Hello everyone, we are newbies to HomeExchange and would like to offer our home in Edinburgh, Scotland in exchange for guest points or direct exchange in Japan Spring 2027.
Just wanted to ask how far in advance of swapping should we plan to post our interest in the group? Any thoughts? THANK YOU Danya
@danyacaceres , If you like, you could also add the link to your listing—or at least your listing number—so that other forum members can take a look at your home and contact you if they’d like to suggest a house swap.
As for how far in advance to plan a home exchange, I don’t think there’s a fixed rule. Many people start planning their summer holidays around Christmas, but there are also those who reach out at the last minute.
In our case, if it’s an intercontinental trip, we usually plan it about 7–8 months in advance. For trips within Europe, we tend to arrange exchanges around 2–4 months before the stay. And for a short weekend getaway, sometimes we organize it with only about a month’s notice.
That said, we do receive quite a lot of GP exchange proposals only one or two weeks before the requested stay!
Japan is a destination with very limited supply and extremely high demand, as it’s very popular at the moment. If I were you, I would mark as favorites all the homes that interest you so you can receive alerts when they open their calendars.
If the owners allow contact throughout the year, I would also send a few exploratory messages explaining your travel plans and emphasizing your flexibility with dates.
I wish you the best of luck with your search—you may well need it! 
Welcome to the Forum and to HomeExchange 
Indeed Japan is in high demand - I would recommend adding this trip to your ‘Travel Wishlist’ https://help.homeexchange.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000623717-What-is-my-travel-wishlist-and-how-do-I-use-it so you will get alerts when homes become available for your chosen location and dates. If at all possible I would also recommend being as flexible as you possibly can be with the dates that you can travel.