Home exchange, also known as house swapping, is a type of hospitality service in which two parties agree to offer each other homestays (lodging in each other’s homes) for a set period of time. Since no monetary exchange takes place, it is a form of barter, collaborative consumption, and sharing.
Home Exchange – Where Would You Go If You Could Stay For Free?
Home exchange can cover any type of dwelling including apartments, houses, holiday cottages, boats, or recreational vehicles. It can include an exchange of the entire home or just a room. The length of the swap can vary from a weekend to a year or more. The swap can be simultaneous or non simultaneous.
Like all home stays, home exchanges offer several advantages over hotel lodging, including the opportunities to save money and experience everyday life in another country.
– From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the 1990s, the proliferation of the internet greatly increased the accessibility of home exchange, providing users with easier communication, information, and a much larger pool of homes from which to choose.
A 2008 survey conducted by homeexchangeguru.com shows that 92% have attended university, and more than 60% have done post graduate work. Of participants, 52% travel with children or consist of groups of three or more, while 48% travel without children or in groups of two or less.
A 2013 study by the University of Bergamo shows a wide cross-section of the public is represented, with 28.3% aged 45–54, 18.7% 65+ and only 5.9% under age 34. The study showed that 84.3% of respondents seek out museums and the great outdoors, 67% value environmentally-friendly tourism, and 98% express interest in cultural heritage. Fair trade food (63%) and organic food (73%) are also important. The study notes the strong degree of trust necessary in collaborative consumption, with 75% agreeing that most people are trustworthy. 93% are satisfied with their experience, with 81% having swapped homes more than once.
– From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Home Exchange – Become Part of the World’s Leading Home Exchange Community
Guidebook legend Arthur Frommer calls home exchange “the single most sensible, logical and intelligent method of vacationing.”
Shelley Miller, who had completed 12 home exchanges, wrote in The Huffington Post: “We experience the region like residents: We eat in a kitchen, gather around the fireplace in the living room and ride through the community on bicycles from the garage. We’re part of a neighborhood not a business district.”
Home Exchange – Travel Anywhere Live Like a Local
