How to pay next to nothing for accommodation
It’s the New York City destination dream to stay in an apartment on the Upper East Side that overlooks Central Park. Well, thanks to a hot holiday trend, house swapping, this could now be the reality of your next travel adventure.
House swapping whereby you exchange houses with someone – either in New Zealand or in one of many countries around the world – is for many people, the difference between a couple of weeks away or an extended trip. In some cases, it’s the difference in affording a holiday at all. We think the best part of doing a house swap is that you get to live like a local rather than a tourist.
Home swaps can be for any agreed period, may include use of motor vehicles and swaps can be arranged at the same time or at different times.
While the proof of the success of the holiday is in the pudding – many positive stories, high success rate and a skyrocketing travel trend – it does mean letting strangers into your home. Here are some tips on ensuring a seamless house swap.
Chemistry — this is a vital ingredient. You need to feel good about the exchange for it to work out for you.
Communicate — members can sometimes exchange 10 to 20 messages via the site to confirm a home swap vacation and a phone or Skype call can definitely help too to get to know each other and the properties involved. We also make available an Agreement form, which lots of members like to use.
Style – Spend time making your listing look lovely. And then add lots of photos and sell your home. As a comparison, think online dating.
Open mind – When it comes to where you hope to travel to as part of your swap, be open minded.
Insurance — Inform your insurance company before you go. Most prefer for people to be staying in your home, rather than it being left empty, but take out any extra cover if you need to.
Considerate — Ensure your home is tidy before your swap partner arrives and stocked up on basics such as kitchen staples and clean linen.
Cautious — Lock away any precious items before you go. That said, you will have to be a little relaxed about things as you can't pack up the whole house.
Key keeper – Enlist a neighbour or friend to keep a key while you’re gone and keep an eye on things should something come up. It can help ensure that it's all smooth sailing.
Enjoy — Home swapping is an amazing way to travel like a local and bag huge savings on holiday accommodation.