Bob and Johnyne Wascavage, whose four-bedroom Victorian ranch in Oregon became my family’s home for a month in 2019, politely required that we replenish their “dog bone tree” — an eccentric nest of orange pill bottles the librarians had strung from their sycamore tree and filled with chews for neighbourhood canines.
For the Rivards, professional musicians based in the San Francisco Bay Area, we dusted a collection of antique bassoons; and for Charlotte, a moneyed home-swapper in the Dordogne, we maintained an aquamarine swimming pool.
For converts there are endless benefits of house-swapping over staying in a conventional hotel, holiday apartment or B&B. Chief of these, of course, is the cost: leading platform Love Home Swap estimates exchanges save their participants an average of £1,065 a week compared with a stay in a holiday rental or hotel. A swap means more space than a hotel room or purpose-designed holiday apartment and it’s notably more sociable. Traders live their swappers’ lives for the duration of the stay and can agree to use each other’s cars and care for their pets (saving on pricey car hire and kennel fees). They also get to enjoy the quirks that come with the swap, be they collections of rare antiques, cake-baking neighbours or those cavernous American basement games rooms/man dens much loved by my five-year-old son.
Traders often form lifelong friendships, says Caroline Connolly of HomeLink, an agency founded in 1953 — “We’ve even had a few marriages!”
HomeLink has had a 160 per cent rise in new member sign-ups in 2022, with 67 per cent of agreed exchanges being UK to overseas (pre-pandemic that was 90 per cent; in 2021 it was 8 per cent). Many longer-haul swaps are for family reunions.
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There’s also a sustainability argument for arranging a home-swap over a hotel, explains Mark Sealey from newer platform Home Base Holidays: “Swappers use properties that would otherwise be left vacant, they wash their own towels and bedding as needed, and can afford a lengthier stay in a long-haul destination.”
Home exchanges can be arranged informally, through friends or Facebook groups, or via paid-for sites, such as HomeLink (homelink.org), Intervac (intervac-homeexchange.com) and Home Base Holidays (homebase-hols.com), which offer a traditional reciprocal set-up where both parties stay in each other’s properties at the same time.
More complicated platforms and apps — such as Love Home Swap (lovehomeswap. com), HomeExchange (homeexchange.com), Exchange Holiday Homes for holiday homeowners (exchangeholidayhomes.com) and the glitzy Thirdhome (thirdhome.com) — allow a mix of reciprocal and points swaps, whereby users allow others to stay at their home or holiday let to accrue points for future stays. Thirdhome and HomeExchange also let users book some of their properties for a cash fee.
In summer 2021, Nadia and Stan Marson swapped their four-bedroom converted granary in Saffron Walden with Jo and Rus Pereira, who own a four-bedroom converted barn in Berkshire, through Home Base Holidays. The swap involved care for the Pereiras’ cat, Tink, and the feeding of five lively alpacas. “We loved getting lost cycling in the nearby woods in this not-at-all-touristy bit of the shires. And the alpacas were such characters,” Nadia says. “They really made our kids’ stay memorable.” The Marsons tell me that they are open to swapping offers anywhere for summer 2022 but are keen to get some sunshine in southern Europe.
Professor Anna Farmaki, from the Cyprus University of Technology, studies peer-to-peer property exchanges and says that home-swaps tick all the boxes for the post-pandemic 2020s, with many of us craving connectedness and adventure while keeping an eye on our outgoings. “Socialising and saving money will be the big drivers in tourist accommodation choice in the coming years,” she says. She adds that classic swaps are less controversial than for-profit arrangements on peer-to-peer accommodation platforms such as Airbnb, which have been accused of exacerbating housing shortages in cities popular with tourists, such as Barcelona and New York, before the pandemic struck.
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In 2021 our arranged holiday swap in Provence (potential saving: £1,300 a week) was shelved because of France’s shifting pandemic regulations. This summer we’re planning another intimate Gallic adventure, swapping our London Victorian terraced property for a sun-blessed 18th-century farm in Gascony with a swimming pool and terracotta pots planted with agaves and barbary figs. Like most seasoned swappers we’ll devote time to getting to know our swapper, Karen, in advance. She’s a novelist who’s keen to spend a summer near to her grown-up son and young grandson in the UK. We’ll also consider the little touches that will make her stay pleasant: creating a detailed house manual of restaurants and local attractions she might enjoy; stocking up on the shortbread she misses from her days as an au pair in Edinburgh; and making introductions on our friendly neighbourhood WhatsApp group. It’s a relief that someone will be taking care of our idiosyncratic 1840s home, which is prone to a leaking roof in a summer storm.
Connolly suggests novice swappers devote time to getting to know their potential matches online before setting up an exchange and that they “keep arrangements as flexible as possible”, as well as booking a professional deep-clean, with post-pandemic sensitivities in view, before guests arrive. She notes that the staycation boom in traditional hospitality has carried over to home-swapping, with many site users arranging an annual UK switch in addition to an overseas jaunt. “Britons who never previously considered holidaying in the UK have now found that they really enjoy it,” she says.
Swapping isn’t for everyone; many prefer to kick back and enjoy room service rather than worry about Fido’s feeding regimen. But for us the extra work is worth it for the boons: arriving to a properly kitted-out family home, where new friends have left a fridge full of local produce and a cheerful message from a neighbour offering babysitting or a walking tour. “I think the human face of travel is very much here to stay,” Farmaki says. I’ll clink one of Karen’s wine glasses to that.
Four hot swaps for 2022
1. Eco-home on the Cornish coast
Great dining, spectacular sunsets and surfing are all top reasons to head to Newquay. Another is the chance to experience living in this five-storey eco townhouse with expansive views of the seaside. It features a private rooftop balcony, car-charging point and hot outdoor shower. Towan Beach is two minutes’ walk down the hill, and the cafés and restaurants of Newquay are a short stroll away. Owner Alex is interested in swap and points offers from November.
Details Love Home Swap standard annual listing £120, plus £210 cleaning fee and £34 refuse collection; lovehomeswap.comhttp://www.lovehomeswap.com
2. Artist’s home in France
This 120-year-old townhouse in Olonzac is in the heart of the Minervois wine-producing region of southern France between Toulouse and Montpellier. Traditional shutters, a roll-top bath and an artist’s studio with views over the Pyrenees add to the charm. Expect wine tastings at surrounding châteaux and a Tuesday village market. The owners are interested in swaps near rivers and coasts.
Details Home Base Holidays annual listing £49; homebase-hols.com
3. California dreaming
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It’s hard to beat the location of this new three-storey barrel-fronted home near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. It sleeps eight in three bedrooms and comes with a movie room, fire pit and gym area. The owner is interested in direct or points swap offers.
Details Thirdhome has a sliding scale of fees from £355 to £1,215 (payable when an exchange is agreed; annual dues from year two, £244); thirdhome.com
4. Italian hideaway
No ordinary semi, Paolo’s home is set amid olive trees and vineyards on a hill between the medieval citadel Bertinoro and wine-producing town Cesena. Emilia Romagna’s honey-sand seaside resorts are a 30-minute drive away. The house can sleep up to eight and has three bathrooms. Paolo is interested in swaps in the London area.
Details HomeExchange annual membership £132; homeexchange.com
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