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.
Tags: Successful Home Exchange
Posted in General Topics | No Comments »
November 30th, 2007
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!
Tags: home exchange network
Posted in General Topics | No Comments »
October 29th, 2007
Athena Ricky, a senior Home Exchanger with 40+ home swaps, has written an excellent guide called Home Exchange Academy - Blue Print to Swap Homes for Your Next Vacation. This step-by-step, down-to-earth e-book offers sound and very detailed advice for the novice Home Exchanger. The e-book covers every imaginable aspect of Home Exchange from how to choose a club (your good judgement in selecting JewettStreet will of course be confirmed in the book!) to how to set up your listing and prepare your home for the exchange. The book includes more than 65 pages. Here is the complete list of content:
Introduction - What Is A Home Exchange - Who Exchanges Homes - Bonus Features - My Own Experiences - How Home Exchanging Began - Selecting Your Home Exchange Club - The Major Differences - How their members are contacted - Paid Memberships or Free - Directory Based Clubs - Points System / Full Service Clubs - How Do You Find A List of These Clubs - How On Earth Do You Decide - Clubs’ Home Pages - Membership Fees - Clubs’ Published Contact Information - Listings’ Published Start and End Dates - Some Clubs’ Inflated Membership Figures - Hiding Your Contact Information - Privacy Policy - Listing Demographics - Additional Customer Support - Guarantees - Evaluate Your Selections - Test Them! - Call their Customer Service - Send questions to their email address - The Adventure Begins - A few tips - How should you set up your listing - Illustrate your listing with good photographs - Children and pets - Your location - Your own Home Exchange Web Site Contact Between Members - Receiving Inquiries and Replies - Declining Inquiries - Your listed email address - Developing likely inquiries - References - A Written Agreement - Car Exchange - Sample Car Exchange Agreement - Payments - Pets - Watering Plants - Clarification - It’s A Matter of Trust - Perfection rarely happens - Sample Home Exchange Agreement - The Next Step - Preparing Your Home - Family Treasures and Irreplaceable Items - Your Insurance - Pets - Your Home Exchange Book -
Sample Home Exchange Book - Warning - My Ten Golden Home Exchange Rules - General Tips and Advice - In Conclusion
I highly recommend this useful e-book to novice Home Exchangers!
Tags: e-book, home exchange academy
Posted in General Topics | No Comments »
October 8th, 2007
We have had a nice response from members wanting to participate in the RTÉ TV Show Highly Recommended. Thank you all for your reply.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that our candidates will get into the show and, with some luck, will walk away with € 2,000!
Posted in General Topics | No Comments »
