GTI Home Exchange 1st Blog Anniversary

It hardly seems possible that it's almost a year since I started the Green Theme International Home Exchange blog, the time has flown. If you haven't yet discovered the GTI blog, please be quick as I believe items retained in the Archives will begin to fall off the blog very soon.

It has been a little disappointing that not more GTI members have come to terms with the technology of blogging, or at least made comments on the GTI blog, as hoped, to create a superb member resource for relating their experiences or discussing travel items of mutual interest. It's appreciated that some of us may not be in the first flush of youth and able to absorb all this technology, as Jo Chambers wrote:
"Hi Kate,
Now I know I went to Aus but the blogspot is just now perhaps a step too far, I do this in the library and hotmail does not like me visiting a site outside hotmail!!. Where would you like our news of our exchange to Australia, as I am disabled, using an electric scooter, we thought it might give confidence to others? Hope more people get inspired to put their experiences on line."
So I posted Jo's article about her trip to Australia for her and she was very pleased. "I think my article looks really good, though I say so myself."

It is in fact very simple to post your comments on the GTI blog. Just click on the Comments hyperlink below the relevant article, and again on the hyperlink Post a Comment. So here's hoping for some feedback.!!

GTI Home Exchange Newsletter - Autumn 2005

The GTI Home Exchange Autumn Newsletter 2005 was published on 21st September (the official date for the beginning of Autumn, I believe). Articles featured in this issue included:
-- A Topical Pilgrimage to Cape Trafalgar?
-- Home Exchange Matchmaking
-- Combining Home Exchange, Hospitality Exchange & Rental Options
-- Dipping into the GTI Home Exchange Archives
-- Question & Answer Session
-- Member Suggestion
-- Rare Home Exchange Opportunities not to be missed
-- Exchange within your Own Country
-- World Atlas

If you are not registered to receive your issue of GTI News by email as soon as it is published, you may read it by linking to GTI News. If you would like to receive the newsletter by email, please subscribe to the mailing list on the front page of the GTI Home Exchange web-site.

School Holiday Dates - Les Vacances Scolaires

A new listing from Karine HE17280 prompted this post: Karine mentions in her summary "Nous recherchons des échanges pendant les vacances scolaires de la zone 2." Most people outside of France would not know that different regions of the country have differing dates for school holidays, and it would perhaps not be easy for families to find out when the dates holidays might fall for the region in which an exchange offer is located to see if they are compatible with their own children's school holiday dates. I thought therefore that the following link to the French school calendar would be useful to enable families to check if their dates are compatible before pursuing the possibility of an attractive and interesting exchange offer, only to be disappointed.

If other members know of an easily accessible source of reference in their country for school holiday dates, please post them on this School Holiday Dates blog. I am sure the information will be much appreciated and very useful for people seeking to arrange family home exchange holidays.

If you are not sure how to make a comment or add the information, the procedure is simple: just click on the Comment hyperlink on the blog, register with a username and password and then post your comment. Failing this, just send the information to me with the appropriate URL reference, and I will post it for you.

Know Before You Go campaign

This may be a repeat post on the GTI Home Exchange weblog, but the information is very important worthy of consultation on a regular basis, and of course, just before you travel.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Know Before You Go campaign to help British travellers (and any others who may wish to make use of the information) stay safe overseas. Before you go overseas, check out the FCO website which is packed with essential travel advice and tips, and up-to-date country information.

Home Exchange Match Making

Question: A journalist asked this question this week, in preparation for an article he was writing on home exchange.

Does “like seek to exchange with like” when considering a home exchange?

Answer: Whilst many people would prefer and are often able to exchange with owners of a property similar in standing to their own, this is not something which is set in stone with regard to home exchange. Some people may be motivated more by the location of an exchange offer rather than the fact that the property should offer exactly the same facilities as their own home. There have been many examples of this: one which comes to mind is that of Trisha, a long-term member of GTI Home Exchange, with a beautiful property in Australia, who recently wrote in response to our renewal reminder: “I am in the UK at present and have been so busy with two children getting married within weeks of each other that I have put all else on hold. I do intend to renew our membership and will do so on our return to Australia when I have more time to sort things out.” Trisha was in UK and needed to be in specific locations for the weddings of her children. Similarly Winnie Larsen HE16500 wrote “We are going to a wedding in Edinburgh the 2nd of July and we are looking for a house exchange within that period. Winnie’s example above also indicated that sometimes it is the dates for which the exchange is offered that are equally as important.

Nevertheless, it is probably true that the most successful and carefree exchanges often take place when “like exchanges with like”. For example it is far more likely that a young family will find that their exchange meets their needs and matches up to their expectations if they are able to exchange with a family whose children are of similar ages to their own. There will be toys and facilities that meet the needs of the youngsters of the same age group and it often removes the need to take essential bulky equipment such as buggies etc.

Similarly other specific groups such as Seniors may prefer to exchange with people of their own age. Their properties are arranged more for the convenience and tastes of their group, perhaps with expensive décor, even antiques, and may not be set up to withstand the impact of more vigorous age groups such as families with teenagers. For people wishing to limit their search for an exchange within the Seniors group, they simply need to click on Detailed Search and check the “Seniors/Over 55's” box.

Of course, the final answer is not to close any avenues which you think may lead to the exchange you want be it for a particular reason or the holiday of a lifetime, but to earn a reputation of being an ideal home exchange partner by preparing an enticing exchange offer, and giving the time to getting to know and becoming comfortable with your prospective exchange partners before agreeing to a definite arrangement.