Den
02-25-2004, 12:24 PM
Posted by Den on October 25, 2000 at 22:16:39:
Article on Home Exchanges from Frommers in San Francisco Examiner/Denver Post/Vancouver Sun
Saturday, October 14, 2000
Article 5 of 6 >
Two New Web-Based Home Exchange Resources Get off the Ground
On the Internet, one often gets back exactly what one puts in, and the success or failure of these fledgling enterprises depends on how much people use them. In that light, we introduce you to a few promising resources for home swapping and hospitality exchange.
Most of the established home-exchange lists charge an annual membership of about $100, for which you receive quarterly listings of available properties. Some of those, such as Intervac (www.intervac.com), have Web-only memberships that grant you annual access to the database for $50. However, there are two new resources in the marketplace that cost far less. And although their listings are currently much smaller than the long-term players such as Intervac, the fact they cost so little makes them potentially powerful additions, or at the very least the first phase in a new way to trade vacation homes.
The first is Canadian database that calls itself Global Home Exchange, located at 4homex.com/. You can surf its offerings for free, but it costs a few dollars for every listing you want to post. For example, a single listing costs C$4.95 (about $2.50 in American dollars) for one month; three months costs C$9.95 (about $6). That's significantly less than similar hospitality exchange sites; we'll have to wait and see if low pricing contributes to its eventual success.
People who place a listing disclose a little information about their home, including the dates they plan to leave it as well as where they want to go, so would-be swappers who live at their destination can consider a one-for-one trade during those days. The Exchange provides a link to your e-mail, so all the logistics are handled between the interested parties.
The site is a homegrown affair at best, and without the flash and glitter of your typical travel site, but then again, so is home swapping. Whether two families' vacations are conducted simultaneously in each other's homes ("swapping") or you invite the other to stay with you while you're home ("hospitality exchange"), sharing personal space is an economical way to go native.
Currently, trade is a bit light on the Exchange, but since browsing available homes is free (unlike many subscription-based services), it may only be a matter of time before trade becomes brisk. In the meantime, the eager webmasters have posted some excellent information pages about the risks and rewards of home swapping.
Meanwhile, "FreeLodging," an even cheaper home-swapping option, has surfaced. An altruistic Webbie has established a newsgroup within the free eGroups site (which recently swallowed the similar ONEList message board site) that lists, without charging a penny, homes that are available for hospitality exchange or swapping. The group was launched only a few weeks ago, so there are only a handful of listings on the boards right now. There's no reason access won't expand over the next few weeks. You can find the newly hatched group at www.egroups.com/group/Freelodging. Expect no service and many not to serious travelers from a free site.
For that matter, there's no reason to venture outside of our site to find or advertise a swappable home. As we have since our inception, Frommers.com hosts message boards devoted to hospitality exchange. You can find them a click away, and better yet, we don't charge a single cent for the service. The feature is there to be exploited.
Granted, without a steep membership fee to weed out the serious, pretty much anyone can put their dusty broom closets on the block for a free site exchange, so you'll have to be extra vigilant to make sure you know what you're getting into. If you can trust yourself enough to trust a stranger, you're the type who can risk organizing an exchange on a no-fee basis.
Article on Home Exchanges from Frommers in San Francisco Examiner/Denver Post/Vancouver Sun
Saturday, October 14, 2000
Article 5 of 6 >
Two New Web-Based Home Exchange Resources Get off the Ground
On the Internet, one often gets back exactly what one puts in, and the success or failure of these fledgling enterprises depends on how much people use them. In that light, we introduce you to a few promising resources for home swapping and hospitality exchange.
Most of the established home-exchange lists charge an annual membership of about $100, for which you receive quarterly listings of available properties. Some of those, such as Intervac (www.intervac.com), have Web-only memberships that grant you annual access to the database for $50. However, there are two new resources in the marketplace that cost far less. And although their listings are currently much smaller than the long-term players such as Intervac, the fact they cost so little makes them potentially powerful additions, or at the very least the first phase in a new way to trade vacation homes.
The first is Canadian database that calls itself Global Home Exchange, located at 4homex.com/. You can surf its offerings for free, but it costs a few dollars for every listing you want to post. For example, a single listing costs C$4.95 (about $2.50 in American dollars) for one month; three months costs C$9.95 (about $6). That's significantly less than similar hospitality exchange sites; we'll have to wait and see if low pricing contributes to its eventual success.
People who place a listing disclose a little information about their home, including the dates they plan to leave it as well as where they want to go, so would-be swappers who live at their destination can consider a one-for-one trade during those days. The Exchange provides a link to your e-mail, so all the logistics are handled between the interested parties.
The site is a homegrown affair at best, and without the flash and glitter of your typical travel site, but then again, so is home swapping. Whether two families' vacations are conducted simultaneously in each other's homes ("swapping") or you invite the other to stay with you while you're home ("hospitality exchange"), sharing personal space is an economical way to go native.
Currently, trade is a bit light on the Exchange, but since browsing available homes is free (unlike many subscription-based services), it may only be a matter of time before trade becomes brisk. In the meantime, the eager webmasters have posted some excellent information pages about the risks and rewards of home swapping.
Meanwhile, "FreeLodging," an even cheaper home-swapping option, has surfaced. An altruistic Webbie has established a newsgroup within the free eGroups site (which recently swallowed the similar ONEList message board site) that lists, without charging a penny, homes that are available for hospitality exchange or swapping. The group was launched only a few weeks ago, so there are only a handful of listings on the boards right now. There's no reason access won't expand over the next few weeks. You can find the newly hatched group at www.egroups.com/group/Freelodging. Expect no service and many not to serious travelers from a free site.
For that matter, there's no reason to venture outside of our site to find or advertise a swappable home. As we have since our inception, Frommers.com hosts message boards devoted to hospitality exchange. You can find them a click away, and better yet, we don't charge a single cent for the service. The feature is there to be exploited.
Granted, without a steep membership fee to weed out the serious, pretty much anyone can put their dusty broom closets on the block for a free site exchange, so you'll have to be extra vigilant to make sure you know what you're getting into. If you can trust yourself enough to trust a stranger, you're the type who can risk organizing an exchange on a no-fee basis.