CFT Featured Article / April 2007

Holiday Home Swaps: What It's Really Like

Swapping your family home for your next holiday may be something you have never even considered as you may have never thought about the advantages. However, when you have children, then we all know that going on holiday is never quite the same again. Apart from anything, travelling light becomes a dim and distant memory. What do you take to keep them happy? Tried and tested toys, new toys or a selection of both? That’s not even considering the car seat, their highchair and a cot. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have all you need ready and waiting on arrival without it costing an extra penny?

Ok, it sounds like an interesting idea but how do you go about it? Well, first of all, you need to become a member of a home swap organisation. Here are a few to get you started:

And there are many more……but please do your research carefully and consider the following key criteria before making your final choice:
  • How established is the company? Given that this is a TRUST-BASED concept, I would not be particularly assured joining a young organisation that might be "here today, gone tomorrow".

  • Cost: Some clubs offer free membership as they are very small and it is the only way to get their numbers up to a point where they offer choice. No outlay means that many "members" (i) are not really committed to seeking a home exchange (they have nothing to lose) so tend to be time-wasters,
    (ii) fail to renew their membership once the free period has expired and/or
    (iii) are penny-pinchers who are ill-suited to the home exchange concept.

  • Number of members in the place(s) you want to visit? More members means more choice.

  • Network of offices? The internet has made home exchange much easier (e.g. on-line databases, immediate email contact) but it has also made it relatively easy to manage a bare bones business, i.e. one database/website operative sitting behind a computer. We think there is a lot to be said for easily accessible people to talk to before, during or after an exchange.

We particularly liked HomeLink International and the way they handled our enquiries and their members’ comments were all positive. HomeLink unashamedly stands for old-fashioned values such as generosity, trust and mutual respect as it is these that form the basis of successful home exchange. Owners, Jon & Caroline Connolly, have the following to say about the benefits of swapping with young children and they should know as they have two girls and twin boys all under five years old!

"Home exchange is a relatively novel way of taking a holiday that makes sense for families in a number of ways. Given that the cost of flights and accommodation rockets during school holidays, the most obvious benefit is financial as the family basically lives in a home for free. Whilst it’s not compulsory, many members also like to exchange cars, meaning that the cost of their holiday is largely limited to travel.

However, the benefits of home exchange for families extend far beyond financial considerations. Instead of heading to the airport with cases galore, well-matched families can travel light in the knowledge that a proper home-from-home awaits them. A home that’s equipped with high chairs, bikes, trampoline, garden, games, computer, DVDs, trusted babysitters, welcoming neighbours, local knowledge on things for children to do and see... the list of possibilities is endless.

Whilst individual arrangements are purely at the discretion of the members, several home exchange partners take pleasure in looking after the partner’s family pet. This can add to enjoyment and save the cost and inconvenience of calling upon the local cattery or kennel.

If you view your holidays as an opportunity to broaden your children’s awareness and appreciation of different cultures and how other people live, would you rather stay in a hotel void of character, or in a tourist area where everyone speaks English, or parachute yourself into a real home in a genuine community? Would you rather take the kids out for a full English breakfast or walk into the local market to buy a fresh fruit salad?

Whilst home exchange organisations charge an annual fee for membership, homes are generally available for non-members to view prior to joining. In HomeLink’s case, visitors will find a user-friendly database that enables them to search a very wide range of criteria for members who meet their requirements. Naturally, contact details are withheld from visitors, but subscription to a year’s membership includes the provision of a membership number and password that allows access to contact details and a facility that enables immediate email contact.

One member recently put HomeLink’s annual fee (£115) into context by saying that her outlay was covered by the first night of her first exchange. Thereafter, every night’s accommodation of that and subsequent exchanges was completely free….as was use of her partners’ cars.

Whilst many families consider home swaps with their main summer holiday in mind, the emergence of low cost airlines enables them to make the most of their annual membership. School holidays, half-term breaks and bank holidays present opportunities for holidays to short-haul destinations such as UK, Ireland or mainland Europe. A Scottish family with two school-aged children recently renewed their membership and told us that they had managed to squeeze in 7 exchanges in their first year!

So there you have it…..children reaching school age doesn’t necessarily have to signal the end of fun-packed holidays. Home exchange can result in more enjoyable, more rewarding and more affordable holidays. If I had a pound for every time a member had told us that “we’ve got the bug and can’t imagine ever going back to package holidays..."

House Swap -A Good Holiday Option

Our second valuable contribution is from one of our CFT members, Shirley, who has the following experience to share with us, from an xpat point of view:

"As with many families living overseas, our holidays are often spent visiting relatives “back home.” And since we don’t own a house in our home country accommodation has become an issue. Sleeping on the fold-out bed of my mother’s couch was not a problem when it was just the two of us. And when we had only one child we even managed to all cram into one guest room at my brother’s with the portable crib in the corner of the room, the suitcases all over the floor, hopping on the bed to get to and fro. Not ideal but do-able.

With two children we ended up in short-term furnished rentals, also not ideal because with rent, added to air-fare, and car rental it turned out to be quite an expensive home-town holiday. Then we met a family who were interested in travelling to Europe, but felt that the exchange rate was prohibitively expensive.

So we planned the exchange. It was organised mainly through e-mail exchanges over a 9 month period. We had the advantage of already having seen their home on our last visit, but they had to rely on the photos we sent. Our exchange included cars, mobile phones, museum membership cards, and pool passes. It was fantastic!

Things to keep in mind when planning an exchange:

  • Be clear about your needs. If the cooperating family doesn’t have exactly the kind of accommodation you are looking for, or vice versa arrangements may be worked out, such as an additional bed or special cookware.
  • Check your home owners/auto insurance for any restrictions on additional users.
  • Make sure your home is up to code in terms of smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, etc.
  • During the months before the exchange it is helpful to collect take out menus, information on upcoming events in your city, a list of neighbourhood shops, maps, and anything else a visitor would find useful.
  • Have a list of useful numbers available. Doctor, dentist, police, fire department, etc. Also provide contact details for a friend or neighbour who would be available in case of emergency.

We had such a positive experience that we are planning to exchange with the same family again next summer. Many of their friends are also quite intrigued by the idea, so I’m sure we’ll have no trouble keeping the exchange going year-to-year through word of mouth! However, for those interested, there are several house-swapping websites available.

We really enjoy being able to visit our families while maintaining a degree of independence, and without the feeling that we are imposing ourselves on our loved ones. A win-win situation all around! I highly recommend house swapping to families who may not have the desire or budget for a hotel stay, and who want the comforts of home while on holiday!

Successful Swapping!