Last year we joined HE because we were travelling to Rome. After sending out several requests (which you know takes a lot of time) we did not receive any replies. In the end we booked with Airbnb.
This week we are travelling to Seville (in March or April)and once again we have sent out eight requests. We have received 2 negative replies. Actually one of those replies was an acceptance but she was charging €200. Once again we are booking with Airbnb. It’s time consuming and wearing.
I am just venting here and announcing my frustration.
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Hello. I’m sorry you feel this way, but capitals like this are very requested, they get multiple requests per day. Depending on what home you offer yourself, it can take dozens or hundreds of messages to find exchanges. The average value, even for experimented members is 20 requests to agree for an exchange. It’s not a booking system. You may have to extend your researches to suburbs where it’s less requested etc.
I think for now you didn’t understood clearly how to be successful in HomeExchanging. The more flexible you are ( on periods, locations, type of home etc), the easiest it is
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It sounds like maybe you were under the impression you would find an exchange for every trip you want to take? If so you might want to reconsider if home exchange is the right way for you to travel. It’s not a booking service, and an exchange is never guaranteed. It seems like you are more oriented towards what you can get out of it, rather than approaching it as a system where you are as excited to give as to receive.
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We had to do many requests and got a place in a location that was a little off the normal path in Italy but it was great fun. I think we were well above 20. Italy is hard. I don’t know about spain. I also did not find a mutual interest in the US from a european location so no simultaneous exchange. I think for europe it was longer requests and our timing was fall so that is a little limiting. You probably have to reach out a lot, look on the facebook page too. Consider location not in city centers too
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HomeExchange is not really for destination travellers. If you are interested in taking a chance on somewhere new, it’s more suitable. We went to Vienna 2 years ago, and it’s not somewhere I would ever have chosen to go, but it was an awesome month and a beautiful city and I have zero regrets about travelling there. In this case we were approached and decided to give it a go.
When we have made approaches in popular destinations, it is always very hard. If I’m planning a side trip to somewhere, I will ask literally everyone in a big radius that looks even moderately suitable, and I don’t worry about not getting replies. I know many of these people are dead accounts, or get many requests. If they aren’t interested in me, then I’m not interested in them either. To be honest, how hard is it to copy-paste the same message into 30 listings instead of 5 or 10?
A final thing to consider (if you haven’t already) is travelling during off-peak periods. Many HomeExchange homes in major destinations are only available during these periods because the owners put them on other platforms too where they get actual money for them.
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I appreciate your beautiful reply.
I vented about our frustration on this forum and I have learned so much since I submitted the few words. Our experience with HE has been wonderful overall. We have had great exchanges. We were approached by those members and all went well. We love hosting and we love travelling.
My rant was specifically about a destination break. I have learned that up to 20 requests are required and now I am at peace with that. Since then we pushed out our trip to Seville to September and contacted someone who had contacted us last year and didn’t follow through. We have made a lovely arrangement and we are delighted. I have learned that most people are like us. We try to be helpful and considerate. We try to make sure that people have a good holiday in Ireland and enjoy our home in Co Roscommon as a secure base for sightseeing.
This is the HE ethos. Helping each other have great holidays and trusting people in your home.
We are delighted to be part of it all.
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Not sure that’s a fair response or very diplomatic to be honest. I think there is always more that HE can do to encourage more successful exchanges and positive outcomes for guests looking to travel. I am new to HE and understand these concerns as it can be both time consuming and frustrating when searching for homes @HomeExchangeTeam
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Probably, I may have been a little hard and direct but I’m kind of tired to read this type of frustration (on a weekly base in Facebook groups for many years) or on the livetchat where I help for years too.
Members need to be aware than yes sometimes it doesn’t work, cause it’s not a booking system, that’s part of the nature of HomeExchanging. So sometimes I’m a little less patient and express it directly.
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It’s one of the things I tell people who may be interested in HomeExchange, too. Just to give a fair impression. I agree that it’s very important to understand this.
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Yes let’s be honest, it’s not always easy, and you know that When you don’t live yourself in a touristic place or capital and have several years od experience 
but when it works, it’s so great !
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Indeed!
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It took me over a year to find a few days of each place I wanted to visit along the French Riviera and yet they all wanted to come to NYC but never return the offer. I finally found many few night stays and now I’m able to go! But I did do Italy on Airbnb over a decade ago.
Sometimes the platform can be frustrating, but when it works it is like magic.
Come to Malaga next time, I will accept right away!
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When i started 18 years ago, i went to an American home where people were exchanging since 20 years. A long time before internet.
They were interviewed by the Chicago Herald Tribune and they said :
”When you receive a request, accept it. You will never be disappointed, and you will discover places you never imagined. If you wait to go to Paris in front of the Notre Dame cathedral, you will never go to Paris.”
When we agreed on an exchange, we were in the suburbs of Paris and they were in the suburbs of Chicago.
A month before their arrival, we announce to them that we moved. They had already bought their plane tickets.
Worried silence from our Americans.
“We moved into an apartment located a 10-minute walk from the Notre Dame cathedral” 
That’s also Homeexchange. Beautiful discoveries.
All the world wants to go to Italy. It’s a beautiful country. It is difficult to find an exchange. Not impossible but quite difficult. We had wonderful exchanges there but it was not in the most touristic areas.
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A lovely story - thank you for sharing 
I’ve had better luck finding exchanges by planning further ahead and reaching out to lots of members in places I’m interested in. Sometimes quick responses come from unexpected locations too.
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I have found the main attraction of HE being going to places I wouldn’t know about or consider normally.
My best exchanges have been with ordinary people with ordinary family homes - often a little bit off the beaten path. That has been great experiences - real gifts of this community!
My worst was a request from a member with an amazing listing in a prime destination. I felt scammed as I went far and beyond to help them and shop for them per their requests, and they never reciprocated with a stay at their listing after several attempts.
I have, though, also had wonderful exchanges in London, Paris etc. But I know that they get their mailboxes so full, and they don’t have more travel time than the rest of us. So travelling for destinations like that I opt for hotels and similar.
The true value for me of HE is living like a local, in proper neighborhoods. I find that value more in locations a bit off from the big tourist destinations. But often we use major airports, and can ofc put in a couple of nights for shopping and museums in one or both ends of an exchange.
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I totally agree with you Tailwag
Paris is not so hard because there are a lot of listings. At least not as hard as London or Tokyo.
I did not get the point with “they never reciprocated with a stay at their listing after several attempts.”
Normally you can do a non simaltaneous exchange with HE.
If they come for GPs , not sure they will be “nice”.
My longer time of a non simultaneous exchange was 4 years.
I went to their home and the came 4 years later always delaying their trip for personal reasons.
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We arranged a non-sim exchange. They came to our place first. When we were about to schedule our stay at their place - actually supposedly their holiday house, there were never availability, even though we were quite flexible and made several suggestions. They never tried to suggest other dates that could work for them and were quite stand-offish. At one point I suggested a much shorter stay at their primary home which was much closer to our country - then they said they had moved. I considered reporting them, actually, but is was so much paperwork involved with HE at that time.
Sorry to hear that Tailwag
It happened to me once. It was before the merger.
At this point, i would suggest to send an email to :
https://help.homeexchange.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Just copy paste this conversation + url of your conversation where the person shows she can’t host you and ask for GPs as the member did not return the invitation.
Or the member will suddenly find dates or you may have some GPs in compensation.
At least, in selling the house, the member should have proposed some GPs instead if it was an honest person.
Moreover, you can’t write a review to prevent the other members.
HE is very supportive and willing to help.
It should not take you too long.
And please let us know the HE decision.