Has international and domestic demand dropped for other U.S. hosts? How are you adapting?
Weâve been on HomeExchange for years, and for a long time our experience as a U.S. host was very consistent: by January or February weâd already be fielding dozens of requests from Europe for summer stays. It was almost predictable.
The past two years, that has completely changed. Last year we had zero international requestsâand, surprisingly, domestic requests were essentially dead as well. For the first time ever, we couldnât line up an exchange and ultimately had to rely on house sitters. This year is shaping up the same way. I nearly canceled our membership.
I donât think this is about our home or our profile. It feels like a larger shift. Between higher airfare, tighter vacation windows, and a general move toward simpler, closer-to-home travel, people seem to be traveling less or differently. I also canât help but wonder whether broader political instabilityâboth in the U.S. and globallyâis making people more hesitant to commit to international plans or long-haul exchanges.
So now weâre trying to rethink how we use the platform:
⢠Hosting more intentionally (even short stays) to bank GuestPoints
⢠Being more open to last-minute and off-season requests
⢠Treating HE less as âreciprocal swapsâ and more as a long-game points system
But the challenge is that when both international and domestic demand are slow, itâs hard to get any momentum at all.
Iâm really curious how other U.S.-based hosts are experiencing this:
⢠Have you also seen a drop in both international and domestic requests?
⢠Are you mostly hosting domestically nowâor is that quiet for you too?
⢠Have you changed how you write your profile or who you target?
⢠Are you cross-posting on other platforms to keep your home in circulation?
⢠Have you found any strategies that reliably bring in more exchanges or GP stays?
I love the spirit of HomeExchange and donât want to give it upâbut it feels like the old âwait for Europe to come knockingâ model no longer works. Iâd really love to hear how others are adapting in this new reality.
Welcome to the HomeExchange Forum Iâm sorry to hear that you havenât had many exchange requests recently. It is still quite early in the year and there are still many people who have not made their plans for this summer. So please do not despair.
We saw a slight trend last year that the number of requests for people wishing to visit America was down slightly. However the amount of approved requests for Americans travelling abroad was still strong.
Also demand for domestic travel within America is usually high, so iâm sure things will pick up on that front too
Have you tried posting your availability to this group and also to the âBoost your listingâ section of the Forum? Both really handy ways to gain some visibility for your home! Also are you a member of the Facebook Groups? They can be a handy way to share any availability that you have. Itâs great though that you are open to changing the way that you use the platform after such a long time as members.
Let me know how you get on and happy HomeExchanging
As a member here for many years, Iâll share that I am a member of a similar site, where this topic has been discussed. I think it is most helpful to be transparent, as this will be best to plan home swaps going forward. On the other site it seems to be the opinion of the majority of members outside of the US - at least on the forum - that the members are looking for other destinations, and that it is solely based on the current administration. One can agree/ like it or not, that is how many regard it. For a variety of reasons, from not supporting it, the fact that on arrival you risk having your social media searched and denied entry for having said an opinion in public - and to possible risks regarding being confronted by certain Icecapades. This is regarded real risks by many also for people with papers and means, and an unneccessary risk and/ or hazzle going for vacation with kids and all. With Home Exchange there are so many options, so many possibilities. Even a small thing like getting a visa, a costly flight, weather - so many things could impact. So of course real legal stuff matter.
Maybe you could be pro-active. Check who has favorited your home, is interested in the US and so on, and send out some messages to possible exchange partners. It also matters to see if you could stand out a little more in your listing. Saying why they should come to your area, what there is to see and do. What would be the hurdles to go to your home for your target group? Is there something you could do to easen those?
I will echo Tailwagâs comments. We are Canadians and have concluded many wonderful exchanges, both Guestpoints and Reciprocal with members in the USA. We love the country and the people. We have the opposite reaction to the current federal government in the USA, and their not-so-veiled threats and actions against Canada and many other countries. The drop in exchange requests is undoubtedly due to a sentiment amongst many people outside the USA that a trip there is not worth the risk involved. We wait hopefully that a more reasonable, humane, and responsible Congress will be elected in 2026, and presidential administration in 2028. Until then, we and most of our family and friends in Canada and Europe have no intention of visiting the USA.
As far as i know , foreign tourists to USA have dropped by 15%.
To be treated like a potential criminal and to be obliged to declare accounts on social media is not welcoming and quite intrusive.
To spend thousand of $$$ to hear that you cannot come in the country ( or even worse like these people who were jailed shocked the European) is not a good idea.
We went 10 times in the US in past 15 years and would be happy to go back but we donât feel as confortable as we used to be.
Donât get me wrong! I was vague in my message to avoid having a political discussion. We are also Canadian expats ourselves and do not recommend travel into the US right now. What I am trying to figure out is if anyone is having luck getting domestic travelers, or US expats coming home for periods. I think most of us are on this platform to do exchanges in Europe. Need some ideas for how to make this platform work in these times because we need to travel more than ever.
I just posted to that forum, thanks. Does that usually help? I had never opened the forum in the last 9 years on here! But I guess I was always so inundated with requests I was never needing the support.
@stacey What would work better is to use the English Facebook group, where there are several thousands of US members and we see regularly domestic exchanges concluded on it. Itâs way more old and active than this forum which was launched only a year ago.
Right now there are1521 listings in France where the US is in the favorite destinations.
And 3937 everywhere in the world (including domestic exchanges).
It shows that the USA are still a very wanted destination.
On the map, you can see any listing in the world interested in the USA.
It may be a simultaneous ou non simultaneous exchange.
Many europeans may be worried by expensive cleaning fees but some are not (we donât charge any and never paid any fees when we went to the USA).
With so many people interested in your country, i am sure you will continue to do wonderful exchanges.
Yep, I looked at our destination in Singapore and who was interested in coming to our area and there were only two. If I contact others in countries we arenât going to, like to offer guest hosting, the message system really doesnât allow that very easily. It frames it as me asking to stay with them with guest points.
Iâm sorry to hear that you havenât had many exchange requests recently. It is still quite early in the year and there are still many people who have not made their plans for this summer. So please do not despair.