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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Am i mad to consider an easter house swop with a florida family?

40 replies

Theladyloriana · 26/05/2016 11:39

Has anyone done this and it actually worked out well?! I'd like to take the dc to south Florida gold coast for a break... I live in a nice village which could temp people near some lovely places...

OP posts:

KERALA1 · 26/05/2016 14:06

Yes it's great if you swap with family with similar aged kids - toys all there way better than empty self catering.

We started when eldest started school and price of holidays rocketed. We love to travel and without house swap wouldn't have done. Love that my girls have been riding in Ireland, hiking in Lake District and swimming in lanzarote high season, all for cost of flights only.

Still first swap was best - beautiful French farm and cat had fluffy kittens. Didn't see much on that trip girls wanted to stay at the house!

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 26/05/2016 14:41

My insurers treat it like having guests as it's under 30 days. We probably wouldn't be covered if they robbed us, but that's just not going to happen. It's all about trust.

We haven't swapped cars, only because OH has a pick-up and we found out that his insurance won't cover non-UK drivers as it's classed as a commercial vehicle (or summat). Otherwise we would.

We use homeechange.com

JuxtapositionRecords · 26/05/2016 17:03

Thanks for insurance info. I'm off to have a browse at some houses

BeALert · 26/05/2016 17:28

We haven't swapped cars, only because OH has a pick-up and we found out that his insurance won't cover non-UK drivers as it's classed as a commercial vehicle (or summat). Otherwise we would.

Actually it might be all cars now. I no longer live in the UK and recently my parents have been completely unable to find an insurance company that would cover me to drive their cars. Talking to other expats it seems to be a common problem. Just something to bear in mind.

justmyview · 26/05/2016 17:37

We've done 5 home exchanges, all v successful. By the time the exchange came around, we felt we knew the people slightly

Top tips =
(1) use a site which charges a fee, however small, to sift out the time wasters
(2) it's even better if you are using the other party's holiday home. That way, it feels less intimate than staying in their main home. It just feels like a free holiday. Also, you may end up in a house larger than you need, so it's nice to have the extra space (whereas you wouldn't have paid to rent a house bigger than you needed)

ShotgunNotDoingThePans · 26/05/2016 17:47

I've often wondered about this, especially since we could swap our holiday home. Does anyone have experience of lovehomeswap?

bloodypassword · 26/05/2016 17:52

We've house swapped several times (in the uk and abroad) and love it. Sometimes we've swapped cars too. Apart from one experience where the house was a shit-pit, it's worked beautifully.

I haven't used lovehome as all the house looked like holiday homes and I didn't think anyone would want my house. Intervac, guardian home exchange and homechange.com have worked out well.

We store some of our crap and clutter belongings in the garage or the attic. We clean like maniacs beforehand. We leave thorough instructions about how to work things and how to look after pets etc.

I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 26/05/2016 17:59

I've done over 60 exchanges (not joking, honestly) and apart from cruising and the occasional city break I wouldn't go on holiday any other way. The advantages of staying in a community rather than some holiday let full of other foreigners are immense ... all those local hints and tips you wouldn't otherwise get, and usually a set of ready-made friends / local family too

www.homeforexchange.com are the largest site and used to be good, but are now having a lot of problems with their messaging/IT systems, so I'm looking for a replacement if anyone has suggestions?

ChocDee · 26/05/2016 20:15

I know my parents did a house swap back in the day and they had a great time in New England. The whole street adopted them and they were invited round for BBQs etc. Great success!

Their neighbours in the uk did the same with an American family and dos the car swap as well. Not so great.... Their house is situated on a veeeeeeery long steep hill and the Americans had never driven a non automatic car... New gear box needed and the entire street could hear them practising on the hill!

ChocDee · 26/05/2016 20:16

Oh, and most Americans only drive automatics

KERALA1 · 26/05/2016 20:30

Puzzled we use homelink and have only had good experiences 12 swaps and counting.

How else could you get a 2 week family holiday to California with car, family house with pool in school hols for flight cost £2.5k?

Original poster

Theladyloriana · 26/05/2016 20:30

Gosh so exciting I can't wait to get on to it!

OP posts:

KERALA1 · 26/05/2016 20:38

We have found Italians and Americans keen to swap with Brits French less so.

CharlieSierra · 26/05/2016 20:40

My sister uses Lovehomeswap when she wants to come home from NZ, she's had no issues.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 26/05/2016 23:06

The whole street adopted them and they were invited round for BBQs etc

Sounds familiar I still have happy memories of hosting the extended family of our Boston Irish swappers, who promptly drank us dry!!

If anyone wants France, do try www.profvac.com - though you'll need pretty good French to use it. Hardly any English folk are on there, so it massively increases the odds of getting a swap with any French who want to visit the UK

And thanks for reminding me about Homelink, KERALA. I used to be on that one years ago so will probably give it a go again ...

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