Although for many of us vacations are being put on the back burner this summer, there may an affordable way to get out of town for a few days. House swapping is soon becoming a growing trend among vacationers who are trying to keep their travels as thrifty as possible.
The idea of trading homes with someone else who is traveling is not new. You may remember the 2006 movie The Holiday starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz where the two women are depicted as switching homes (a Los Angeles mansion for a quaint English cottage) over the Christmas holiday. According to a recent Time magazine article, the company Intervachas been setting up home exchanges for people since 1992.
Though not new, it is just now that these services are reporting dramatic increases in the rate of house swapping. The website HomeExchange.com has seen a more than 30 percent increase in their membership this last year. Home swapping has become so popular because it eliminates the huge cost of hotels on vacation. Depending on where you live, it may or may not be simple to find a suitable swap. For example, if you live in a nice apartment in the heart of Paris, France it may take less time for you to find someone willing to swap than if you live in a small town in say Virginia.
The idea that one man's shack is another man's castle could certainly apply here. Kathleen Dwyer, a home exchanger for six years, reported to Time magazine about a swap experience she had when she traded her one bedroom Manhattan apartment with a view of the alley for an upscale California home on a lagoon with a view of the ocean. Dwyer said, "The got this little, small apartment, and I got this million-dollar home. I laughed at the trade, but they were happy to be near their daughter in Manhattan, so it worked out fine."
What do you think of the idea of swapping homes with a stranger during a vaction?
Do you think you might consider home exchange on your next trip?
It sounds really cool and I think if I were single with no kids, I would try it out, but I'm leary with a family.
deymarocksz::
on Aug 29, 2009
this sounds interesting & i would love to do it . if i was older maybe . but im interested . hehe
Urbanmom::
on Aug 30, 2009
I think similarly to the other comments made - not feeling comfortable with people in my home accessible to my stuff.
myveryeducatedmother::
on Sep 01, 2009
It sounds wonderful to me, I usually stay with relatives when we travel and I gotta say, it'd be nice to just use their home without having to deal with them. The thought of someone else 'living' in my home does bother me a bit but not enough to keep me from trying this out!
jbrandon52::
on Sep 01, 2009
i live in a small town , and have never done a time share thing, i think that would be quiet simailur to that. There's a lot of people retireing to the mid west, especially to my part of the country, and i know they would like to try out different ground before commiting to new territory. i would check them out thourghly and decide also where they live before continuing and if all is appealing, i would do it.
kathy_in_colorado::
on Sep 21, 2009
I would do it! We have a beautiful home in a small suburb in Colorado, one hour south of Colorado Springs, 2 hours south of Denver. We are close to the ski resorts, mountains for hiking, etc. I am a full time mom so I budget, coupon clip, plan shopping trips to save on gas, etc. So, this would give people a feel for if they want to live in Colorado.
Yes, I would definitely do this.
