Wien, Austria

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In July of 2023 we experienced our first home exchange through Intervac. Christopher and his family were friendly and negotiating our terms upfront seemed relatively easy. The apartment was close to the city and public transportation was easy to navigate. We could ride the train into the heart of the city in about twenty minutes. Vienna is a beautiful city, rich in culture and history. The car that was available for our use was in good shape and was left relatively clean for our arrival, however we only used it when travelling outside the city. The apartment was spacious and well equipped for our family of three. When we arrived, we found the accommodation to be strewn with personal items. Every surface, drawer and cupboard were full to the top. There was nowhere to properly store our clothing. There wasn't a surface in the bathroom for our toiletries and we ended up keeping them packed. Not being able to properly unpack made it difficult to feel at home. The kitchen cupboards/drawers were also overflowing with dishes and the fridge and freezer were full of food. The family was very generous and left us some meat, cheese and bread so that we didn't have to rush out and get groceries right away. We were also told to eat whatever we wanted, which was very kind of them. We found that we didn't do much cooking in the kitchen. Though the area had been cleaned, it wasn't an appealing place to prepare a meal as countertops were also covered with items. It was very hot in July and we were left with one fan to move from room to room. Additional fans would have been much appreciated. The bed in the master bedroom was comfortable, however the bedding and pillows were very old and uncomfortable. I ended up purchasing a pillow to use while I was there. Our son slept on a comfortable pull out sofa in the office, however was left with bedding that didn't fit the couch and a small square couch cushion rather than a proper pillow. We had arranged to have our homes cleaned professionally before and after our exchanges. We arrived came back to a clean home. The family had taken good care of things and we were very thankful for that. They also took care of our cat and sent us pictures and updates. She was very happy to make new Austrian friends. We would certainly do another exchange, and would recommend this family and their apartment for another as well. The negotiations on our second exchange will be a little different. I am not sure that we were clear enough with Christopher about our expectations and found that ours did not seem to match his. For example, we discussed leaving a clean vehicle for each other. We ensured that our car was tidy and washed/vacuumed inside and out. Christopher's car was tidy, however had not been washed/vacuumed. We prepared drawers and cabinets for them to store their things and ensured the fridge and freezer had been cleaned and left with ample free space for food storage. We weren't able to unpack, didn't want to cook in the kitchen and there was hardly room in the fridge/freezer for any food purchases. Clarity during the pre-trip communications is key.

Famiglia simpaticissima e pulita, la loro casa confortevole e pulita e hanno lasciato la nostra perfettamente in ordine

Państwo Schubert to gościnni , przemili ludzie . Zawsze gotowi do pomocy . Gdy przyjechaliśmy do nich , czekała na nas znajoma Agaty i Chrisa , która nam wszystko pokazała . Dostaliśmy nawet bilety na metro . Było to bardzo miłe .