Did you know you can have access to FREE accommodation all over the world by offering your place to others, in exchange for stay at their homes?? Yes, to complete strangers from different countries, of different cultures, or speaking a different language from you. And before you panic, think of Airbnb booking site where the most popular option is people offering not just their homes, but a space, a room or rooms in a way that you’ll share common spaces throughout your stay.
So, ofcourse the home exchange wouldn’t be permanent… it’s arranged for a just few days or weeks, or even months depending on your mutual convenience.
I learned this while chatting with a host of an airbnb I stayed at recently. She excitedly explained that she’d travelled to Europe earlier in the year, stayed for 5 months and only got to pay for accommodation for ONE night out of the entire period?? I was so intrigued I went on to unashamedly interrogate her on how she achieved this while still running her airbnb business remotely.
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This is what I gleaned from our lively chat about Home Swapping:
- There are booking sites you need to subscribe to for vetting and pay a small annual fee to join
- Members are located all over the world so there’s a wide range of options on offer
- Unlike airbnb where you typically pay to stay for a specific period, this house swapping option enables you to stay for free in the hosts home while they stay at yours
- Even better is that if the host can’t stay at your house at the same time they can award you GuestPoints
- Members can use GuestPoints to stay at someone’s home without them having to come to yours
Benefits:
- Home swapping can provide unlimited new locations to see while still feeling at home.
- Home exchange allows members to be either a guest or a host.
- Home swapping can cut travel costs in half, you just need to cover your travel expenses and possibly stay much longer due to convenience of free stay
- Home exchange is a proactive community where you might receive an exchange offer from a place you never thought of visiting (e.g. my host travelled to Slovenia, a place she’d never thought of visiting, because a couple reached out to request to stay at hers)
Cons
- Some may not be comfortable allowing complete strangers to stay in their regular home
- You could encounter theft or damage
- Your target home swapper may cancel their trip at the last moment
- It does require alot of discussion, adjustment and flexibility to make it work conveniently for home swappers to ensure that the time period, house location & standards at each end, as well as locational environment works for both.
To avoid disappointment:
- Communicate regularly from the start to keep constantly in touch
- Read reviews and comments from others who have exchanged homes with your potential home swapper
- Use video calls or virtual face-to-face meetings to interact with your exchange partner to build trust and ensure you make a good fit
Other related options to home exchange is pet-sitting which is also popular and growing alongside home swapping, where your key role is to stay for free at the host’s place to look after their pets.
The online space has revolutionised our travel lifestyle in recent years, in so many ways it’s just mind boggling!
Would you consider home swapping to save costs or enjoy a homely experience in a new location? Please, Share in the comments below…
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