Save money with home-swapping for vacation
May 9, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under travel
Most of us have heard of home exchanges now, due to that cute movie The Holiday. But, finding a new main squeeze isn’t really the biggest benefit of a home swap. Home swapping is also one great way to save money on your summer vacation. However, according to a piece posted at Boston.com you always need to be very careful when going into a home swap.
Obviously a home swap rocks because it saves you on lodging, normally one of the largest costs of summer travel (minus actual transport). It can also be a more homey experience and offers more space if you’ve got a large family – i.e. an actual house vs. a small and crowded hotel space. One downside is most reputable home swap organizations require a membership fee. It’s usually not bad though and paying a reputable site can be a little like safety insurance.
Risks involved include:
According to the Boston.com piece, “Home-exchange sites don’t screen members, so you need to do your homework.” The piece also recommends asking others who have home swapped with someone you’re considering how their experience was; good, bad, clean, icky, and so on.
Where to learn more about home swapping:
- HomeExchange.com
- The International Home Exchange Network
- Senior Home Exchange
- Digsville
- Tips for a Successful Home Exchange
- Top 10 tips for a successful home exchange
[image via stock.xchng]
I have always been interested in this type of vacation. It looks so much fun. But then again, I wouldn’t want anyone doing things of a personal nature in my bedroom. UUGGHH!!
I agree with that. I wouldn’t want anyone doing anything like that anywhere in my house. With that in my mind I have 2 children and to think of them sitting somewhere where someone has done something in the personal nature turns my stomach. Big UUUGGGHHH on that one =)
We’ve done numerous home exchanges to date. Home exchanging has allowed us to save on accommodation costs, car rental expenses, and restaurant meals… Other benefits include the friends that we’ve made. We’ve stayed in touch with most of the people we exchanged with. And have also visited with them years later.
Families with children also benefit from having a whole house rather than a single room for the duration for the holiday. We often swap with other families, which usually means our kids have new toys to play with during the holiday.
For anyone serious about trying this out, we strongly recommend that you join a reputable home exchange club. There are numerous clubs you can join, but one website that has worked out really well for us is HomeForSwap.com.
Finding a home exchange may require some effort but we have always found that it’s been well worth it!