Home exchange is more than just a trendy way to travel. It's an experience that opens doors to a world of unique discoveries and adventures, all without breaking the bank on accommodation costs. HomeExchange is the world leader in home exchanges, offering the most economic and authentic way to travel. Better yet, it's accessible to everyone! Ready to take advantage of such in incredible opportunity but wondering how it works? We think you'll find it's all quite simple and straightforward. Take a deep dive in this article and get started planning your first HomeExchange!
Discover how HomeExchange works.What types of exchanges are possible with HomeExchange?
At HomeExchange we offer different types of exchanges to ensure something that fits everyone and every journey. For flexibility, you'll find two types of exchanges possible on our site.
- Reciprocal Exchange. This is a classic exchange, where two families exchange each others' homes. This can be simultaneously or on different dates, depending on what works best for the both of you.
- GuestPoints Exchange. This is a system that allows you to earn points for hosting members in your space while you're at home or away. Later, you can spend them to stay at other members' homes.
Don't have a whole house? No stress. We know homes come in all shapes and sizes! In our network, you can exchange anything from a full house to a guest room, as long as both parties accept the trade.
Want to know more about GuestPoints?
We're excited to tell you. We created this system to offer more versatility to members in our network and unlock even more possibilities for exchanges. Guests are no longer limited by reciprocal exchanges thanks to our innovative GuestPoints system.
Want to travel to a member's home who is available to welcome you but who doesn't want to go to your home? You give them GuestPoints in exchange for their hospitality, which they'll use later to travel to another member's home at the destination of their choice.
So, how many GuestPoints? We take the guess work out of that for you and keep things fair and square. Each house is assigned a value in GuestPoints per night when it's created: this calculation is automatic and is based on all the criteria you provided when creating your listing.
How Does HomeExchange Help You Travel More While Spending Less?
An annual membership for a very low price.
Exchanging homes is a practice that virtually eliminates one of the biggest expense items in a vacation budget: accommodation, which usually represents around 30% of it. It's as simple as that? Imagine going on vacation and not paying for accommodations beyond the one time annual fee of just $220. That's less than two nights in an average hotel across North America. With so many savings, you can go further and travel more often!
Savings on your food budget.
While exchanging homes, you can also make significant savings on your food budget. With a fully equipped kitchen to prepare daily meals, barbecue, picnics and more you'll save big time by dining in. Go to the grocery store or the local market to do your shopping for local's experience and save money. Of course, nothing stops you from going to the restaurant during your stay and enjoying the savings you've made throughout your stay with home cooked meals in between!
How Can You Become a Member & Start Exchanging?
Joining HomeExchange is easy, simple, and fun. We made it sure of it! Signing up and start exploring exchanges is free. We won't ask you to pay unless you find a potential exchange and you want to finalise it. Here's how to begin...
- Create your free listing and fill out your profile. Introduce yourself and choose your favorite destinations, promote your home by adding nice pictures, and don't forget to add your home's availability in the calendar.
- Look for homes in destinations that interest you and send exchange requests. Send personalized messages and respond to other member requests that you receive. Organize the details of your exchange by communicating with your host via the HomeExchange messaging system.
- Become a Member and finalize your exchange! Once the details are set, the exchange must be pre-approved by your host. If you're not already a Member, sign up for $220 for a year of unlimited exchanges. Then, pack your bags!
What Do Members Think of the HomeExchange Experience?
We love hearing from our members about their exchanges and are proud to have earned rave reviews on TrustPilot with an excellent score of 4.7 stars from nearly 12,000 reviews. In our community, an exchange is finalized every two minutes, and we love to hear all about them! Here are some recent experiences members shared.
"My experience with HomeExchange has been extremely positive. What a great way to share your home with others, while having the opportunity to live like a local in your dream destination! Look, I get it. I was terrified to join initially but have not looked back once! Take the plunge and join now!" Sara, USA
"We have been traveling with HomeExchange for years. Each exchange has been wonderful! Our exchange partners have been lovely and always taken good care of our home. We have had wonderful vacations to places such as London, Paris, Rome, the Alps, Ireland, Norway, and Canada - all without paying for hotels and rental cars. We have enjoyed lively homes with living areas and kitchens, along with the hospitality of our generous hosts." Jackie, USA
See all of our reviews on TrustPilot."Home exchange is almost more of a lifestyle than anything else. It is a great way to see the world and meet people, bring you to places you never would have gone and trusting your home with friends who do the same for you." Therese, Norway
