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the basics. read me first.
What is home exchanging?
Home exchanging or swapping is a form of travel where you host verified members of a group in your home while you’re away, either with a mutual swap or for points to use toward accommodations at other member homes around the world. It began as a tradition among teachers in the 1950s and has grown to become one of Condé Naste Traveler’s top travel trends of 2024, thanks to the scalability of the internet. We look forward to creating the world’s first, biggest and most secure LGBTQ+ home exchange platform with your help.
What are all of the ways to swap?
Mutual, simultaneous
You and your exchange partner inhabit one anothers’ homes at the same time just like in “The Holiday”.
Mutual, nonsimultaneous
You and your exchange partner mutually agree upon different dates that you would each like to visit each other’s home. For example, Palm Springs Pride in November and Puerto Vallarta over New Years.
Points, hosting
A member requests dates where you plan to be away and pays you a nightly point rate, which you can then use to stay in other member homes. The points system will be explained in another question.
Points, guesting
You stay in another member’s home for their nightly point rate and they do not visit your home. It is the host’s right to accept, counter-propose or reject your request.
What are the fundamental rules?
#1. The golden rule of home exchanging
Do unto another’s home as you would have them do unto yours. This community is based on trust, communication and hospitality. In order to uphold our high standards of member security and satisfaction, we expect all of our members to enjoy your exchange homes with the same care you would hope for from your exchange guests.
#2. Communication is liberation
Staying in another person’s home is an intimate experience, as is having someone in yours. There’s nothing too little to discuss when it comes to preparing a successful exchange. The clearer you are with requests and ways to respectfully enjoy your home, the more trust you’ll build with both your exchange partner and yourself.
#3. Host hospitality
Gaycations should be fun! So welcome your guests with a comprehensive “Hostess with the Mostess” welcome guide to give them a slice of your life and why you love living where you do. Consider the quirks of your home and preempt any confusion. Leave some kitchen staples for their first day(s) such as coffee, butter or a bottle of local wine.
#4. Guest graciousness
The old saying goes, “Guests, like fish, tend to stink after three days.” It doesn’t have to be that way. Be the guest who hosts want to invite back again and again. Leave the home better than you found it. Follow instructions and your common sense to take out the trash, collect mail, etc.
What makes a home exchanger?
Check out this video from the world’s largest HomeExchange platform to feel the spirit of why we like to travel this way.
How do we decide terms of the exchange?
You have ultimate sovereignty of your own home and how it is cared for, as do your fellow home exchangers. We ask that you clearly and kindly outline your requests for guests and take good care to respect those of your hosts. Common topics of negotiation include:
1) Cleaning services
If you would like to hire a cleaning service to prepare your home for guests, you may relay that cost to them. Conversely, if you both have hired cleaning services, you may decide to call it even.
2) Check-in / check-out
You can decide when guests are able to access your home and when they need to depart, and vice versa. We will give you a template to create your mandatory manual to send to your guests before arrival and leave a printed copy in the home. As a guest, we kindly ask for you to take care in adhering to your host's manual just as you would ask of another for your own home.
3) Use of household items
Again this is entirely up to you, and again we recommend utmost clarity to avoid unpleasant experiences. Consider your fridge and pantry contents, bar, family heirlooms, toiletries, electronics, linens, etc. One example is creating a guest profile on your streaming services, another may be marking one bedroom as unavailable.
4) Plants / pets / packages
Oh my! If you have basic household upkeep tasks or mild/moderate pet care, you may politely request for your exchangers to take care of them while they are in your home. Consider trash/recycle/compost days, high efficiency hours for HVAC/electricity, where to leave the mail or packages, etc.
let’s go deeper.
What do I have to do to get started?
Fill out this GoogleForm and we will be in touch once your profile is live on our secure pilot program rolodex.
How does the point system work?
Using an algorithm of location + capacity + amenities indicated from your application form, we will assign your home a point value to be used when arranging points exchanges.
How are my personal belongings protected?
If you are a homeowner, we recommend you reach out to your insurance carrier to be sure your property is covered with guests. As for renter coverage, this form of hosting guests is not typically explicitly prohibited in rental agreements; however it’s a bit of a gray area. We invite you to copy and paste relevant clauses from your lease document in your Hostess with the Mostess welcome guide.
What does this beta program entail?
By signing up, you are agreeing to host and travel exchange at least once each with other test members within 6 months of confirmation.
What do I need to do to prepare my home for an exchange?
While we expect move-in ready cleanliness, tidiness and a reasonable amount of space for guests’ personal belongings, this is not a revenue-driven vacation rental platform and members should expect to enter a lived-in home. Just as you would prefer to enter a clean home ready for you and your travel partners to enjoy yourselves, we expect for you to leave your home clean and ready for guests to enjoy themselves. There should be somewhere to put luggage, and some drawer/hanging space (particularly for longer exchanges). Family photos on walls, kids toys, personal toiletries, etc. are all to be expected in a home exchange home.
We also require that all members leave a “Hostess with the Mostess” welcome guide for their guests. Upon program approval, we will share all required information and optional add-ons to make their stay comfortable and memorable.
How do I submit a swap request?
After finding a home with available dates that work for you, email homoway.homeexchange@gmail.com to submit your request. Requests are subject to host member confirmation, and are therefore not guaranteed.
What are our commitments to our members?
As this is a test program before funding from investors, we cannot offer the robust protections that we plan to make standard practice at a later time. As such, we ask that you take photos of the condition you leave your home in, respect others personal property, and honestly negotiate extraneous circumstances of damage. We also require member verification that will be sent to you upon acceptance of your application.
Can I list one bedroom in my home?
No, we only allow full home exchanges to protect the safety and security of our members.
about homoway
Founder Spencer Blank discovered home swapping with his friends late one night over copious bottles of wine and whining about wanting to travel more but not being able to afford it while living in one of America’s most exciting and most expensive cities, San Francisco. They rewatched “The Holiday” from the early 2000s, dreamed of meeting their own Jude Law, drank another 2-3…hundred bottles of wine…per person…and promptly joined a prominent home exchange platform with 250,000 properties around the world.
Within months, they all began traveling the world for long weekends to full semesters, and realized the “catch” wasn’t too good to be true. All it required was sharing the homes they had with other like-minded travelers who often left their homes cleaner than before (and sometimes even a special goody from the guests’ home country). COVID drew even more beautiful properties and welcoming members to the platform, and everyone was globetrotting even more than before all while working remotely, buying houses and making new friends around the world.
One of the biggest surprises they experienced while home exchanging was the enduring relationships built with complete strangers, brought together by a shared interest in adventure and shared values in hospitality and sharing what they have with others.
Plain and simple, the type of person who is open to opening their door to a fellow traveler is a kindred soul. It’s remarkable what our world can do when we work together rather than separately or against one another.