The Home Exchanger

Home Exchange Stories, Greek Style

I wanted to direct you to this blog written by Intervac's Greek representatives, Stathis and Maria, a married couple.  The blog  tells  about Stathis and Maria's travels and  home exchanges in such farflung locations as Russia and the South of France. Check it out!

Catalogue Deadline and Hurricane Fundraiser

Our biggest catalogue of the year is coming up! We publish two beautiful glossy catalogues a year - they make it easy for our members to see all of our listings at once. Our biggest catalogue is our December catalogue - it's for people looking to do an exchange in the spring or summer of 2006.

The deadline for this catalogue is October 15, 2005! Click here.

October 13th is one of our biggest sales days of the year. We, like everyone, have been very moved by the plight of those affected by the hurricanes in the US, including our own members. So we have decided to give all profits we make on October 13th to the Red Cross. Please join before October 15th if you want to order the catalogue!

Thoughts on Tuscany...

I wanted to thank Randy, whose comment on my last blog is one I hear often - many of our members want to go to Tuscany. But there are not many people who live there who want to home exchange, so getting a swap there can be difficult.

As readers of this blog may be aware, I am not a fan of Tuscany and  am constantly bewildered by our many members who are desperate to go there.  I decided to watch "Under the Tuscan Sun", based on the popular bestseller that probably has spurred much, if not most, of the interest in going there. And I finally realize why Tuscany is so appealing to so many people - the idea of it is wonderful! Beautiful scenary, people, food, and a wonderful joie de vivre. It made me remember why I wanted to go there in the first place.

But I found that the reality of Tuscany is different than the perception.  Of all the places I have been, Tuscany was the most disappointing. Here's why:
1. So much traffic! Bumper to bumper on small country roads. Driving anywhere was a nightmare, which is a problem because you have to drive to see any sites, like Siena.
2. Not very nice people. Tuscany has become a second home retreat for rich and aristocratic Italians from Florence and Milan (as well as for other rich Europeans) - and they don't seem to appreciate visitors.  Of all the places I have visited in Europe, Tuscany has the coldest people I have come across.
3. Accomodations are pretty rustic across the board - think the falling apart villa in "Under the Tuscan Sun", but smaller. We found much better accomodations on our home exchanges elsewhere in Europe.
4. The scenary - eh. Tuscany looks a lot like Napa Valley. I think Provence is more beautiful and exotic.
5. Food - I had grand ideas of cooking a big Tuscan feast. But the ingredients at the local stores were no different than at my local supermarket at home. Restaurants are super-expensive and no better than some Italian restaurants I have been to in San Francisco.

There are so many wonderful places you can stay through Intervac - English castles, Provence estates, Carribean seaside villas, NYC penthouses, Parisian pied-a-terres, Spanish haciendas - that I am always so puzzled by the interest in Tuscany specifically.  But I think it is because so many of us have this idealized vision of Tuscany...I personally did not find the vision met with reality.

Top Destinations for Home Exchangers

A member today asked me what are my favorite spots to home swap. What a lovely question - and a question I would like to pose to some of our most experienced members - some of whom have done 50+ exchanges (yes, seriously!).

I will answer today, but I would like to invite our members to email us with their favorite swap spots!

1. Paris! Paris is my favorite city in the world.  I have been there 8 times, and I always want to go back. The best museums, food and city sights in the world. There also might be no better city to live in like a local. See the Art Noveau signs at your local Metro stop, grab breakfast at your local boulangerie, maybe even eat a home-cooked meal with your neighbors.  People complain about the Parisians, but when you stay as a local, they treat you differently - they treat you like friends and neighbors. Want another reason why I love it? I got engaged there.

2. New York City. There is no place like Manhattan, at any time of year. And doing a home swap there allows you to get to know all the different neighborhoods. I did a fabulous home swap in a loft in Tribeca - the place was straight out of Metropolitan Home. Just beautiful.

3. Spain.  My husband did a home exchange in San Sebastian, one of the most beautiful seaside cities - he walked to the beach every day. But San Sebastian is only one city in Spain - a diverse, beautiful country with historic sights like the Alhambra, the cosmopolitan vibe of Madrid, and the exquisite city of Barcelona. My favorite place is Granada, an exotic town where you can smell the spices in the air.

4. Provence and the Riveria. Yes, I know - France again. I am a bit of a Francophile. But it is such a beautiful country, and I love the way the French live. The Avignon Festival is great fun, and I would take Provence's beautiful lavender and sunflower-filled countryside over Tuscany's any day. Wonderful food and wine. For a bit of glamour, gamble   in Cannes, and sun yourself in Monaco.  Doing a home swap with a car is key - you'll want to be able to drive around.

5. London. I lived in London for 2 1/2 years - and the theater there is the best in the world.  Thrown in fantastic histoiric sites, cozy pubs and the wonderful parks and you have a great place to visit. The British can be a bit chilly - but like the French, they treat you differently when you are a "neighbor". London is impressive, rather than beautiful.

6. Ireland. To read all about my home swap this summer, click here.  Beautiful countryside, the nicest people in Europe and the best pubs and live music.

7. Hawaii. I don't think I'll ever get sick of going to Hawaii. As soon as I get off the plane, I swear my blood pressure goes down and all stress melts away. Beautiful scenery and beaches, and actually there's really good food there. I love Roy's particularly.  Living like a local makes everything doubly fun.

8. The Netherlands. Amsterdam, fantastic museums (Van Gough Museum), great pancakes and pretty canals.  Hotels are really expensive particularly in the Netherlands - so a home swap will save you lots of money.

What didn't make the list?  Places where I want to do home swaps but haven't yet (Florida, Denmark, Sweden) and places I didn't like (Tuscany).

New Orleans Members Looking for Home Swaps

We have given our New Orleans members complimentary memberships this year, as several of them contacted us wanting to maintain their memberships.  Even though their homes can't be used this year, they are interested in doing non-simaltaneous exchanges or hospitality stays  - with the goal of offering their homes once New Orleans is a functional city once more.

One of our members writes:

"My sister turns 60 in March, so we were already searching for a place to exchange in Vienna. Keep your ears open and let me know if you hear of someone that has a second home or apt in Vienna, as I would LOVE to surprise her with this to look forward to. She is recently widowed, and she has lost her lovely home to the flooding. My house is ok, so I could eventually offer it to someone, plus I always offer a week at my family plantation in central Louisiana."

Another member writes:

"I think that would be very nice if you thought we could do it on a non-simoultaneous basis.  When this is over we hope to travel again.  At the moment we are literally homeless -- crowded into a home in Baton Rouge.  We don't know yet what we would have to offer and when we would have it.  We have not been permitted to enter New Orleans to see our homes.  All we know now is that there should be about 6 feet of water in our home -- we don't know what else is wrong."

Please let me know if you would be interested in hosting or doing a non-simaltaneous exchange with these members who have suffered so much in the wrath of Hurrican Katrina. Email me at info@intervacus.com.

Three-Way Home Exchange Completed Successfully

We've heard from a long-time member in Hawaii that he recently returned from a three-way home swap involving him, an Intervac member in Connecticut and an Intervac member in Ireland. While these are difficult to arrange, they certainly can be done as proven by this home exchange vacation.

The couple in Connecticut really wanted to stay in Hawaii, but the couple in Hawaii wanted to travel to Ireland. So once the Connecticut members found out from the Hawaiians when they wanted to visit Ireland, the Connecticut couple took the initiative to contact Irish Intervac members about an exchange during those dates. They then told the Irish families that it would the Hawaiians --not them-- that would be staying in their house.

It was a smashing success. The Irish family were able to explore New York City from their comfortable suburban base. The Connecticut couple got their dream vacation in Hawaii. And the Hawaiian couple were able to stay in the Dublin suburb of Bray for free. They visited the Kennedy Center in Ireland and tracked back information about where their grandfather left from, where he arrived at and what boat he was on while emigrating from Ireland.

This year, the couple from Hawaii are interested in finding a house swap in Washington, DC.

More Feedback from Intervac Members

Here's another comment I have received from a first-time Intervac home exchanger:

"Had an absolutely wonderful vacation in France the month of August.  (Our) Intervac exchange family, the Lasnier's, were a lovely couple with 3 delightful kids, and they left our home in perfect condition.  Can only hope they had half as much enjoyment from their stay here in Northern California as we did in their home and country.  Home exchanging is even more than we hoped it could be.  Many thanks for helping us have this terrific adventure. You should be getting some more business from our family and numerous acquaintances.  (Even perfect strangers who heard what we were doing wanted to find out about you.)  Incidentally, I am 72 and Milton is 82--and in a wheelchair, so there were people who thought we were crazy, but we proved them wrong!"

Claire  and Milton Wheeler-Brandt

Our hopes and prayers go to victims of Hurricane Katrina

We, like everyone, have been watching the horror unfold in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and especially in New Orleans. Our best wishes  go out to everyone in the affected areas. We have Intervac  members in New Orleans, and we very much hope that they were able to evacuate safely.

To help victims of Hurricane Katrina, please click here to donate to the American Red Cross.