Are you interested in finding out more about home exchange holidays? If you like travelling but are tight on budget, then you will be pleased to know you can save thousands on your next holiday. Perfect if you’re retired and can be away more than your holiday budget allows or if you are a teacher or busy family and need to take holidays in the peak seasons when prices are inflated.
If you’re new to home exchanging and would like to try a home swap, then here’s the quick guide to get you started.
Types of Home Swap
There are a number of the different kinds of home swaps you can choose from. You can mix and match depending on what suits at the time – you aren’t limited by your membership so depending on your budget and time available why not try all three?
Holiday
The most common type of home swap is a simultaneous exchange. Members do a straight home swap to arrange a low cost holiday. Great for visiting places you’ve always wanted to see – at a fraction of the cost. Also great if you want to steer away from the crowded tourist spots at high season. Do your research and check the location – you can stay in a quiet suburb close to sightseeing, in the city centre, or get away from it all. We saved over £1000 on our family holiday when we did a home swap. It worked amazingly for us. If you have fixed dates then you might need to be a bit flexible but it works a treat if you can find someone who can travel around the same time. Remember home exchanging works on a mutual trust basis so both parties are in the same situation. Just agree with your host family about arrival times, cleaning, what is okay and any special ‘house rules’ so that you know you are both on the same page. If the idea of swapping on the same day bothers you then just adjust your trip by a day or look for non-simultaneous home swaps. Many members have second homes avaialbe for a home swap and this is a great way of swapping your property without the hassle of organising the logistics of a simultaneous home swap.
Long term exchange
We get many members asking us about long term exchanges. Want to travel rent-free? This kind of home swap is perfect for a winter getaway or if you live in a busy or hot area and want to escape for a few weeks. Try swapping mountain for city, beach for forest for a few weeks. Or indulge a hobby or interest – a few weeks exploring golf clubs, cycling or sailing in a different area? It’s also perfect for visiting family – you can spend some quality time with distant (or not so distant) children and even grandchildren without staying at the same house 🙂 Some of our properties even have access to a car if you are willing to swap. Just make sure you have arranged cover with your insurance company if you do that. Explore long term exchanges
Hospitality (Paid Accommodation Rentals)
Quite a few of our members offer hospitality exchanges. Maybe they have a bed and breakfast business that they want to promote to a wider audience. This kind of swap would be on a paid basis but you have more chance of finding like-minded hosts – and some wish to swap their home for their own holidays too. Take a look at the properties available for hospitality or B&B swaps.