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Share and share alike-the art of house swapping
Share and share alike
Swapping your home could open up a whole new range of holiday opportunities…
The sheer cost involved in traveling to far-flung destinations mean that many of us are limited to destinations that bit closer to home.
There is however, a globally available form of accommodation that’s far nicer than many hotels, and completely free; home sweet home.
The premise is simple - you swap your home with another person for the duration of your holiday, and neither of you pay rent to the other.
While you sunbathe in Florida or sightsee in China, another family gets to explore your hometown.
You can holiday all over the world at a fraction of the normal cost, and get the chance to experience the real deal rather than traveling through tourist traps.
250,000 people are already swapping their homes each year, and it’s not just bricks and mortar that are up for exchange. Houseboats, yachts and deluxe camper-vans are also on offer.
Your house doesn’t have to be a show home set in private grounds - it’s all about location, location, location.
The top three home swapping destinations, America, Australia and New Zealand, are also the countries which most British people would like to emigrate to.
If you are considering making a permanent move to a new country, house swapping is a sensible way to experience life in a new country as a resident rather than a visitor as it gives you a more realistic taste of life there. This way you can test the waters before committing to a permanent move.
The host family can also help ease you into their local area, so you can avoid getting sucked into tourist traps. Lois Sealey, who owns exchange service Home Base Holidays (www.homebase-hols.com) recommends swappers create an information pack, telling people the best places to visit in the local area, where to eat and drink and where to avoid.
“Many people ask a friend or a neighbour to act as an agent for them during the swap,” says Ms Sealey. “They will also be able to keep an eye on your home for you.”
This is comforting to anyone concerned about letting someone else use their home - which is, of course, the downside of swapping. Ms Sealey says: “Usually, everyone has the same worries, but remember the people you exchange with will share these concerns too, and you are in each other's homes at the same time.”
If you are the sort of person who is obsessed with keeping your home "just-so" then house swapping may not be for you. Ms Sealey says: “Many people are concerned about handing their home over to what they think is a complete stranger, but they shouldn't be, as if you are diligent in talking to the people you are planning to swap with, you should have become friends by the time the actual exchange happens.
“In many years of doing this, we've come across very few incidents where things have gone wrong,” adds Ms Sealey.
Although many people initially swap homes as a way of saving money, they soon find that the other benefits more than match the financial savings.
They get the inside track on somewhere, and get to meet people and do things they would not have done had they taken a traditional holiday.
Those who have had a successful swap say they are reluctant to stay in a hotel again.
Home swap website www.homelink.org.uk has a townhouse in the trendy suburb of Paddington, in Sydney, Australia available for swap. The three-bedroom house is within walking distance of Sydney’s best shopping street, Oxford Street, numerous restaurants and stunning harbour.
A car comes as part of the deal, so you can hop in for the short drive to Bondi Beach.
There is also a two-bedroom condo in the Marina Sol Resort in Baja California Sur, Mexico, on offer.
Slap bang next to Puerto Paraiso Mall with shopping and restaurants, the condo has a private swimming pool and is five minutes walks to Medano Beach, the safest and most popular swimming beach in the area.
If you fancy venturing off the beaten track, how about a two-bedroom home in Risan, the oldest settlement in the centre of the Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor) area of Montenegro, Yugoslavia.
Renowned as a beautiful Adriatic seaside town, the house is set high in the hills, and is within walking distance of a Medieval city and miles of sandy beaches.
Exchange site www.intervac.co.uk has a four-bedroom apartment with large garden in central Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, available to UK swappers.
Ideal for young families, the apartment has all of the toys and kit your children could possibly need, and is within walking distance to the city’s shops and restaurants.
Iceland’s famous glaciers and hot springs are a 20-minute drive away. Iceland is big on eco-living, so the apartment comes with two bicycles for use by the swappers.
The attractions of home swapping are obvious. A swap totally wipes out the cost of accommodation and car hire, and if you wanted to rent a holiday property of the same standard as your own home, it would cost a fortune.
If you have children, toys and travel cots will all be there, plus pets and gardens will be taken care of.
It’ll be a truly unique holiday, and it may even be the ticket to a whole new life.
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