10 Reasons you should try Home Swapping

I was recently interviewed by Mums Do Travel talking about our experience with Home Exchanges. It’s something I get asked about a lot because of all the photos I post on instagram, but never seem to write about. So I thought I would share with you 10 reasons you should try Home Swapping.

 

1. Cost: er, hello, free accommodation! What’s not to love about that? Given that accommodation is one of the greatest costs of a holiday, the reduced expense can make a massive difference to how far your holiday budget will go. For us it means extras on holiday- a two-day road trip staying in expensive hotels, or a trip on a boat to see whales.

2. Space: when you have travelled 8 time zones, you are likely to be awake at unsociable hours. In a hotel, a family of four will spend four hours hushing their children and placating them with TV and Ipads until dawn breaks and the kitchens open. In a house you have the space to feed your children, let them run and play and not worry about waking the people in the next door room. You put the children to bed and then watch TV in the comfort of a separate sitting room without waking them. And, you can raid a fully-stocked larder rather than have to stock up at a supermarket as you do on a self-catering break.

3. Security:  someone is in your house whilst you are away. You need to be sure you Home Insurance will cover exchanges, and notify them each time that you are away. But it’s peace of mind whilst you are hundreds, or thousands, of miles away. Plus if you have pets, exchangees are often happy to look after them for you.

4. Family-friendly environment: generally speaking we exchange with other families. Their homes are set-up for children so they have plastic bowls and plates, kid-friendly rooms and the all-important toys. All of which means you have more room in your luggage for holiday souvenirs!

5. Live like a local: you are generally staying in a residential area, so you get to know what it’s like to live as a local. The exchangees know where the local parks are, the best ticket to buy for public transport and what is the best time to go somewhere and they pass all that information to you. They will let you know about a local secret- the best bakery, where to get unusual gifts, the cheapest petrol.

6. Local knowledge: experienced exchangers leave a whole information pack, not just about the house but about the surrounding area. Advice on where to go and when, opening hours and local public holidays. They usually have guest books too, in which former exchangees give advice as well as thanks. All of which means it won’t take you three days to adjust to the holiday destination.

7. Travel in school holidays: I know this could be factored under “cost”, but it’s an important point to make. Travel in school holidays has an associated price hike, something that frustrates every parent I know. But if you don’t need to factor in the cost of a accommodation, then a peak-time holiday may actually be achievable, even if flights are a little more expensive.

8. Lasting friendships: it’s often the case that you keep in touch with those you have exchanged with. There’s often a great deal of communication beforehand so that by the time you arrive somewhere you feel like you know them. In some cases, you may even plan to meet at the airport or for a meal to exchange keys and so forth. We have yet to exchange with the same people twice, but we sure do send many more Christmas cards than we used to. In some cases, we also mourn their passing.

9. Green credentials. If you are a fan of all things green, then staying in an existing home that would otherwise be empty has appeal over the market-leading hotels that replenish your towels every day. You are using (and replacing if you finish) food that has already been purchased and is in use in an existing kitchen. And plenty of European homes offer their bikes to get around.

10. Unexpected holiday destinations: we would never have considered travelling to Arizona in the heat of the summer. And yet it has absolutely been one of our greatest holidays. You have to work with the offers that come your way sometimes and generally speaking, these are the holidays that we remember as being our richest experiences. Home Exchanges through websites such as HomeExchange.com have opened our eyes to the world in unexpected ways.

 

 Disclosure: I have been compensated for writing this post by HomeExchange but this post is written based on personal and ongoing experience of Home Swapping.