Exchanging House Keys |
Auto Exchange
| Ending Your Trip
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Become a member of
One World One Family.
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Begin planning your trip early. Many
members plan an exchange 6 months or more in advance.
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Compose an e-mail Letter of Introduction.
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Select at least
4 members from the directory that you might want to exchange with. Being as flexible
as possible about where you're willing to visit will help your chances of
a match.
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Contact your selected Members and wait for your replies.
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Once you hear from your prospective
exchange partners.
You should answer every request. I can't stress this
enough.
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Follow up. No detail is to small. Ask lots of questions.
Keep the lines of communication open. Call often.
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You will need plenty of time to plan your exchange. When possible, make your arrangements
months in advance. You will also need plenty of time to get acquainted with your
exchange partner. Remember to ask plenty of questions. Plan Plan Plan!
The more flexible you are with your exchange
dates, the better your chances will be when setting up your trip. The same thing
goes for your destination. If you have your heart set on a specific city, then
there is nothing anyone can do. But if you are open to many cities, you increase
your prospects. Once you do receive a request, please respond as soon as possible, either by
e-mail, mail, or phone. Yes some members do not have e-mail. We find that e-mail works
best.
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We recommend a letter of introduction. You should
include the fallowing items in your letter. This is your chance to let your
exchange partner know just what you, your home and community have to offer.
What's different about your city than all the others? This may be what makes you
want to live in your city. Let your exchange partner know. Don't embellish, be
honest.
- Your name, address, telephone number, e-mail
address
- Number of people traveling with you and who they
are
- The type
of exchange you are looking for, home or hospitality
- Possible travel dates, be flexible if possible
- Your profession and hobbies
- Languages that you speak
- The type of home you have
- Your community and what it has to offer
- Whether you have pets and what will happen when
you travel with them
- Whether you're interested in exchanging autos
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Once your requests have been acknowledged and you start to get your replies, please be prompt with your correspondence. I know people who don't read
their e-mail for weeks at a time. If you are in the process of an exchange it is imperative that you be prompt. You
would want the same consideration.
As you get to know one another, you may want to exchange photos
as well as letting each other know more about your lives, community and events.
Please also be prompt to decline any offers that do not interest you.
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Now the fun part. Accepting an offer. The dates and
location all work. They seem like real nice people and you would love to visit
there city. Great! Now all you need to do is make your travel arrangements
and let your boss know where you will be vacationing. Have you visited our Links?
You should find everything you need to make your arrangements.
Accept the offer and plan on making contact at least
four more times before the planned exchange. This will increase your comfort level
and also build a level of anticipation about the trip.
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Now that you all agree with the travel dates, you
may wish to put the details down in some form of an agreement. This brings a certain
level of comfort to some people. Yes another check list.
- Arrival and departure dates
- Number of people are in each party
- Transportation to-and-from airports
- If this is a Home Exchange, how will you exchange house keys
- If this is a Hospitality Exchange, when will you
arrive
- Name and phone numbers of a neighbor, friend
- Cleaning arrangements (during the stay and before
departure)
- Pet arrangements
- Providing each other with closet space
- List any items not to be used
- Agree to pay for any damages that may occur during your
stay
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The procedure is the same as house/apartment exchange in that the two parties exchanging stay in one another's home during a simultaneous time period.
The difference is that each party will be sharing space with the other's roommates during the stay.
Do
not spring the plan on your roommates at the last minute, this creates a hostile
environment. Get them involved from the beginning of the plan. This way, they
can look forward to meeting the guests and feel like they are a part of your
trip.
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This is the opposite of a home exchange. You actually
stay with another member in their home. This
is the way I prefer to travel. Then when they visit your city, they stay with you for an equal period of time.
So you get to see each other at least twice. This is a friendship builder.
What better way to get to know someone than to stay in there home? Through a
Hospitality exchange you will learn enough about your exchange partner to feel
that you truly know all about them.
Once you have determined the details of a hospitality exchange, write up a Letter of Agreement similar to that used for a home exchange.
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A private home-owner who has a spare bedroom available for a
fee, which is determined by the host and paid upon arrival by the vacationer to the host.
The host provides one meal per day. The guest has use of the kitchen to prepare
meals.
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If you are exchanging homes, you will need to make
arrangements to exchange the keys. Mailing them works. So does having a neighbor
pass them on to your guests. This is a vital point. You don't want forgotten keys to ruin a vacation.
You may wish to hide your keys outside your home for
your guests. If you do, please be sure that they can find them. Putting them in
a flower pot works. But not if you have ten of them.
If you are providing a hospitality exchange, please
be home to great your guest when they arrive (unless you are picking them up at
the airport) and be sure to have a set of keys for them in there room.
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This is a tricky one. You would like the use of a
car in most cities, but the expense is not in your budget. Should you exchange?
It has it's advantages. If you do decide to exchange automobiles, you may want
to consider the following.
- Does your insurance cover this type of
transaction? Most do.
- Do we need a (written) agreement? I would.
- What if you have an accident? Who is responsible
for what?
- How many miles/klm will the car be driven?
- Who pays for the fuel?
- The keys?
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Things to remember when caring for other peoples
pets. Remember that everyone treats their animals differently.
- Feeding rules
- Who do you call in case of an emergency?
- When is the pet allowed out?
- Habits (bad & good)
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So now it's time to say goodbye. And it went by so
quickly. Hopefully, you will have lots of thrilling memories about your experience to tell your friends.
And plenty of photos to show.
You will now need to leave the home as you found it.
This may include some cleaning and making sure that you take everything that you
brought with you. Leave the keys and perhaps a note telling your host about your
travels. If anything went wrong or perhaps you broke something, you should make
good on your offer to replace it or leave enough money to cover it's cost. You
should also leave enough money to cover any long distance phone calls that you
made.
A small gift would also be nice. And a photo is always appreciated. We
hope you had a pleasant stay, come back soon.
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