Home exchange holidays
Home exchange is a unique way of taking a holiday that has a wide range of benefits for the right kinds of people. If you dislike how you can be treated like a tourist on conventional package tours, or feel uncomfortable in the impersonal nature of hotels, you might want to look into this unique and modern style of holiday, growing more popular by the minute.
Perhaps if you saw ‘The Holiday’, (2006) starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, you will know what the concept of a home exchange is. The film sees the two main characters literally ‘swap’ homes for a period of time, one discovering a luxurious poolside life in LA, the other staying in a country cottage in England. Such a plot suggested the notion of wanting to experience a foreign country, but from a very unique point of view.
Becoming a member of a company like ‘HomeLink’ can help. (HomeLink is the world’s largest home exchange organisation with 50 years experience). Typically, home exchangers are out to gain new experiences and like to feel in control of their precious leisure time. There are a handful of reasons why holiday goers are embracing this option and find the outcome very rewarding.
Cost & flexibility
Budgeting is a major factor on holiday, and accommodation costs can make a dent in the overall price. By entering a home exchange programme budgets can be totally eliminated, irrespective of the duration of your stay. You can save even more money by also agreeing to exchange cars! For the price of annual membership and the savings to be made your money could be put to good use: A more exotic destination perhaps? Or longer and more frequent holidays? There is no limit to the number of exchange holidays that you can take during a year and an enormous range of destinations from which to choose.
Authenticity & convenience
Whilst travellers are often treated as tourists, home exchange offers you the opportunity to parachute into a genuine local community and live like a local.
Well-matched home exchange partners go on holiday in the knowledge that their accommodation is tailored to their needs. For instance, parents of young children find their holiday home is child-friendly and can enjoy travelling light, as many normal accompaniments can be left at home as a car seat, high chair and a range of toys await them. Furthermore, many holiday goers agree to take care of each other’s pets and/or garden maintenance so there may not be a need to pay for alternative arrangements (or return home to a jungle after your holiday!)
Quality & security
Due to the nature of an exchange programme, members take pride in sharing their homes, so wherever you travel to you can rest assured the accommodation will be well looked after.
In general, most home insurance policies cover home exchangers. They know your home most at risk of break-ins when it is unoccupied (e.g. during holidays), and would much prefer you to have exchangers looking after your home.
Is it for me?
- There is a certain level of trust involved in a Home Exchange programme; it is, after all, your home you are inviting others in to.
- Home exchange members tend to be experienced travellers who are proud of their home, therefore comfortable with sharing it.
- For anyone considering emigration- an experience like this can give a realistic idea of what living in a particular destination would really be like.
- You don’t have to live in a tourist hotspot to attract visitors, people home exchange all over the world in all different areas, from rural to big cities