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We have just returned from a domestic home exchange ( to Edinburgh) but also have done many international exchanges. We have done well over 55 now mostly abroad and love it. We are doing another month long one to Berkeley this fall ( our last one having been so great).
Home exchange is a fantastic way to vacation. You get no hotel costs ( and no car hire costs as we also swap cars) just the cost of flights and thus all the money saved is there for you to have fun and go out instead... Also you get a whole house ( or appartment) rather than a small hotel , somewhere homely and you get to see the country as a visitor rather than just a tourist. It enables you to absorb a lot more of the local culture IMO.
We have done exchanges to many places ,one of our favourite being Tallinn in Estonia, we stayed in the Russian part of town , exchanging with the loveliest people and got to see a different side to this beautiful but touristy city which was wonderful.
I have had to turn down roughly over 40 people in the last 3 months , mostly from Australia , Canada and New Zealand which I hate doing though... How do you say no to a beach house near a rainforest... ?!? It's nice to have that problem though...
There are a couple of more detailed links in the travel forum.
We have just returned from a domestic home exchange ( to Edinburgh) but also have done many international exchanges. We have done well over 55 now mostly abroad and love it. We are doing another month long one to Berkeley this fall ( our last one having been so great).
Home exchange is a fantastic way to vacation. You get no hotel costs ( and no car hire costs as we also swap cars) just the cost of flights and thus all the money saved is there for you to have fun and go out instead... Also you get a whole house ( or appartment) rather than a small hotel , somewhere homely and you get to see the country as a visitor rather than just a tourist. It enables you to absorb a lot more of the local culture IMO.
We have done exchanges to many places ,one of our favourite being Tallinn in Estonia, we stayed in the Russian part of town , exchanging with the loveliest people and got to see a different side to this beautiful but touristy city which was wonderful.
I have had to turn down roughly over 40 people in the last 3 months , mostly from Australia , Canada and New Zealand which I hate doing though... How do you say no to a beach house near a rainforest... ?!? It's nice to have that problem though...
There are a couple of more detailed links in the travel forum.
Sounds tough saying no to tempting offers & I cannot wait to try it. Only trouble is the only time we can travel each year is between June & September & I think most people would prefer summer in New Zealand although it is not that cold in Auckland during those months compared to winters in the USA or Northern hemisphere.
Sounds tough saying no to tempting offers & I cannot wait to try it. Only trouble is the only time we can travel each year is between June & September & I think most people would prefer summer in New Zealand although it is not that cold in Auckland during those months compared to winters in the USA or Northern hemisphere.
New Zealand seems really popular especially with Brits, Canadians and Americans so I can't imagine you would have any problems even in the low season. In fact NZ seems a dream destination for most people I think !
I think a lot of people are just up for the adventure and also with NZ a lot of people want to visit family without having to stay with them.
I would certainly recommend you give it a go. "Homelink" is the organisation I belong to and one of the biggest ( and in my opinion and experience) and best organised home swap one.
My family has done several home exchanges, and I also own a luxury home exchange business (exclusive exchanges), so you can guess I am hooked on the concept.
If this is your first exchange, be sure that everyone is on board. My husband had to be convinced for our first one, but now he loves it.
There are several good 'all-inclusive' home exchange businesses-roofswap.com, homeexchange.com and homeforexchange.com to name just a few with large memberships.
Try to swap cars too, as it saves a lot on renting, especially for the longer exchanges. For international exchanges, I'd shoot for at least two weeks if that is possible. Some people are open to longer exchanges.
The thing I like most about home exchange is it plunks you down into a real community, so you definitely feel like you are a part of the place-as opposed to being in the hotel zone for tourists.
Best of luck,
Margaret
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I agree with Mooseketeer - home swaps are a great way to travel. Winter in Auckland isn't a problem (I was there then, a long time ago!) but I've also done home exchanges which haven't been at the same time: we swapped at times which suited us, and arranged to be away on holiday elsewhere when the other family was going to visit.
I'm with Homes-Club International - you know you've got a common link with the people you're swapping with.
We've exchanged our home in Phoenix, AZ five times in the past 2.5 years. California, twice in Mexico, Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and Florida. The Florida exchange was for 3 months, while the other exchanges ranged from 1-3 weeks.
Obviously, we're enthusiastic fans. We've become good friends with several of the couples with whom we exchanged. On all our exchanges, our property was respected and in the same condition as when we left. We have exchanged cars, autos and even dogs, and we have also brought our dog with us on an exchange (the three months in Florida - couldn't just leave the little guy behind!)
We'd do a lot more of them, but most of our offers want our house during our warm winters from people who want to escape the cold. As we are not skiers, we turn down a large number of offers from Colorado, Canada, Wyoming, etc. And, of course, when we want to escape the heat of summer - well, nobody in their right mind would want to be in Phoenix.
It's a marvelous way of traveling, comfortable, safer than a hotel IMO, convenient, far less expensive, and allows you to really get to know an area differently than a hotel-based trip.
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