Home Swap Vacations ? Vacations with FREE accommodation

Posted by RaynaJess on August 23rd, 2013

A way in which you can cut down on expenses during a holiday is by arranging home swap vacations. You can do that by accessing a website called the Guardian Home Exchange, on which you will be able to find thousands of home exchange accommodations. You will see that you will find a lot of options, either in your own country or worldwide, in cottages in rural areas, ski lodges in the mountains, apartments in the cities, houses in suburbs and so on.

What are home swap vacations?

Home swap vacations are those vacations that you spend in another person’s home and of course, the people that home swap with you, will spend their holiday in your house. It is a really great method of saving money on vacations and visiting your country or the world.

Mark Sealey of Guardian Home Exchange says: 

"Guardian Home Exchange is great for anyone.  It’s ideal for families with children looking for the space and convenience that they won’t find in a hotel, independent travellers that want to get a real feel of the places they visit, seniors and expats looking to visit family and friends living overseas, people looking for weekend breaks or even longer term swaps. Many people first choose home swapping for the cost savings (and free accommodation is a big plus!) but often tell us that they get so much more from a home swap – it really is a rewarding way to travel."

Quote from members:

“We've swapped six times before over the last 11 years and have always enjoyed the experience.” Couple (Menlo Park, California USA)

http://www.guardianhomeexchange.co.uk/ihea/houseinfo.cfm?id=26032

Key benefits of home swap vacations:

•             Not having to pay for accommodation

•             Living exactly like a local in a different part of the city

•             Being able to benefit from a similar level of comfort to the one back home

•             Make new friends from different corners of the world with the same travelling gene as you

•             Saving money also by exchanging cars or looking after pets

Tips for successful home swap vacations:

1.            Accept the idea that it will take some time to find the perfect home exchange

2.            It is important to be flexible because you will be able to find partners to exchange with easier.

3.            Provide a lot of details on your listing because it will help people make up their minds.

4.            Do not just wait around for people to contact you. You can also search for listings you would be interested in.

5.            Prepare a welcome pack with additional information like what bus to take in order to reach a certain point and so on.

6.            Make sure both parties agree on the rules.

7.            It might be a good idea to leave the phone number of a friend or a neighbour that can be contacted in case of an emergency.

8.            Remember to thoroughly clean your house and your exchange partner’s house before you leave.

9.            It might be a good idea to talk with your home swap partners while you are in each other’s house in order to build trust.

10.          Enjoy yourself!

Home swap vacations can really be the change in scenery you were looking for. Moreover, if you happen to have any job that does not require you to be in an office daily, you can enjoy seeing the world through a home exchange anytime, and not just on the holidays.