HomeExchange allows you to go on cheap vacations, but above all, to live exceptional and unique experiences that a traditional rental or a hotel can’t provide. Whether you travel alone, as a couple, with family or friends, home exchanging creates memories for life.
Our members recount their favorite memories from hosting guests, meeting new people, and having many adventures and trips.
HomeExchange creates authentic moments of sharing!
HomeExchange is all about hospitality. The little details and special moments between hosts and guests and moments of sharing allow you to open up to others and the world, and to create memories that will last forever.
"We very much appreciated our hosts’ warm welcome and availability. Sophie's husband is a real artist, not only were we able to appreciate his masterpieces at their home, but upon our return home (what a nice surprise!), he had left us a very beautiful engraving of a view of Bruges, a place they had visited as a family during their stay at our home." - Sophie
"We appreciated their hosting, the little things they left for us: coffee, milk, jam, fruit. A short note the next morning to ask if we had slept well, their suggestions for places to visit. They suggested we visit Burano, and it became one of our favorite places we visited. Warm and friendly people." - Suzanne
"A very friendly welcome, with tapas and a bottle of wine in the fridge, and they told us about the places to visit nearby and marked them on the map so we could get to know all the cool places to visit." - Mélanie
"We very much appreciated the kindness and the availability of our host, Barry. He helped us a lot to organize our visits, and told us which places we couldn’t miss during our stay. We met extremely kind hosts, who were genuinely concerned about our well-being. When we got home, our table was covered with little gifts, and their daughters Sylvie and Mila had left a nice message and chocolates for our two little girls. A completely successful exchange!" - Sophie
Home exchanging can be an opportunity to meet wonderful people!
During exchanges, friendships are formed, unexpected meetings take place, and relationships are made, sometimes for the duration of an exchange, sometimes for life.
"Our children loved meeting friends their age in the neighborhood we stayed in." - Olivier
"Our greatest memory is the lasting friendship that we developed with our hosts. During the exchange, we even went to visit our host twice when he was hospitalized. We also ate with them a few times, and they told us about places to see in the area. We saw our hosts in Quebec last year, and are planning a trip to Scotland with them next year. Home exchanges are a fantastic gateway to the world and to the people who live in it." - Suzanne
"Meetings are what mark us most. Meeting our exchange partners, but also the people around them. We will long remember the father of our Irish host who took us on a boat ride to see seals and a beautiful island. And her sister who offered us a snack at her home before taking us on a private guided tour of a castle."- Sophie
"When you exchange homes with Australians, and Floridians, and then with an American living in Mexico, and then, a few years later, all three meet at your wedding in a tiny village in the Lot department of France, you say thanks to HomeExchange! It's wonderful proof of international friendship.” - Michel
"A very moving memory: my Argentinian guests’ tears of joy when we met on the platforms of La Rochelle station...We had had an extraordinary stay in their beautiful home the previous year. A beautiful friendship was born despite the language barrier.” - Martine
Home exchanging allows you to go on memorable adventures!
Going on an exchange means going on an adventure into unknown territory, leaving your comfort zone and making extraordinary discoveries. Let yourself be surprised by the exchange requests you receive. Going to a destination that you would never have thought of is part of the magic of home exchange, whether in a very small village in the depths of the Basque country, in the apartment of a Canadian writer, or even going to Scotland when you had planned to go to Italy!
"An extraordinary memory. We first arrived in this beautiful, little, very authentic village located in the hills, overlooked by an old Moorish castle and to our surprise, for a week in mid-August, there was a celebration in the village with a fair every night! At first, it was totally unexpected to see bulls in the streets, almost another world, then we got caught up in Spain’s nocturnal atmosphere!" - Sonia
"Our greatest memory is still seeing our children, captivated by the grandeur and fame of the Tower Bridge in London." - Thomas
"One morning, we went for a walk on the beach five minutes from the home we were staying at and were intrigued by a strange and melodic sound which got louder and louder until we came face to face... with a bagpiper! " - Jean
"It was the first time that the five of us were able to snorkel on the second most beautiful beach in Spain and see fish together."- Emilie
Home exchange provides an opportunity for introspection and rediscovering yourself!
Living like you’re at home, feeling welcome in someone else’s house— this is what allows you to escape while enjoying the comfort of a fully equipped house, to open up to the world and live in the present. It is an opportunity to disconnect from everyday worries and enjoy your vacation!
"Karen, our South African host, entrusted us with her garden and her five hens for a week, even though we are a couple of Canadian city dwellers, not at all versed in gardening. We took our mission to heart by watering the whole garden at dusk religiously for an extended period of time, and each morning, we were like children amazed by the fresh eggs that our chicken-friends offered us, such a simple wonder. This contact with nature and the routine during our eight-day staymade us feel good, away from the stress of our daily lives, and made us feel special contact with the South African land." - Alia
"The walks in our hosts’ rustic garden were the most pleasant. Every day nature offered us a new surprise: rare butterflies, seasonal fruits and vegetables to pick, baby birds in a nest, children’s laughter. Enjoying a Finnish sauna after a long day of cycling through the Dutch countryside: true happiness!" - Richard
"I have visited places where I would probably never have gone otherwise. It made it easier for me to discover other ways of life and to exchange in a more authentic and friendly way with the people I exchanged with, especially when it comes to reciprocal exchanges." - Clémence
Taking the time to meet up with your exchange partners, to rediscover yourself, and to have a good time together.
"I love seeing my children and my husband take the time to play a board game together every day after lunch. We have played at least four different national versions of Monopoly that we found at our different exchange homes. It’s something we don't often take the time to do the rest of the year.” - Gwenaelle
You can create lifelong memories too! Where will you go on your next vacation? A vacation by the sea, in the mountains, in the countryside? Plan your next vacation now!
Thank you again to all our members for sharing their HomeExchange memories.
