Home Exchanges: An Underutilized Travel Tool

I’ve rented my home to strangers but never considered a home exchange. Momaboard asked Shelley Miller, founder of www.homeexchangeexpert.com (@homeexchangekey) how they work and why you should consider one. I certainly will!

1. How do home exchanges work?

My 20-year-old daughter, Michele, recently said to me, “Mom, how come everybody doesn’t home exchange?”  This is from a young woman who was 8 years old on our family’s first home swap. It’s how she and her brother have seen the world. My family has exchanged our San Diego home 12 times in 12 years. We’re about to do lucky number 13 in May.

The home swap concept is simple: You live in someone’s home, while they live in yours. No money is exchanged, only your home. You choose the city and the home or apartment. The location could be across the state or across the Pacific.

You can enjoy your vacations in far more spacious and comfortable surroundings than you would otherwise. You’ll have fully stocked kitchens where you can cook your own meals. This is especially important if it’s cherry season.

A few years ago, my family exchanged our home with a family in Germany. During our June visit, the Schramm’s garden was bursting with juicy strawberries and ripe raspberries. Cherries dangled from tree branches like ruby earrings. I decided to whip up a batch of my mom’s famous cherry crisp for a Father’s Day dessert. Our kids, Dillon and Michele, used a ladder to harvest a bowlful of the fruit and then the three of us sat at the patio table pitting the cherries with what my dad used to call the “dead end” of a safety pin. By the time we were finished our arms were coated in sticky juice, our stomachs hurt from laughing so much and the fruit looked slaughtered. But after dinner, that cherry crisp was devoured.

Our exchange in Germany lasted about three weeks. I’ve discovered that when we home exchange, we take longer vacations. Why? Because we can afford the price of home swap accommodations: FREE!

There are about 70 home exchange companies throughout around the globe. The largest agency registered 70,000 home exchanges within the past 12 months. One family did 10 home swaps just last year! These people are saving a fortune by home exchanging. You can even exchange cars. Just imagine how much money you could save on accommodations and car rental.

So if you dream of traveling but keep stumbling over the cost of an extended vacation or business trip, home exchange is your answer.

And if you travel during the month of June, bring a cherry crisp recipe with you!

2. Tell us about your own great experiences with home exchanges.

My family’s love of home exchange all began in 2000 when we lived in Europe for five months and exchanged homes with families in England, Ireland, Germany, France and Italy. At the time, our son, Dillon, was 12 and as I mentioned Michele, was 8.

Our First Home Exchange was in Windsor, England - This five bedroom/3 bath Tudor built in 1485 was where my family lived for two weeks. We agreed to care for their two dogs, three geese and five sheep. Oh, and seven fish.

They missed 10 weeks of school, but instead they marveled at Stonehenge in England, experienced the night sky at the only planetarium in Ireland, learned of the atrocities at Dachau Concentration in Germany, took an art class at a museum down the street from Claude Monet’s home in France and attended an opera—in Italian— in my grandmother’s hometown of Barga, Italy.

Our children matured in unexpected ways on that journey. These were two typical American kids who squirmed while munching chicken nuggets at Denny’s. But by the time we arrived in Italy five months later, they were sitting in a white tablecloth restaurant eating calamari.

3. Do they cost anything?

Most home exchange companies charge an annual membership fee; these fees range from free to over $500 U.S. Dollars. The average price is $100. Home swap agencies that offer more exclusive homes generally charge the higher fees, but there are plenty of terrific homes on the $100 sites too. Most exchange companies allow you to check out their website at no cost, before you join.

One night after you put the kids to bed and the house is quiet, take a trip around the world. You’ll be blown away by what you find. I will never forget my first peek at a home exchange website. It’s positively thrilling to imagine that your family can live for free in one of the wonderful homes like these:

Great Britain: “18^th century thatched cottage in quiet Dorset countryside.”  You’ll be enchanted by the image of the home with gray straw on the roof, pink flowers in the garden and a green painted door.

Switzerland: “Our house is located in a beautiful village between vineyards and the lake and we have a private beach.”  You’ll see trees surrounding the lake and a rowboat bobbing in the foreground.

France: “Charming, quiet, historic district of Central Paris.”  The ivy covered 17^th century stone building will captivate you. You’ll read that they have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Their apartment is only five minutes from the Louvre Museum.

Once you see the amazing options, I’m certain you’ll call out to your travel partner, “Honey, come look what I found!”

4. What happens if things don’t work out right? The pictures are forged or someone ill-treats your home?

Let me give you an example of one of the e-mails we received from a home exchange prospect:

Dear Stan and Shelley,

We live in Windsor, England and are interested to exchange with you. We have a 5 bedroom and 2 bath Tudor home on 3 acres. Our 3 children are on school holiday in April so that is when we could schedule a visit.  Does this work for you?

We’d also like to exchange cars.  We have a Volvo wagon.

Paul and Katherine

When I clicked on a photo of their home, I thought the Queen herself could have lived there. It was a glorious old mansion built in 1485; we don’t have dirt that old in California!

I e-mailed them that very day, Paul e-mailed back the next and soon I felt like we were pen pals.

Your heart will flutter with excitement when you exchange e-mails with people on the other side of the world. During the getting-to-know-you phase you’ll ask your home exchange prospect if they like to hike or visit museums or fish. You’ll exchange photos of your families, perhaps talk on the phone or Skype. Until finally, they no longer seem like a stranger, they seem like a friend.

And that’s really what home exchange is all about: developing new friends and seeing the world in an authentic and affordable way.

If your still not convinced, just let me mention that the CEO of the largest home exchange company says that in over 20 years of business and thousands of home exchanges they’ve never had one report of a theft or malicious vandalism.

5. Why are home exchanges a good fit for families?

Home exchange was made for families.

Our Flat in Florence, Italy - Dillon and Michele discover what they consider to be the best part about home exchanging: Toys!

What happens when you go to a hotel room—after the kids jump on the bed and watch TV and play with the games on your phone or iPad—they get cabin fever, right? Well, when you home exchange there is s-p-a-c-e to move around! And if you exchange with families who have kids, there are TOYS! Often there are bicycles! There are board games! Doll houses! Drum sets! Puppets! (Did I mention toys?)

Aside from the fact that your accommodations are free, toys are the next best feature. Although having a fully stocked kitchen is pretty good too. Oh, and more than one bathroom is always a good thing.

When we exchanged with Paul and Katherine in England there were five pairs of Wellington boots by the door, the Brits call them Wellies. So there are even rain boots available. After all, it’s someone’s home, everything you need is right there.

You’ve heard the expression, “All the comforts of home.” Well, I think they were referring to a home exchange.

6. What advice can you offer travelers looking to engage in a home swap for the first time?

• Check out my website – www.homeexchangeexpert.com and follow my tips on Twitter @homeexchangekey

• Join a home exchange company – There are several good ones out there. The largest company lists 40,000 homes from 147 countries. Another offers 2,000 homes in 70 countries. One home swap agency has a network of Christian members and yet another company has gathered together Jewish members. There is a home exchange company for seniors, teachers and those with disabilities too. The options are endless.
• Create a webpage for your home – Observe what other home exchangers have done on their webpage and then borrow the best ideas. My family lives near the Pacific Ocean, so my husband scanned a postcard photograph that shows an aerial view of our region. He did this in 1999 and the photo remains on our webpage, attracting home exchange prospects like bees to honey.

What’s the best feature of your home? Is it a dreamy master bedroom, a fabulous family room, perhaps a cool swimming pool? Whatever it is, highlight it on your webpage with some photographs and descriptions.

• Cut and paste your way throughout the world – Create an introductory e-mail and save it in the documents file in your computer, because you’ll be using this letter several times.

After you and your travel partner/family members decide where you want to exchange, you’ll begin e-mailing your prospects. Some people will respond in 2 days, some in 2 weeks, some never. Don’t give up. If you found a home that is perfect for you, e-mail them again in a week. Then maybe once more. If you don’t hear back after three tries, let it go.

My husband and I wanted to visit the colonial village of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico this year. I used my standard introductory e-mail message and sent it to nine prospects. Over the next couple weeks I heard “No,” from five of them, nothing from three of them and “Yes,” from one of them. The one who responded positively happens to be the owner of the home with the saltwater infinity pool. Oh yeah.

Remember, it only takes one.