• Check that your holiday home insurance will be valid while your swap partners occupy your holiday home.

• If you plan to swap cars too, again check that you have the relevant insurance in place.

• It would be helpful to leave a folder of reference material in your holiday home. If you have ever rented a holiday home, you will know the sort of thing: local maps, directions to local shops, recommended restaurants, a list of useful telephone numbers, instructions on where to find fuse box and water cut-off etc.

• Send your swap partner a good, clear map and instructions of how to get to your holiday home.

• Arrange for your holiday home to be clean and tidy for your swap partner's arrival, and perhaps arrange for a few basic food essentials to be waiting for them so that they don't have to immediately set off to find the nearest supermarket.

• Hopefully you won't need it but you may wish to take out Trip Cancellation Insurance as extra reassuarnce.