A host of swapping websites allow you to blag free accommodation by switching homes, sofas or even caravans with people who live elsewhere. The savings can be vast, and some MoneySavers report making lifelong friends.
Yet on the downside, swapping with strangers has its hazards. I want to tap MoneySavers’ knowledge to find out what kind of experiences you've had and your top travel swapping tips. Which are the best websites and what are the safety considerations?
Some of the biggest home swapping websites are Intervac, Homelink and Home Base Holidays. Alternatively, the Couchsurfing website allows you to sign up to stay on people’s sofas around the world. There's even a new caravan swapping website, Motorhomeholidayswap.
Please post below to share you top tips on how to have a free and safe swapping holiday.
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They were both university lecturers - one in sunny california and one in sunny Manchester. Guess who got the good end of the deal.
The Californian lasted about 3 months in Manchester - I suspect he was suffering from SAD as it was winter by this point.
He then proceeded to crash the car, flood the house and had a nervous breakdown. (Some people would say this was a normal reaction to Manchester, Mancunians would just say he couldnt hack it).
My parents friends meanwhile were living in a very conservative small town where everyone went jogging, went to bed at 8:30 and certainly did not partake in everything that they had thought Californians would partake in. When the Californian fled Manchester, they ended up being upsurped from the small town (much to their relief) and spent the rest of the time travelling.
The premise is simple - you crash on someone's sofa. And someone else's. In return, you let other people crash on yours when you're at home. You don't have to swap with the people you stayed with - it's more a karma thing. I have made many friends, been on many nights out and learned a huge amount about the places I've visited by staying with CSers.
Part of the ethos is that you don't just use people as an accommodation service. In return, hosts will generally put effort into making you acquainted with the area. Some may take you places, others simply have a pile of tourist literature and a great knowledge of the area. I've been driven around half of Victoria by one family, taken to a very posh spa in Koln by a guy who wasn't even hosting me, fed traditional food by the bucketload across northern France, forced (ha) to drink chilli vodka in Dusseldorf, shown around Turin by one of the most knowledgeable local historians you could ever hope to meet (and given a hiking map when I left so I wouldn't get lost in the hills), helped set up a LAN party in Luxembourg...
The system is completely free to join and use. The only charge is voluntary - a small one-off fee can be used to "verify" you. I think it was $15 when I did it. In return you're sent (by post) a code which you enter into the site. This proves that you live at the registered location. Otherwise, the site's inbuilt system of references, friends, experiences and so on will verify who you are over time.
As an example, fee free to peruse my profile. It'll certainly give you an idea of how quick and easy it is to meet people across the globe!
Another site that is worth a look is www.hospitalityclub.org it is a total freebie.
I used it when I lived in Germany and now that I live in Barbados I have had people from around the world come to stay - if you want to travel on a budget and get the most out of your trip by staying with a 'local' this Hospitality Club is hard to beat.
On swapping, I did a swap for my place in Barbados for three weeks last August with a woman and her children from London - a fun thing to do saved on the worry about my palce and a free stay in Kensington in a big comfy flat - I will be going it again.
It costs £100 to join, but you know the people on it are grownups, and that the site owners are taking some responsibility for making sure everyhting is ok. You sign an agreement form before you do the exchange, so you have some sort of recourse. I have never needed it - its brilliant. Not only have I had free accommodation abroad, but have also done non-similtaneous exchanges and had people to stay in my flat and look after my pets while I was away. It helps that I live in Edinburgh, which is a tourist destination.
I suppose the big risk is that you get a serious fraudster. But I don't think there is much you can do about that - of course, use your common sense, but seeing as some people end up *marrying* serious fraudsters, they are obviously good at what they do.
However, I have never heard of that happening - the vast majority of people are honest holiday makers trying to save a little cash. I put away any precious breakables just in case, and make sure the flat is tidy. I have never had any problems at all. Am off to Costa Rica next spring to stay in a luxury apartment by the sea!:rotfl:
Good luck.
Jola
We have had many successful swaps. Give it a look - only£25 per year - non profit making.
I have been a member of www.switchome.org for the past 4 years and have in the last 6 months been helping out with the translation side of things - so declaring an interest here. However seeing as the site is completely free of charge now and always, I have nothing to gain from this post (apart from a potential swap in the UK;) ) and felt it would be acceptable....... A unique site due to it being run completely by volunteers! The majority of ads are for French properties so might not be everyone's cup of tea... would be great to increase database of UK members though!
I think this is an attitude that will lead to successful swaps, I can understand that people feel anxious about letting a stranger into their homes, but if you do it with an attitude of goodwill instead of seeing it as a giant freebie, hopefully you will also receive the same hospitality in return.
It might be good using a site where you pay a membership fee. If someone can't be asked to pay maybe $50 a year for a successful swap, then how can you be sure that they will go to any lengths at all to look after your home?
Another good idea is probably to look for similar swaps. I.e. if your place is a run down studio flat in the outskirts of a small faraway town, you can't expect to stay in a luxury penthouse in Manhattan. But if your little place is in the centre of a metropolis, and properly cleaned, you might be able to find a nice biggish house in the countryside somewhere. You get the point. And don't assume that nobody would want to go to your area, there might be people who have relatives there who they want to visit, or other connections that take them there.
Good luck with swapping!!!