Freedom

House exchanging is about freedom. The freedom to be yourself. For decades I had wanted to go to France and just sit for a month in a small town, drink espresso and play boules (sometimes called petanque. . . or bocci). That was my dream. My field of dreams. My individuation. But I couldn’t figure out a way to pay for this. My wife Jan did. House exchange. The cost for the house: $0. Many exchanges later. I am hooked. Where should you go? Exactly where you want to go whether that is a small village in Europe or a busy city in the East. Fontenay-Le-Fleury, France, like myself, or Hanoi, Vietnam? Or domestically, say, Peoria, Ill,. or , Maine. Africa or Russia? Antanarivo, Madagascar, or Buenos Aires, Argentina? My first exchanges (Silverthorne (CO), Fontenay-le-Fleury, (France), Los Angeles (CA), Atlanta (Ga.), Sullivan’s Island (S.C.), Ogunquit (Me.), Laval (Canada), South Salem exchanges are typical of first-timers and my experiences will help you get started. Over the course of the exchanges, my wife Jan and I got to know a retired pilot and his wife in Colorado, a car sales executive and his retired, school teacher wife in France, a retired social worker and her photographer boyfriend in Los Angeles, a Realtor and his family in Atlanta, a retired IBM executive and his retired, school teacher wife in New York, an M & A attorney and his wife in South Carolina, a Harvard IT manager and her Harvard professor husband in Maine, an investment broker and his wife in Canada, and a Yale IT manager and his nurse oncologist wife in Connecticut. Among others. My mantra now: House exchange with the world, making friends around the globe. So many people want to get to know America. You should live the future of travel. Enjoy the fun and freedom of other cultures. Become a global-lister. A global-lister. List your home on a global exchange. And go. Live like a local, not a tourist. Stay for free, as long as you like.

First step: Top 13 sites

No matter whether you are planning to exchange your house with someone in the U.S. or abroad, the first step is always getting yourself listed on a house exchange site. Just putting your house up as available should not cost you anything, but without the dialogue with likely candidates, your effort may be hopeless. To get a house exchange, you will need to join some group. I think there are 13 important sites to visit to make your decision. However there are countless house exchange sites and new ones every day. The top 12 that I would recommend are homeexchange.com; intervac.com; ivhe.com; guesttoguest.com; ihen.com; homelink.org; homeforexchange.com; homeexchange.com; homeexchange50plus.com; seniorsHomeExchange.com; exchangezones.com; homebase-hols.com; and LoveHomeSwap.com. And one especially for singles: singleshomeexchange.com. If you plan eventually to live outside the USA, you should definitely visit first. And the easiest and best way to visit to prepare for living abroad is to exchange your home with someone who lives there already for a period of time of at least a week but, probably, no more than a month. You should be able to make a decision by then. There are hundreds of thousands of homes available worldwide – in nearly 200 countries -- when you combine the offerings of more than one of the home exchange sites. When you become a global-lister. What distinguishes each site? What are the pros and cons of each one? Which one is for you? This book will answer those questions. And there are other sites. New ones all the time. You are sure to find something good, if your goals are realistic.