IT’S close to midnight in the heart of Paris and I’m standing in a beautiful courtyard swiping through the downloads on my phone.
I am looking for my instruction manual for the month ahead, but more specifically I’m looking for the door code.
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Just as I begin to type the numbers in, the glass door buzzes and swings open electronically.
A few floors up, I am chatting with the woman who let me in.
She realised I must be her neighbour’s latest Home Exchange guest and welcomed me warmly.
It was one of many friendly interactions I had with Parisians during my stay.
The well-reported Paris rudeness never found me that summer, and I wonder if it was because I was living like a local rather than a tourist.
None of this would have been possible for me a few years ago.
When hotels and Airbnbs were my only option for accommodation on my travels, it often made trips prohibitively expensive.
An apartment the size and location of the one I was living in while in the French capital, three bedrooms in the ninth arrondissement, goes for £300-£1000 per night.
It would have cost me between £9000-£30,000 for the month – impossible on my modest budget as a freelance writer.
This is where the idea of home swapping came in.
Every year, I watch the festive classic The Holiday, where Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz swap homes for Christmas.
Each time my mind wanders – how would I cope if a drunk Jude Law turned up at my door? But also, is this a real thing?
Could I really swap houses with someone on the other side of the world? Later this year, I will complete my first transatlantic
home exchange.
I had been hoping to visit California for a while – my brother lives there – but I had been put off by the high accommodation prices.
Luckily, I managed to arrange an exchange in Los Angeles with a neat and stylish one bedroom flat, complete with gym and outdoor BBQ area near the beach.
It costs around £250 a night for similar properties on Airbnb, meaning this option saves me £3,500.
While I am away, my flat will be occupied by an outdoorsy Californian girl, keen to surf on Scotland’s West coast.
Having access to home comforts brings the costs of travel down even further.
Another unexpected joy I get from home swapping is seeing people experience my flat and Scotland with fresh eyes.
I am always excited to hear my guest’s stories of their time in Scotland – from taking day trips to Glen Coe, to wild swimming in Loch Lomond, or attending shows, restaurants and football matches in the city.
In the year since I began home swapping, I have taken more trips than ever and saved lots of money in the process.
Using similar properties on Airbnb as a guide, I spent a week in the Lake District saving around £560, 4 days in Iceland that would have cost £500, 10 days in London saving around £1,200 and a week in a beautiful home in the South of France during peak season, which would have cost around £1,500.
I use a website called Homexchange, which verifies everyone’s identity and allows members to complete unlimited exchanges for a fee of $220 (£170) a year.
The website works on the principal of reciprocity – it is not possible to browse the homes without listing one of your own.
International exchange
You upload pictures of your home, its location and nearby attractions. Then you set your availability, list your preferred destinations or ask other home swappers to surprise you with
exchange requests.
I have very limited availability on my calendar (and insist on a 5-night
minimum), and still get around 2-3 exchange requests a week.
A good way to get inspiration is to use the site’s Reverse Search option and browse the homes of people who have listed your city as their destination of choice.
I am a bit of a clean freak, so I favour simple, stylish homes that look very neat and tidy, a bit more like traditional holiday rentals.
But it is possible to search for more lived in properties. If you have pets, they can be part of your listing too – with guests taking care of your animals for the duration of the swap.
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Vehicles (and travel cards) can also be swapped, saving even more money on transport fees.
Just yesterday I was contacted by a couple in Southern California whose exchange request included use of their beautiful 1970 Dodge Challenger. Of course, there are sacrifices.
Firstly, you have to be happy to let a stranger stay in your home – most people get spooked at that juncture. I typically lock away some valuables in a wardrobe and clear a couple of drawers in each room for the guests to use.
I was a little worried ahead of my first swap, but my concerns were quickly eased. Everyone on the site is reviewed after each exchange as both hosts and guests.
Those reviews paint a clear picture of both the property you will visit, and how those guests will treat your home. Good practical
communication is commonplace.
Home swapping tips
You can do an informal home swap with friends or through a Facebook group, but for security you’d be better off opting for an organised site.
Trust is at the core of home swapping, so you have to be happy to allow strangers in your house.
It’s best to lock away valuables and check with your home insurer.
Some websites, like HomeExchange, offer protection in case of damage or a cancelled booking.
HomeExchange says 99.7 per cent of exchanges happen without incident.
The fact that everyone on the site is swapping too creates trust and you can always turn requests down – I wouldn’t swap with anyone who had anything less than 5-star reviews from their previous swaps.
It is also possible to arrange non-reciprocal swaps using the website’s
internal credit system.
For example, if I knew I was going to be staying with family for a week
I could let my home out for GuestPoints.
Then I could use that balance at a later stage for a trip of my own to any of the properties on the site who accept GuestPoint exchanges (some people are home swapping purists and won’t swap this way, preferring to stick with direct reciprocal swaps).
In the year since I began home swapping, I have taken more trips than ever and saved lots of money in the process.
Having access to home comforts brings the costs of travel down even further – no need for checked baggage when you have laundry facilities.
Local help
You can be more selective about your meals out when you have a fully stocked kitchen at home – hosts are happy for you to use
ingredients in their cupboard to cook with. Having local experts to message is helpful, too.
In the South of France, my host told me about a couple of nearby bakeries which gave away free bread and pastries from 4pm each day.
But the main benefit is the time you can spend somewhere. Once you remove daily accommodation costs, the trip reduces to simply the price of flights and whatever you spend on the ground once you’re there.
With working from home becoming increasingly common, many home swappers prefer to exchange for weeks, or months, at a time.
This allows you to really get to know a place and move at a more relaxed pace than you might as a tourist with only a handful of days to play with.
Doing a home swap also takes the sting out of returning home after a lovely holiday.
Every time I have returned home from a swap, my place has been spotlessly clean.
It is also customary for guests to leave a small gift behind from their country.
A nice welcome home and a reminder that my flat hasn’t sat empty in my absence. Instead, it has been enjoyed by travellers just like me, making new memories.
What should you look for in a good travel insurance policy?
TRAVEL insurance policies can vary a great deal, but here are some “must have
- Medical expenses – A good policy will give cover of £1million or more for travel in Europe and £2million or more for the USA
- Repatriation service – The costs of getting you back to the UK for medical reasons should be covered automatically by your policy
- Cancellation and curtailment – A good policy will cover you for £2,000 or more if you have to cancel or shorten your holiday
- Missed departure – Covers additional accommodation costs and travel expenses up to £500 or more if you miss your flight due to circumstances out of your control
- Delay – You’ll usually be covered for £250 or more if your travel plans are delayed due to circumstances out of your control
- Baggage cover – Covers you if your baggage is lost, damaged or stolen. Look for policies that have cover of £1,500 or more.
