Top tips for a happy home exchange

Getting started
· Go onto one of the home exchange websites listed below. Most require you to pay a fee before you can browse and contact all live listings.
· When it comes to creating a page to 'sell' your own house, upload the best photographs possible; if the external frontage of your house is not particularly attractive, go for stylish internal shots.
· All sites have helplines - if you are unsure how much detail to put in your page, talk it through first.
· Be realistic: your bedsit in Southsea may not earn you a seaside villa in the south of France. Try to trade like for like.

Before you go
· Honesty is the best policy: point out any of your home's weaknesses and manage expectations.
· Clean and clear: empty refrigerators, declutter surfaces, scrub bathrooms.
· It's best to book afternoon flights at the start and end of the trip. Trying to race out of a house at 6am and leave it all shipshape is no fun.
· Write an idiot's guide to running your house, with details on everything from how to use a temperamental oven to the TV remotes. Also include details of chemist, doctor, eating out highlights, best bars and supermarkets and public transport.
· If you have children, find a household with ones roughly the same age so you don't have to lug paraphernalia. This is especially useful for baby equipment.
· Talk to your insurance company. According to the British Association of Insurers, the issue is more about length of time away than having strangers in your house. If its longer than two weeks, your cover may be reduced or you may need to increase your premium.
· Have a back-up plan. Look into cheap-and-cheerful guesthouses in the area should you have to evacuate.

When you get there
· Don't be shy; meet the neighbours. When you set the alarm off at 2am and can't turn it off, you'll be glad you did.
· Walk as much as you can and use local buses and trains - you'll get to grips with the area far faster than taking taxis.

Contacts
guardianhomeexchange.co.uk – the Guardian's home exchange site, costs £35 per year to join
homelink.org.uk – joining fee £115
homeexchange.com – joining fee $119.40 for one year or $47.85 for three months
craigslist.org – for cities worldwide is free, but listings stay live for just one week

This is an extract from Juliet Kinsman's New York for a month without spending a dime, first published in the Observer on 17 December 2008