You may be a prime candidate for a vacation home swap if like to travel, but want to save money on your accommodations, would like to experience another part of the world as a local, instead of as a tourist or prefer the privacy of a home over the formality of a hotel room.
What is a vacation house swap?
A vacation house exchange is when you trade houses with another person or family for a period of time-literally swapping homes for a vacation. It saves both you and your exchange party money and allows you to live like a local, enjoying a full kitchen, bath and all of the amenities of home while you are on vacation.
What is a hospitality swap?
A hospitality swap is when you invite another person or family into your home and you host them, acting as a tour guide and hostess while that family or person visits you. Likewise, the exchange works the same way when you go to visit the person's home. He or she will then stay with you in his or her home and show you around the area.
What about your car or boat?
Some people also exchange their cars, boats, bikes and other modes of transportation. You'll want to communicate with your home exchange partner about what is included in the swap and what is excluded.
How do you find a vacation house exchange partner?
There are many house swap vacation agencies available online. Most of them cost under $100 a year and allow you to make as many swaps in a year as you desire. The agency hosts a website with photos and descriptions of the homes put up for exchange, complete with protected contact information. You fill out a profile on your home, including photos and a list of amenities, and then you search the website for places you would like to go.
How does the actual house swap process work?
Once you identify what part of the world you want to visit, you will want to browse homes available for exchange on the website and initiate a conversation with the owner of the home that appeals to you. Your home will also be listed on the site, so interested parties will also be contacting you. The process is a little like online dating. When you finally find a match, you'll communicate via email, phone or with photos and make arrangements that work for both of you.
What should you expect?
You should expect to find the home clean and comfortable and as it appeared in the photos sent to you. Your exchange partner should have left you instructions on any pet care, cleaning expectations and privacy issues needed. You will be expected to treat the home with respect-just like you expect your exchange partner to treat your home. Hopefully you have discussed the details of expectations ahead of time so you are not surprised by anything you find.
What if the home does not live up to your expectations?
Most home swap agencies provide ratings and reviews so you can post if you were dissatisfied with a home swap experience or if you feel the owner misrepresented the home available for exchange. Some agencies will ban a member from its services if it discovers a member is portraying the home inappropriately. Some exchange agencies are more hands off and will not referee any such disputes.
What if your home isn't anything special?
You never know what might fit someone's needs. A retired couple who wants to visit their children may need a comfy place to stay in your hometown, or a harried businessman from a crowded city like Japan might think your rural home is quaint. Of course, if you do own a beach home or a cottage in the mountains, you will get more requests for exchanges than if you live in suburbia.
How much time should I expect an exchange to take?
Finding the right match can be tricky because you need to find someone who wants to travel where you are, when you want to travel and who has a place you want to use at that same time. Sometimes it's easier to search the vacation homes listed instead of the primary homes listed, as vacation homes are usually more flexible with schedules. Exchanges can be arranged in a matter of days or they may take weeks. If you really want to stay at that amazing penthouse suite in New York City, you'll want to put in a request ahead of schedule.
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