Since
1994, Echanges Bovilé helps
carrying out your exchange wish, by introducing you to a French family,
and by advising you on every question you may have
Perhaps you could exchange your own home for a villa in Provence, Normandy
or Brittany, for an apartment in Paris or Lyon, a chalet in the Alps or
Pyrenees or a traditional house in the Loire valley ... even a house with
a beautiful pool on the Riviera?
Our
possibilities
Our Services
How
do we work (Cost and
contract of the exchange)
Insurance
Frequent asked
questions
Recommendations
Useful
links for your vacations
...
YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
.. bovile@aol.com
... YOU
WISH A REGISTRATION FORM?
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Our possibilities
We have a lot of exchange
opportunities in France, and we are therefore able to satisfy most of the
requests ... Some regions are more popular than others; as a consequence
we cannot always guarantee a seaside house. Although retired members and
families without school-age children are interested in travelling during
non-school-holidays periods, the choice is nevertheless important during
the French school holidays, viz.:
- Around 7 days: on the October 28th
/ November 5th period (for all regions)
- Around 8-10 days: on the December 23rd / January 3rd period (for all
regions)
- Around 8-14 days: on the February 3rd / March 4th period (3 regions,
3 different periods: February 3rd -18th, 10th -25th, February 17th - March
3rd)
- Around 8-14 days: on the March 31st / May 1st period (3 regions: March
31st - April 16th, April 7th -23rd, April 14th - May 1st)
- Around 2-4 weeks on the July 1st / September 2nd period (September
20th for University holidays)
- School-holidays
in France and the Dom-Tom
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Our Services
- We do the searching.
- No registration or
annual fees.
- Advice on car exchange (insurance, surcharge, mileage limit).
- Our job is to answer your questions.
- You only occupy the family's house
that you are hosting.
- We are keeping up with every French client about their
previous exchanges and their future wishes.
- We contact every family at
the end of an exchange, so as to be sure that everything went fine.
- The
invoice is only paid on accepting your exchange partner.
- Our clients' confidential files are regularly updated; we take into account
their wishes for the future and their commentaries on every previous exchange
(whether it be satisfaction commentaries, advises or critics). Aware of the
seriousness of exchanging one's home, demands or families which do not suit
a welcoming, respectful and friendly spirit are rejected. People accepting
these processes respect their goods and others' and therefore select themselves.
.
Confidentiality: Your
details are communicated to your exchange partner only when the 2 parties
have accepted the exchange. You will appear on the Web site if you wish
only, and the way you wish it. The photographs of your home will appear,
but under no circumstances your name, address or details will appear.
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How do we
work?
As soon as
we receive your confidential form and photographs, we start looking among our
French families which one would suit your wish best. As soon as an interesting
possibility arises, you will receive all the information we have in our possession,
and several photos. If this offer does not suit you, we keep searching. If it
suits you, you will be put in touch directly with the family in order to confirm
your mutual understanding. Once your exchange is definitively confirmed, you will
receive the exchange contract between the two families and Echanges Bovilé,
and the invoice.
Cost
of the exchange after your definitive confirmation
: 245 Euros
Contract.
Before realising the exchange you will
receive a contract where:
. - your exchange partner 's identity and address
. - the exchanged houses' addresses
. - your commitments (good behaviour, insurance,
others' goods respect, and specific agreements accepted by the 2 parties)
are mentioned. Please return us back this form firmed.
Insurance
It is essential that you inform your insurance company about your exchange
and adapt your personal contract guarantees (if necessary).
If
you choose to exchange cars, it is normal for
the car owner to arrange insurance cover for the extra driver(s). Inform
your company about the exchange's name, the driver of your car's name, and
the dates of the exchange. Ask your company to confirm that your exchange
partner is allowed to use your car and will benefit from your personal contract
guarantees.
Frequent
asked questions
How
can we avoid a bad surprise with our phone bill when coming back home?
You may want to consider the use
of a prepaid calling card, allowing you to phone from anywhere, your exchange
partner's or a telephone box. Your regular home phone bill will be charged, whatever
being in France or abroad. Ask your exchange partner if he has bought such a card.
If you do not have such cards, exchange afterwards with your exchange partner
the phone bills of the period, so that you will see who has to be reimbursed.
Do
we have to clear up our shelves? Without
clearing up everything, leave a comfortable storage place for your guests.
Do our insurance
companies need to be informed?
It is essential to inform the insurance company
about the exchange partner's name, the driver of your car's name, and the dates
of the exchange. Ask your company to confirm that your exchange partner is allowed
to use your car and will benefit from your personal contract guarantees.
Do we have to empty the fridge or leave some food in it?
We advise you to empty the fridge,
defrost it if necessary, clean it and plug it in again before your hosts arrive,
and do the same before leaving from your host's house.
Do
we have to welcome our guests? And how can we give them the keys? If
you cannot welcome them, give the keys to a relative, friend, or reliable neighbour
who will be able to guide and advise them. We advise you to give to this person
an other bunch of keys, in case one is lost during the stay.
We
would like very much to exchange our cars, what is the usual procedure?
If you choose to exchange
cars, it is normal for the car owner to arrange insurance cover for the extra
driver(s). This should normally be comprehensive and the driver(s) should
be made aware of the amount of any "excess/deductible" for which
they might be responsible in the event of any non-recoverable claim.
Cars should have been recently serviced and a prior arrangement made with
your local garage for the repair of any faults which might arise during the
exchange; obviously, the driver would pay for anything which was his/her fault,
but otherwise repairs are the owner's responsibility.
Breakdown assistance/recovery cover should be discussed/clarified.
U.S. drivers should note that most European cars have manual transmission,
so it would be wise for drivers to re-familiarise themselves with "stick-shifting".
Recommendations
If
you cannot be present to welcome your exchange partners, make
sure that the friend or neighbour who greets them and settles them in is fully
familiar with your home and that the instructions you leave for your guests are
clear and unambiguous.
The greatest "danger" to your home and appliances
is not carelessness, but lack of understanding.
Preparing for
your guests: Much
depends on the format of your exchange, but here are a few suggestions
. put all the domestics directions for use in a prominent position. . leave
useful telephone numbers: Fire department (brigade), anti-poison centre, ...
in a prominent position.
. leave free storage space in bedrooms + kitchen for your guests needs
. leave beds made up ready for their arrival and provide sufficient bed-linen
+ towels for their stay
. clear out refridgerator, apart from a few basics for your guests' arrival
. clearly label, or better still, lock away any equipment which you do not
want your guests to use; similarly, remove any important ornaments etc., particularly
where your exchange partners have small children ... their parents will be
grateful
. leave an adequate supply of food for any pets; and clear instructions re.
the care of plants etc.
. put maps and tourist leaflets that you may have taken at the Tourist Office
in a prominent position.
. put your valuable goods, if you are afraid that they might break easily,
in a cupboard or even in a locked room in this case do not declare this room
as available. Inform your nearest neighbours that your house will be occupied:
your exchange partner may be very happy to have contacts.
. provide your guests with at least 2 sets of house/car keys
. leave basic food, so that your exchange partner will not have to go shopping
as soon as he arrives.
Enjoy your stay in your exchange partners' home ... take care to follow their
instructions and leave their home and car exactly as you found it. Strip beds
and leave them made up for your hosts' return (no need to launder the last
set of linen/towels).
Replace food and other supplies (including petrol) you may have used, again
leaving a few staples in the 'fridge.
If the idea of spending half-a-day cleaning kitchen + bathrooms etc. at the
end of your holiday doesn't appeal to you, you might suggest (and pay for)
the services of a cleaner.
Information folder:
Gather up any information your exchange partners
might need/ find useful
. emergency 'phone numbers ("999", doctor, dentist, vet, maintenance
contacts, garage, taxis, baby-sitters)
. location of fuse box, water stop-cock etc.
. instruction booklets for domestic appliances, heating/ air conditioning
etc.; attach "post-it" notes to appliances such as washing m/cs,
giving simple advice on normal usage
. household security/alarm instructions
. where relevant, car/insurance documentation (including a brief letter authorising
the use of your car), handbook, road maps etc.; again, use "post-it"
notes to highlight things like type/grade of fuel
. leaflets, maps, recommended restaurants/pubs, location of tourist information
centre
. contact numbers for friends who are interested in meeting your guests, perhaps
helping them pursue any specific interest ... eg. potential golf partners
etc.
Non Smoking:
Unless permission is specifically given,
there should be no smoking in your exchange home/vehicle.
Cancellation:
Once your exchange has been agreed and both
parties have made their travel arrangements, cancellation is only acceptable
in very extreme circumstances (eg. the serious illness of a member of the
exchange party), in which case we will intervene to assist. Your exchange
partners will be reassured to know that you have made some form of contingency
plan (eg. to stay with relatives) which would safeguard their holiday in the
unlikely event that you had to cancel your own. Finally,
it is a nice gesture to leave a small gift (perhaps
something specific to your country/area) and a letter to let your hosts know
how much you have enjoyed staying in their home/ meeting their friends.