Home Exchange
From SmarterTravel
Home exchange, or house swapping, is a unique vacation accommodation arrangement whereby two individuals or families swap houses for a period of time. This results in significant savings, as it replaces other accommodations such as hotels or rental properties.
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Process
Usually arranged via a website dedicated to the practice, interested parties list their houses on a swap database. When two parties find each others' houses to their liking, they arrange their vacations to coincide so that they stay in each others homes. Generally, no money changes hands during the swap.
Accomodations
At the most basic level, a home exchange includes merely the use of a house or apartment. Further arrangements can be made, including pet-care or the use of vehicles. All such additional perks or responsibilities are either laid out in the listing or arranged between the house swappers beforehand.
How to Arrange
Though sites like Craigslist can be used, the most popular method of home exchange is via dedicated "clubs." Most of these clubs are merely websites with listings of houses, but in order to list and swap a user must pay an annual usage fee (usually $50 to $100) or a per-swap fee. Know Your Trade lists and rates home-exchange websites and clubs.
Other Benefits
By staying in a local home, exchangers also experience local culture and generally stay in less touristy areas.
External links
- Know Your Trade resource for finding home-exchange websites
Home-exchange websites include: