My name is Jenny; I am 17 years old and live with my parents and two younger teenage brothers. Our home, an 18th century cottage, is in a market town in an area of the north of England known as the Lake District. We became members of HomeLink in 1994 and since then all of the articles I have read about house exchanging have been written by adults. After 9 years and 21 successful exchanges, I feel able give a younger person's point of view on home exchanging.

For most people the idea of living in someone else's house and sleeping in someone else's bed seems strange - for me, and lots of others, it's just normal. There are so many advantages of being a HomeLink member and exchanging your house that I can't think why everyone doesn't do it. Naturally, many people have some reservations about sharing their home - I hope our experiences might help to put your mind at rest.

We get lots of offers from exchangers who want to come to our area because of the fantastic scenery. Some of the houses we have visited have been much larger or grander than ours but this has never seemed to worry our exchangers. They seem to love the welcome they receive, our comfortable home and the great location. Some have even returned twice so they must like it!

We always exchange during school holidays to avoid taking time off school. Unfortunately, for most people, this is when prices of hotels and rented accommodation are at their very highest. By doing this we have usually managed to arrange three holidays each year.
 

I can remember our first exchange very clearly. We had butterflies in our stomachs as we drove up to the house when three neighbouring children, just our ages, were waiting at the gate to welcome us. "We have been waiting for you!" they shouted. They became good friends over the week and I was invited to join their birthday party. At the age of 7 it was so nice to make a new friend on holiday. Through our exchanges I have met lots of different people, which has helped me to develop new friendships.

On our first exchange we were left a large chocolate Easter egg each. This made a big impression on us and as a welcoming gesture we always leave gifts for our exchangers. We bake a homemade cake and leave this with wine and colourfully wrapped presents on our kitchen table.

In my experience, the most successful exchanges have been where we have been made to feel most welcome. Feeling relaxed and comfortable means more than being in grand surroundings. We have usually exchanged with families with children around our ages and the homes have been filled with games, toys, bikes, videos, etc. For my brothers the size and "poshness" of the house is not important. A great house is one that has lots of toys and games to entertain them. This is a huge benefit when swapping with children of a young age. Hotels and holiday homes may have the odd game of Scrabble but some of the homes we have visited to have been like Aladdin's cave.

But it's not only toys that we have had the pleasure of using on house swaps! Our past exchanges have included the use of kayaks (a house backing on to The River Thames in London), free use of a hotel's leisure facilities, bikes, a private swimming pool and trampolines. We have enjoyed looking after small pets for exchangers and one of my favourite house swapping experiences was collecting fresh eggs each morning from the family's own hens.

We leave a book called "How was it for you?" in which families write what they have enjoyed doing. It's great fun to read what people like the most, which has been anything from pony trekking to taking part in local fell races, and useful for exchangers to read too.

When we arrange a swap we always asks to see photos of the house and its interior. On arrival it is exciting to see what the house is like and whether it is what we were expecting.

I have asked my family what they don't like about home exchanging and we unanimously agreed that the worst thing is the tidying and cleaning before we leave. The benefit of this is that you do all the jobs you have been putting off doing. For teenagers, of course, this means tidying their bedrooms!

It is not usually possible to meet exchange partners because, more often than not, you are travelling at the same time. However, we have met about five exchange families and it has made the holiday feel more like a swap with old friends.

HomeLink has enabled us to make friends and have wonderful holidays throughout Europe. Because it is so economical we have been able to take holidays 2 or 3 times a year. I have very much enjoyed experiencing different ways of living and the variety of locations HomeLink has made it possible for me to visit. I would definitely recommend house exchanging particularly for families.

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