Welcome Trocmaison  in France & HomeExchange California to exchange your home for the holidays

HomeExchange.com^TM  and Collaborative Consumption: « The Big Shift » ?

Symbolized by the « Buy Nothing Day »,  a recurring event which  takes place on the last Saturday of November, Collaborative Consumption is taking the effort internationally.

The movement was conceptualized in the book « What's Mine is Yours »* by Rachel Botsman and Roo Roger as « a cultural and economic force transforming business, consumerism and the way we live ». It charts how in the 20th century of hyper-consumption defined us by credit, advertising, and what we owned and how in the 21st century  we will be defined by reputation, community and by what we can access. As we now live in a global village, the exchanges that used to take place face to face are made possible but on a scale and in ways that were never possible before.

"Collaboration and sharing through current and emerging peer to peer technologies": this is precisely why HomeExchange.com, the largest worldwide home exchange network, with 39'000 listings in 137 countries, is recognized as one of the leaders in the marketplaces of this new attitude. A model of commercial embracement of the  2.0 era, HomeExchange.com developed a high value, low cost service with minimum footprint on the environment:
 
-   No paper - all communications by internet

-   Truly "green" travel by making use of existing facilities

-   Virtual offices, hence no commuting

-   Multi-cultural team with international sites in 14 languages including Chinese

-   No advertising on the sites.  

HomeExchange.com promotes travel with eco-friendly benefits, creating a sustainable tourism model by supporting local people and economies that allows travelers to an authentic experience that mirrors the way people live day-to-day instead of promoting a never-ending expansion of hotels, disposable comforts, and packaged vacations.  

HomeExchange.com is a club whose Members form a non-intrusive, family friendly, lifestyle oriented social network.

HomeExchange.com, a small company with a committed team of representents who are all home exchangers themselves, lead to a phenomenon becoming mainstream: 20'000 Members in 2008, 26'000 in 2009, 38'000 in 2010, 39'000 at the end of January 2011.  What explains this explosive growth ?

The economic recession is certainly one reason, people have become aware that except for getting there, a HomeExchange vacation anywhere in the world doesn't have to cost any more than staying at home. But beyond the savings, they saw the value of the home exchange experience, living like a local in a real neighborhood and the comfort of a home.

Who are the "HomeExchangers" of the world, and what are their expectations? Open-minded, independent, pragmatic, curious, educated, very few define themselves as radical anti-consumption believers. Exchanging homes, even cars, bikes or sport equipment, taking care of someone else's pets and plants, these new attitudes create different, richer and more human experiences. An invaluable asset, if you consider Collaborative Consumption aspirations.  As Shirley Mc Laine  stated once, "The more I travelled, the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who would be friends".
 

·    *   Harperbusiness,  HarperCollins Publisher
 
 

Contact: homeexchange.com