My Introduction to Home Exchange

When I was ten, my favorite activity was to study the atlas. For hours, I would sit over maps and take in the names of exotic-sounding places and dream about going there. (Did that help my geography grades!)  This inner urge to see the world was so strong that I became a flight attendant for Swissair. I will never forget, the first time I flew over the Sahara on the way to Dakar. It was just like I had always pictured it in my mind. Even from 30.000 ft the sand dunes created by strong winds were visible from the plane. I also never forget when I first put foot on American soil. It was New Year’s Eve in New York City!

Swissair had created very interesting statistics for the flying personal. One was about how many hours we had flown that particular year. At the end of my flying career I had spent 5 months non-stop in the air! Although I must admit I enjoyed the luxury and comfort of all the beautiful first class hotels I visited, over time the experience was interchangeable.

After I had explored even the farthest corners of the world during my “flying years” I settled down in New England. With so many new things to learn and discover in a new country, my desire to explore was satisfied for many years.

The years past and when I came back to live in Europe with my family, something irritated me terribly. Whenever friends told me about their terrific summer vacation trips with their kids, mostly to sunny resort towns at the Mediterranean Sea, an inner emptiness overcame me. Was it possible that I had lost all my wanderlust?

I soon discovered what the real problem was. We had made plans to visit family in the US. But we were in a dilemma. To spend two weeks in a cramped hotel room with two kids seemed a night mare, so were the outrages expenses we would have to face. That’s when we discovered Home Exchange! Right the first time, we were lucky enough to exchange homes with “old pros”. They introduced us so nicely to the idea and gave us many practical tips that were so helpful to us newcomers. I can’t tell how exciting it was to stay in there gorgeous house. They had left everything right at its place: jewellery, old coins, antiques. We were very moved by their trust in us. Even though the owners were not present, we felt we got to know them in their absence from the way they had designed their household. It was like slipping into somebody else’s live for a few days. We also learnt that with the help of your local home exchange partners you get to know an area in depth and receive inside information you would not have any other way. For instance, this summer we did a lovely home exchange with an Italian professor and his charming wife in Florence. We got to know his son, too. Over a delicious Italian dinner we had a chance to discuss modern Italian life. It was simply inspiring.

By the way, our kids love home exchange, too. For a trade they get their own room with new toys to discover. It’s educational, too.

After being back in Europe from our first American home exchange trip I heard my friends talk about their great vacation in a family resort hotel. And all of a sudden I knew what I had missed in my travels for so long: connecting with the local people and having the feeling of “coming home” at the end of an exiting day of exploring new sights.  

What are your experiences with Home Exchange? We love to hear from you!

Write to info(at)JewettStreet.com