Home exchange is a great vacation tool that saves money for the travelers

What is a home exchange or a home swap? Also known as house swapping, the home exchange is an optional arrangement that provide travel accommodation, after two parties consent to exchange their houses for a fixed period of time without charging anything for the occupancy. The arrangement is believed to have been started way back in 1953 when the low cost holiday accommodations were introduced and it was also one of the flag bearers for the collaborative consumption movement.

The catch phrase used for the arrangement was “You stay in my house while I stay in yours”, and the concept exploded through the internet and was highly popularized in the 90s. It provided great communication which engineered large pool of houses around the country from where an individual can pick a home for spending holidays in a desired destination. The housing swap is now facilitated by the services of websites that make the swap by possible through their house search tools. A member can simply pay a fee, signup and upload his profile and using the search tools available on the website can find a match.

Estimates of house swap indicate that the exchange is rapidly growing each year at the rate of 15 to 20 percent. The peak season for house swapping is determined as summer because traditionally people move from one destination to another to spend their holidays and each time they tray out a different place. This hugely helps them avoid the cost for hotel accommodation and allow them to enjoy vacations that are usually beyond the budget. By swapping homes vacationers now can save up to $5,000 per swap that they otherwise would have spent on hotel rooms.

The idea may not be comfortable for everyone but most people opt for it because it is a great money saver. The idea is not just considered for saving money but also to meet different people from different regions, and indulge in the local culture. Finding homes through swap has been made easy by the internet a hundreds of websites are now dedicated for home exchange. Earlier the execution of finding the houses and the act of swapping was done through printed catalogues but internet has made it possible for any home exchanger to find matching homes and their information to contact the owners to arrange the swap. Knowing the exchange home details in advance and the various feedbacks available from the past exchanger, a prospect will know how the home will fit the purpose.