Hi all,
We’ve got a HomeExchange organised in September to the US but we can’t deny that we’re a little nervous as we’re hearing stories of tourists being detained and deported because they don’t have a hotel reservation.
Obviously we would print and carry with us the confirmation of our HomeExchange reservation, but I was just wondering if anyone else is in the same situation / or feeling as nervous as we are?
Thanks
Welcome to the Forum 
I can understand your concern. We have recently received reports that some HomeExchange members are encountering additional questions when entering the U.S. during their travels.
From the information we’ve gathered, it appears that a misunderstanding has occurred in some cases, where home swapping is mistakenly interpreted as an “exchange of value.” This confusion seems to be due to an inconsistent interpretation of the rules by certain immigration officers, rather than any official U.S. policy.
While this concerns just isolated instances and the vast majority of HomeExchange travellers enter the U.S. without any issues, if you’re planning a trip to the U.S., here are a few tips:
Be clear about your trip: you are a tourist on vacation, with a touristic visa.
Avoid terms like exchange of value or commercial transaction
—they could cause confusion and do not apply for exchanges since there is no financial transaction.
We’re working to clarify the legal status of home exchange with the appropriate U.S. authorities. In the meantime, we encourage you to share your experiences so we can track any inconsistencies.
Home exchanging is about trust, hospitality, and cultural discovery. We’ll continue advocating for our members and making sure you can travel with confidence.
I’m travelling in September to NYC, I’m not worried. Last year I also went to NYC with HE, I just told the immigration officer the address where I would be staying in.
In case of doubt, you can always show them an invitation letter from your host family.
I would not use the word " reservation", that sounds too much airbnb style 
The other thing to keep in mind is to stay away from terms that might be considered work like pet sitting. You are visiting, vacationing etc. It has always been the case that “work” is not allowed but customs was more forgiving of what you said and how they interpreted it. Now they are pushing in the other direction to when in doubt.