RoofSwap Designed By Our Members, For Our Members
Nicole Frank is one of the leading experts of the home exchange community. Nicole has been an avid home exchanger since childhood and has completed dozens exchanges around the world with her family. Nicole’s "Key to Home Exchange" appears weekly on RoofSwap.com with do’s and don’t regarding house swapping and tips and advice on a wide array of travel topics. Have a question for Nicole or want to share some insight of your own? Visit our Member Forum section and post your comments and questions.
DO WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER HOME EXCHANGE CLUB?
This is Roofswap's advice column, so let me give you some advice: RoofSwap is changing the home exchange community. You can be part of that change. Send questions to NicoleF@RoofSwap.com and I will answer them here.
WHY ARE YOU GIVING ME ADVICE?
Wait a minute, what makes me the expert? Well, for more than three years I have been writing "Home Exchange Travels" which can be found at HomeExchanger.blogspot.com. It's my personal blog, based on my decades of experience as a home exchanger. I did my first vacation swap when I was 8 years old. I have exchanged homes as a child, as a young adult home-owner, as a newlywed on a honeymoon Grand Tour of Europe, as a parent, and now as an adult daughter traveling with an elderly father and my two growing kids. I have completed more than 40 home exchanges, most great, a few not that wonderful.
You certainly have different home exchange experiences than I do, and I invite you to share them with the entire RoofSwap community. Post your ideas, questions, stories or problems to our forum. We can't wait to hear from you.
WHY ROOFSWAP?
In all the time I have been writing my blog, I have kept it completely non-commercial so I can make home exchange recommendations without bias. Over the years I have been approached by many businesspeople eager to find a way to make money from our community. Before I heard about RoofSwap, all the other entrepreneurs had the same idea and they all asked the wrong question:
Other New Clubs: "Trading vacations in private homes is not only the most comfortable and rewarding way to travel, it is basically free. Here's how we're going to change that so we can make money each time two families trade lodging."
HOME EXCHANGE INNOVATION
After hearing lots of bad ideas for new home exchange clubs, it was refreshing to hear something completely different from the RoofSwap team.
RoofSwap started with a simple question: “How can we help home exchangers really enjoy their home exchange experience?”
After looking at pretty much every home exchange business out there, the Roofswap team figured out some crucial basics:
- More home exchangers mean everyone has an easier time finding a swap.
- Smarter, better-informed home exchangers make everyone's home exchange more secure.
- Building a strong home exchange community improves the home exchange experience.
- It should be easy and fun to build a home exchange listing and use a swap club's website.
- Some existing home exchange clubs have especially great features and services for their members.
- Home exchange isn't just about saving money on lodging, it's about making the world a better place.
WHO MAKES UP THE ROOFSWAP TEAM?
RoofSwap is made up of folks just like you who love home exchange. What's not to love about a travel style that lets you see the world with more amenities and comfort than almost any hotel, and all for free. RoofSwap knows that home exchangers want to learn about different culture and get to know how people live in the destinations we visit. We want to have a positive impact on our own communities and other places.
HOW DOES ROOFSWAP MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
- We combined the power of several "best in breed" home exchange sites to offer the most user-friendly website around.
- We have the freshest, most varied listings.
- Our step-by-step guide to home exchange lets new swappers get into their first house trade with ease and security.
- The RoofSwap Forum is the place where experienced home exchangers share info with those new to our community.
- 10% of our proceeds go directly to Habitat for Humanity International which helps deserving people in under-served areas build homes for their families and maybe one day realize their own travel dreams through home exchange.
THE ROOFSWAP DIFFERENCE
I am a home exchanger first and foremost. After hearing dozens of new ideas for building home exchange businesses, it was RoofSwap that stood head and shoulders above the others. RoofSwap offers among the largest selection of home exchange listings available anywhere. The website is simple and user-friendly. I loved browsing the attractive, easy-to-read listings. It was a snap to build my own home exchange listing on RoofSwap. RoofSwap's customer-service and resources are top-notch. I like it that I can get and respond to home exchange offers without revealing my personal information to possible swap partners until I'm ready.
ROOFSWAP PUTS OUR COMMUNITY FIRST
When RoofSwap contacted me I expected yet another attempt to charge exchangers more fees for services of questionable usefullness. But when I heard about RoofSwap's vision for our community it was my dream come true. RoofSwap’s seasoned team created an easy-to-use site and backed it up with the same core values that make home exchange work so well.
RoofSwap is going to make the entire home exchange community stronger. I am proud to be part of the RoofSwap team.
SO IN CLOSING, WHY JOIN ROOFSWAP?
Joining RoofSwap means more than being able to access the freshest swap listings and most up-to-date resources. When you become a RoofSwap member you are voting to open the doors of home exchange to thousands of new exchangers. That means more opportunities for you to find the home exchange vacation of your dreams.
RoofSwap offers members sophisticated tools to find and plan the perfect house swap. But RoofSwap is also broadening the appeal of home exchange to people who may have never heard of it before. Thanks to RoofSwap our community is becoming bigger and better. You are an important part of that. Let me know what’s on your mind. You can reach me at NicoleF@RoofSwap.com.
