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HOME EXCHANGE
Home exchange, a travel lodging option born in academia in the ‘50’s and 60’s (and now in the mainstream), is an
arrangement between two individuals or families from different parts of the country or world agreeing to "swap" their
primary or secondary home for a mutually agreeable period of time. Vacation home exchange makes short and long
term economic sense and provides for a higher quality of comfort and culture when traveling.
Why home exchange
Culture, comfort, and cost are three of the primary factors that bring people back to home exchange time and time
again.
- No matter how good the tour guide or travel book describes a destination; the real picture can only be seen from your
"own" backyard. While visiting another country as a guest in someone's home, you come away with a truer, richer
experience.
- Staying in a real home provides you with choices. It's a kitchen when you crave scrambled eggs at 2 a.m. or the
convenience of a laundry room when your toddler has gone through three outfits in one day. Perhaps after a hectic
day of sightseeing the last thing you want to do is get dressed for dinner. Take-out in a foreign place takes on a new
meaning and is actually fun. Live like the locals and enjoy all the comforts of home away from home. Many people
turn to exchanging their homes when planning sabbaticals, family and school reunions, or scouting retirement and job
opportunities worldwide.
- The dollars and cents reason is easy to figure out; you don't pay a penny for your accommodations. Very often the
exchange reaches beyond dwellings to include cars and/or pet care, rewarding you with additional savings on rentals
and boarding. Many people opt to travel to more exotic locations for longer periods with significant savings on
accommodation costs.
Use our Advanced Search with Rentals to find Home Exchange properties.
HOSPITALITY
Hospitality exchange is an arrangement that lets an individual or family stay with another individual a family
(and visa versa) for a mutually acceptable period of time. Hospitality exchange, or host exchange as it is very often
referred to, requires as much planning as any other type of home exchange travel arrangement, but the end result
is no different from having friends or family as houseguests from anywhere from a weekend to a couple of weeks.
Non-reciprocal hospitality is when a hospitality offer will be extended without a scheduled reciprocal stay. The
scenarios for this will very greatly, here are a few.
- Caretaking – According to law enforcement and homeowners insurance company experts, an occupied home is far safer
from vandals than one left unoccupied for extended period of times. Most guests do not mind taking in the mail and
perhaps watering a few plants in return for the generous offer to stay in the home.
- Writers, photographers, visiting professors, and many others in freelance positions share hospitality arrangements when
on assignment in other parts of the country or world.
- World travelers network constantly in seeking their next comfortable place to stay. Bartering for chores, small hosting
fees and other arrangements are made with some advance planning.
Benefits of Hospitality
Exchanging hospitality provides the means to swap ideas, build new friendships and gain insight into each other's
worlds. Sharing in the preparation of meals (including shopping in local markets), dining with several generations of
relatives, putting your foreign languages skills to use in a supportive environment, and being directed to the jewels of
a region often overlooked in the guide books, are a few of the benefits of an exchange while your hosts remain
during your stay. For many it may be simply a comfortable place to hang your hat for a bit while traveling around a
region.
As in all exchanges, understanding the needs and expectations of one another will ensure a positive experience.
Whether you will be traveling alone or with children, the amount of time to spent together, and the number of
shared meals, are just several of the important issues for the host and guest to discuss prior to committing to the
exchange.
Use our Advanced Search with Rentals to find Hospitality Swap properties.
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