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Learn
how to travel... differently and discover this new
way of spending your holidays.
Comments,
letters and thanks from visitors and former
exchangers expressing their satisfaction with this
web site.
Free
consultation of hundred of offers for all seasons.
Only members have access to the co-ordinates of the
exchangers.
Becoming
a member: fees and services. In only a few minutes
you can have access to daily updated listings.
First
steps in Home Exchange ? Here are some practical
advice from a former exchanger.
.....
Frequently
asked questions. All about us and all you ever
wanted to know about home exchanges.
 
Members
entrance
info@Another-Home.com
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UESTIONS
____and
____
NSWERS
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How does it work
?
The exchangers agree upon a house trade for a certain
time, and while you live in your partner's home, the
exchanger family lives of your own home. With all the
benefits and comfort of having a real home: plenty of
space, no living out of the suitcases, your own car, and
last but not least at no extra charge but the travel
expenses.
Is it secure to
exchange my home ?
Successful exchanges are based upon flexibility. Members
who are open to the adventures that our scheme offers
have a high probability of finding an exchange partner.
Any rigid dates or destinations may limit the scope of
options. But always remember that your potential partner
also shares the same concerns: he might have kids as
well, with the related school period constraints. When
two families with kids exchange their home, the
constraint becomes an asset, as everyone wants vacations
more or less at the same time.
What about exchanging our cars ?
Sure you can. You can arrange to exchange and use
everything if you wish: bicycles, boats, windsurfs.
Exchanging cars is very common when you make an agreement
that implies a long distance travel. Car exchange is less
common in a Europe - Europe exchange, because distances
are smaller, and people prefer to drive to their exchange
home by their own car.
What about
language barriers ?
Cultural empowerment is the most interesting thing in the
home exchange concept, and language differences is a
particularly interesting topic. You will notice that when
it comes down to get in touch with people who are
planning to live in your home, there is no language
barrier any more. It is very surprising how well people
actually can communicate when they share the same
interest (and how bad when not ...): they can translate,
speak baby language, remember their school lessons, ask
relatives for assistance,... Yes, they do their best to
get close to someone who was a stranger a few days
earlier, but who's becoming almost a friend, despite the
language barrier.
Anyway,
when you get in touch with people abroad, most of them
speak reasonably good English, and conversely you'll be
surprised by how many people have some basic knowledge of
French or German.
How do I help prevent a mismatch ?
There is enough information in the listings to weed out
some obvious mismatches. For instance, an exchange family
with four young children may not be ideal for a retired
couple living in an antique filled home. Or your party of
five may not fit into a studio apartment in
New-York.
What are your
competitive advantages?
Our customized services! We do it fast. We publish
without a deadline. A subscription received one day will
be available on Another-Home.com right away.
- Our
search engine is powerfull. Your vacation home on the
other side of the ocean is only a few mouse clicks
away.
- Easy
to consult Home features. The full page ad describes
the house in clear sentences and shows a color picture if
member wishes.
- Confidentiality
is guaranteed. We protect the customer's privacy. No
private information such as names or addresses are
published.
- We
are listening to you. Send us an email for an
information and you have an answer the same
day.
- And
we are the less expensive. Just compare and you will
come back
Can I register
more than one property ?
Every membership application entitles you to register one
property for a full year publication in our directory.
You can offer this property for as many exchanges in the
year as you want. If you own a secondary residence, and
you would like to offer it for an exchange, you need a
second application.
How many times
can I exchange ?
As many as you want ! Your membership ensures you a full
year publication of your home profile and you can ask for
as many exchanges for a whole year as you wish.
What are the
fees for a one year membership ?
When you consider that you are about to save a couple of
thousand dollars, the cost of our service is just
ridiculous. You are entitled for a full year membership
for just US$ 35. This membership fees
include:
- A full
year access to the directory
- Your
personal home exchange profile
- Four
photos of your house
- Unlimited
destinations
- Free
translation of your ad in french
- Free
link to your web site
- No
hidden charges when you have arranged an exchange.
Everything is included in the above mentioned flat
rates.
Is it safe to leave my home to unknown people ?
The majority of members are professional people, who have
worked very hard to achieve a good standard of living.
Many of them have a family and live the same way than you
do. These people like to travel, are open-minded and
respectful of someone else belongings. This is why they
are exchanging homes. The traditional hotel or holidays
package is not their favorite piece of cake, and they
prefer the home comforts which are available when
swapping with people alike.
As a rule, families on the way to exchange
their houses will communicate quite a lot while
organizing the exchange, and will become good friends.
And don't forget that you live in their house, so they
have exactly the same concerns and will do their best to
host your house in the most respectful way. Best
exchanges are generated through reciprocal trust and
honesty.
Organized home exchanges have been taking
place for over forty years now. Occasionally,
housekeeping standards differ from culture to culture,
but most people discover that home exchangers tend to
take greater care of their exchange homes than their own.
We encourage families to know each other before your
exchange holiday begins. Ideally we suggest that families
actually meet, at one home or the other. This is great
opportunity get acquainted, explain a few things about
housing supplies, shopping, or after the holidays, talk
about the nice time each party spent in the guest
home.
Will my home
insurance cover my guests ?
Two aspects have to be considered here: car insurance and
home insurance. We can provide you with some general
comments, but the final word should always belong to your
insurance agent. Talk to him, his advice is precious.
Car insurance: normally it is
sufficient to list the names of your exchange guests as
additional drivers on your policy. Fully comprehensive
insurance normally remains in force for 30 days, covering
anyone driving with your permission. If it makes you more
comfortable, you can set up restrictions by yourselves,
e.g. restrict drivers to those aged 25+, indicate the
maximum number of miles being driven, and make it clear
if you do not wish your car to be driven abroad or across
any border. In the case of North America, definitely
stipulate that you do not allow your car being driven
into Mexico, because only insurance concluded with a
Mexican company is valid in this country.
Home insurance: most insurance
companies fully support the home exchange concept, as
this contributes to lower the risk related to an
unoccupied home. Normally your home is insured for your
exchange guests as if you were living in it yourselves
(no financial transaction is involved).
What about damage to my home ?
Always remember that your exchange partner lets you stay
in his own home and shares probably the same concern. For
certain he is very motivated to take special care of your
belongings, in the same way that he expects you to be
respectful with his home.
However, should some unfortunate event occur, the
responsibility lies with whoever caused the damage, to
either pay to have it repaired, or to reimburse you.
Some other common precautions:
- Remove
things of particular value, or your "special" stuff.
Chances are that your trading partner will also prefer
that fragile or valuable articles are out of
range.
- Ask a
neighbor to call in. This not only allows a trusted
neighbor to make sure everything is right, but also
provides your guests with a welcome local
contact.
- An
exchange agreement (like the one at the end of this FAQ
document) can help establish responsibilities for any
problems, such as who pays for the utilities, breakage,
plumbing problems, and other unexpected
occurrences.
- Your
insurance policy may cover some situations, be sure to
check with your agent about your particular
coverage.
- Most
exchangers take a special care of their exchange house,
but please remember that some wear and tear occurs even
while you occupy your home. A certain amount of tolerance
is a must in home exchanges.
What if my
partner cancels at the last minute ?
Once you are sure your arrangements have been finalized,
book your airline tickets. Make a copy of these tickets
and send them to your exchange partner. Once significant
amounts of money have been invested, it is extremely
unlike that either side will cancel.
But the
ultimate disaster always can knock at the door, for many
tragic reasons. Fortunately there are always a few things
that the canceling party or you can do to work out an
alternate plan. There might be a nice neighbor offering
his home, you can free up your second home or cabin, is
there a way to arrange an inexpensive rental (even
consider sharing the costs ?)
If no
acceptable plan is available, you still have several
options:
- Communicate
your concern to some of the "near misses" you might have
had in the months before the cancellation. Someone with
who you corresponded, but could not finalize an
arrangement might have an opportunity right
now.
- Possibly
arrange to rent a motor-home near the area you planned to
visit.
- Perhaps
you can postpone to a later date, perhaps with your
canceling partner.
- The
absolute last resort: if you have the resources, try to
arrange a conventional vacation at a motel or rental
facility near where the exchange was to have taken
place.
What about my
pets ?
For a lot of families, looking after their exchange
partner's pets is a task they enjoy. Think about the kids
meeting their new cat friend ! However pay attention to
never impose this task to everyone who does not want to
assume this responsibility. Consider the fact that many
exchangers will use your home as a base for days
excursion, and your well beloved pet may just be an
unacceptable restriction to their liberty.
Other
questions? Just
write to us
and we will try to answer it as soon as
possible.
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