The availabilities that have been indicated (or not) on a member's calendar are a great indicator of wether or not they might accept your exchange request. However if a member’s calendar shows availability for your dates, they may still decline your request if it’s not a good match for them.
When sending messages, it's good to be mindful of a few more details on someone’s listing and profile.
Check the type of availability in the calendar
There are three different types of availability shown on calendars.
"Open to any type of exchange": this will show in green, and indicates the member might wish to do a reciprocal exchange. This is when they come to your home and you go to theirs, or they might be open to a non-reciprocal exchange, where you stay at their home by using your GuestPoints.
"Available for reciprocal exchange": this will show in yellow, and indicates the member might be interested in coming to your home while you go to theirs. The dates they stay at your home could be different to the dates of your stay.
"Available for GuestPoints exchange": this will show in blue, and indicates the member is open to hosting someone in their home for GuestPoints.
If the calendar shows availability in green or yellow for the dates of your request, but your location is not where the member is looking to travel to right now, they might turn down your request. We would recommend checking their preferred destinations (explained below) to see where they want to go.
If the calendar shows availability in blue and your request has been declined, then it's possible you requested an exchange that was too long or too short. If your dates are flexible, it’s always a good idea to let a potential exchange partner know.
Check their preferred destinations
Members can indicate where they are looking to travel to - this will be shown on their profile. It’s possible to set up to 20 preferred destinations at any one time.
You will see a member’s preferred destinations (if they’ve set some), on their home listing. Up to three will be displayed and, if the member has set more, you can see all their preferences by viewing their profile. Preferred destinations may also tell you the exact dates and type of exchange (reciprocal or non-reciprocal) that someone's looking for.
It is highly recommended that you check someone’s preferred destinations if you are seeking a reciprocal exchange. Your location might not be a match for someone, even if their calendar is open for an exchange.
Why else might your request have been declined?
There could be a few more reasons a member has declined your exchange request. Perhaps they are already in discussion with someone else for an exchange, or maybe your request didn’t match up with what they are looking for right now.
Exchanging homes is not like renting. Our members are offering up their real homes and want to feel completely comfortable with their exchange partner before finalizing an exchange. We do not have an option to instantly book homes on the site, as we are not a rental platform. With that in mind, it’s always good to:
- Draft a great request, as this is the very first impression the member gets of you. Let them know who you are and who you will be traveling with, what you love about their home, and if there’s any particular reason you are visiting their area. Our members may receive a lot of requests and a nice, well-crafted message will stand out above the rest.
- Be flexible where possible. If you are open to both a reciprocal and non-reciprocal exchange, that may increase your chances of success. If your dates are flexible, let them know. Offering up your own home for an exchange in every request shows your commitment to the community.
- Read their profile and description for extra details. Some of our members will indicate their exchange preferences on their listing. They may prefer longer exchanges, or prefer to host guests for a minimum number of nights. If the dates you had in mind don’t correspond to what the member prefers, you could give that home a miss or amend your request to better suit them.