When was the last time you had a proper vacation? I’m not talking a week at your parents’ house over the holidays or visiting a friend and crashing on her sofa. I mean a peaceful week in the mountains or a far-off city you’ve always dreamed about. It’s been a few years for me. I think I’m going to put an end to my dry spell with a home swap for a nice, cheap vacation. I haven’t tried a house swap yet personally, but in my former life as a New Yorker, I had many friends who have.
These days many people have to forgo a lot of extras due to high bills and lower incomes. A vacation is one of the first things to get canceled. When bills are stressing you out, it makes sense (to me, anyway) to take a little time out to relax. Cash in some airline points or pick a destination within driving distance and find yourself a person to trade homes with! Trade for a cottage, a high-rise condo, or even a yacht. Many trades include use of a car. Some trades involve having the other party stay with you in your home, then you stay with them in theirs. Can you say built-in tour guide? How awesome would it be to build great friendships around the world? You can network through people you know, or use an online service to help you find a trade.
There are obviously things you’ll want to consider before taking the plunge into a home swap. Homelink.org has a good list of “what if” questions that is worth a read. Homeexchange.com has a good “ABCs of Home Exchange” section that you should look at, but here are a few tips to get you started:
- Plan ahead and pick a few options – your timeframe and your house’s locale might not match what your first choice trade is looking for.
- Get to know your exchange partners (who and how many will be staying in your home?) via email, phone or snail mail. Don’t forget to share property details and photos or videos of your home and surrounding area.
- Once you’ve found a match, get personal references!
- Ask/answer all questions – accessibility, nearest grocery store, any chores involved (e.g. watering plants, feeding the cat), etc.
- Trade contact info of neighbors and emergency contacts.
- Get your official agreement in writing. Send two signed copies to your exchange partners and have them sign one and send it back to you.
- If you’re swapping with someone in another country, consider using a translator (maybe from a local college) to help iron out any confusion due to a language barrier.
- Make sure to lock away any valuables or irreplaceable items in your home. Don’t leave out things you don’t want the other person to use.
Make sure you have an open mind about the whole experience. Everyone has different tastes and ideas of what constitutes “clean” or “spacious.” Not everything will be perfect, but who cares? YOU’RE ON VACATION!!
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WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK
Home Exchange is a great way to holiday and more and more of us are doing it, from all different walks of life and age groups. It may not suit everyone but it is said if you try it once you will do it again and I agree with that.
There are three types of Home Exchange, the normal swap at the same time, a Non-simultaneous Exchange when you swap at different dates and Hospitality Exchange which is when you stay with your swap partner and then they reciprocate later.
Have a look at some Home Exchange websites and see what is on offer. Some sites are good, some not so, some are free and some charge, although I think too much at times. Some exchangers also sign up with more than one website, which I also recommend.
We advise our members at Home Exchange50plus prior to the actual exchange that it is important to get to know your exchange partner by communicating via emails /tel calls etc and if after this you are not sure or feel comfortable with them, then do not proceed, move on to another.
Swapping Homes is based on trust, trust in the details of the property being correct and trust in the individuals involved. As a holiday concept it has been around since the 1950s so it can’t be all that bad a way to vacation.
If you have any questions please have a look at the Q&A pages of the websites which may help.
However you vacation, enjoy your travels.
Brian Luckhurst
Hi there!
We have done numerous home exchanges to date. Home exchanging has allowed us to save on accommodation costs, car rental expenses, and restaurant meals…
Other benefits include the friends that we have made. We have stayed in touch with most of the people we exchanged with. And have also visited with them years later. Families with children also benefit from having a whole house rather than a single room for the duration for the holiday. We often swap with other families, which usually means our kids have new toys to play with during the holiday.
For anyone serious about trying this out, we strongly recommend that you join a reputable home exchange club. There are numerous clubs you can join, but one that has worked out really well for us is http://www.HOMEFORSWAP.com
Finding a home exchange may require some effort but we have always found that it has been well worth it.
Good luck!
A-L