AIBU to encourage you to consider a home exchange for a holiday?

[notanothertakeaway]

We have had fantastic experiences and it ticks so many boxes for us -

Free holiday

Live like a local

No ethical dilemma about holiday lets decimating local housing stock

Plenty of comfortable houses to choose from. For many people, it's a lifestyle choice, not because they cant afford a holiday

Yes you have to clean your house before you leave, but it needn't be a show home. Just be honest about facilities, distance from town centre etc

I realise it's not for everyone, but I hope some people might consider it. I think it's a great idea

Im just thinking about my half finished bathroom with no panel, half painted, ripped carpet on the stairs, laminate flooring downstairs that moves around of its own accord as we didnt fit it properly, handle falling off one of the back doors, the list continues!

Just wouldn't entertain it. It's the thought of something going wrong. Someone sleeping in my bed - no!

Not in a million years. I like my home as it is. I find so many people take no care with things. Throw their keys down. Cups without coasters.

Not for me. Not only do I not want strangers in my home, I don’t consider it to be a holiday if I’m in a stranger’s house, who may or may not have my standards of cleaning, etc.

Fortunately we can afford good hotels and don’t need to do this.

Absolutely no way would I let strangers stay in my house,

We did it lots when our children were younger, it was absolutely brilliant. As well as getting a house (always well-equiped of course, since the owners actually live there), we usually swapped cars and sometimes bikes. We mostly swapped with other people with kids, and they had plenty of toys, DVDs etc. We are lucky to live in a tourist destination, so we had plenty of choice, and sometimes we went to amazing places that I wouldn't have thought of.

The only downside is the cleaning (oh, the cleaning) - probably if we were cleaner day-to-day it wouldn't be a big job.

As for strangers sleeping in my bed, or seeing my photo albums or whatever, I really don't care.

You need a fairly upmarket house to do this, at least four bedrooms and definitely two bathrooms (we have more than one loo but only one shower).

We have 3 bedrooms, one other bathroom and one other loo. No-one ever complained about the facilities!

I also loved it that while we were having a fab holiday in someone's house, they were also (hopefully) having a fab holiday in ours.

I really wish I could do this, I would love it! Unfortunately dh can't cope with the thought of people staying in our house. I thought he was being a real stick in the mud but it looks like lots of mnetters agree with him! So now I'm talking my sister into it and angling to join her on holiday 😂

@bellac11 - sounds much like our house. Lots of unfinished jobs. I couldn't subject someone else to our house and it's 'quirks' and expect them to think it's a holiday!

Oh no I couldn't do this, I'm very territorial and would hate strangers in my house and my bed. My home is my private sanctuary.

We did it and it was really great. Yes stopped with a Finnish family and they stayed in our 3 bedroomed London flat that we was a housing association rental.

We were met at the port and driven to their house by some friends of theirs. We met their family, although it wasn't intrusive as they left us to our own devices. The family told us to use their car and treat the house like our own. We broke a glass and replaced it but they said we didn't need to have done as some breakages were to be expected on both parts.

We learnt so much about their life and culture, as they did ours. The Finnish people went to our local south London pub and ordered what we normally have and got drunk apparently. They were were befriended by our neighbours - they spoke good English unlike us who couldn't speak or understand much Finnish.

It was an brilliant experience that we wouldn't have ever been able to afford to do if we'd stayed in hotels or self catering accommodation. You have to be open and trust them, just like they trusted us not to cause damage etc.

Swapped not stopped

Nope. My home is mine. I don’t want strangers in it stealing stuff.

Plus I do not think my mortgage lender or buildings insurer would be at all happy!

I can't see this going down too well on Mumsnet, OP ...
Some folk are a bit funny about opening the door to strangers, let alone allowing them to sleep in their beds
I live in a very desirable area that is touristy. However my Georgian flat is extremely high maintenance, and I'm not sure I'd want to inflict it on anyone else Between the bastarding Saniflo toilet, and the absolute cunt of an old and temperamental boiler, I'd be living on my nerves!
I do think it's an excellent idea though.

My old school friend and her family used to do it most summer’s and they went all over the world. Go for it!

Wow - I'm clearly a lot more laid back about my house and belongings than a lot of people are . It wouldn't even slightly occur to me to worry about leaving my clothes in my house with people there!

As for beds... every time you go to a hotel or a holiday cottage you're sleeping in a bed that hundreds of people have slept in!

You’d need to live an area where there’s something to do. Any large city, coastal area, Peak District/Lake District would be perfect. However …

I live in a small ex-mining town on the outskirts of Doncaster.

We have 1 supermarket. (Lidl)
Numerous kebab shop and chippy takeaways. The main shopping “high street” is full of these takeaways, charity shops, nail bars and bookies.

There was a shooting last week. A shooting last year (which made the press, as the poor young lad who was shot died). Lots of gang violence and drug issues in the town.

I welcome anyone to come and pay for a holiday to “live like a local”.

@Fairislefandango I'm with you , wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I don't own any antiques or anything else expensive. They could even wear my clothes if they really wanted !

It’s really interesting to read the responses on this thread.

The world is definitely split into those who would, and those who wouldn’t, swap houses!

For those who would - the house doesn’t need to be massive or high end. I have a one bed flat, approx (optimistic) value about £55k. In the past couple of months I have two different offers of swaps for large houses in Canada, both of which looked fab - one near the shore on Vancouver Island, the other in a very smart looking village near on the shores of a big lake. Also chances of swaps in various parts of Europe - some in amazing locations which would be extremely expensive if I had to pay.

A pp was grateful that they can afford to stay in hotels and don’t need to do this. While it certainly makes travel much cheaper as no accommodation cost, I would say that for many exchangers it’s not so much about money and more about the experience.

Another way of travelling this way, especially if it doesn’t suit to have people in your home, is to register as a house or pet sitter.

Nope, no way!
I don't want a complete stranger staying in my house, sleeping in my bed, touching all my stuff! Especially when they might be one of those people who doesn't wash their hands after the toilet, or a smoker, GRIM!
Plus i don't want to stay in somene elses house, being surrounded by their stuff, worrying if i break something. No, hotels and impersonal rooms please!

I have done it and it went very well. Going to look into it again this year. Agree with those who say you don’t necessarily have to live somewhere touristy. I will be looking for places near family which are not at all touristy.

I would totally do this but I'm sure the market of people who would want to stay here (deprived inner city) is minimal. There's only a few pubs I would dare to go in. The food round here is great though. So maybe!

I wouldn’t mind strangers in my house. I’m not fussed about that. I would worry about them doing damage however - not deliberately but just things they wouldn’t know to be careful with. Marble worktops for example. Wooden unsealed furniture.

I wouldn’t like the amount of prep it seems is needed - locking away personal papers, would I have to clear out wardrobe space? We have nowhere separate and lockable to put stuff.

Plus I’m quite picky about holiday locations (and am restricted to school holidays) so the chance of there being somewhere I want, that wants our place, at the right time, is small. I think for it to work you have to be quite flexible about times and locations.

But definitely one to consider for our empty nester years I reckon.

We've done over 20 houseswap with the NCT when the children were younger.
Two swaps we did twice.
Apart from redecorating a downstairs loo because we'd flooded the bathroom upstairs by forgetting one of us was filling the bath, they have been seamlessly super holidays.

I wouldn’t like the amount of prep it seems is needed - locking away personal papers, would I have to clear out wardrobe space? We have nowhere separate and lockable to put stuff.

We didn't bother about personal papers. If you wanted to lock them away though, I'd imagine that there isn't really that much you need to clear. Wardrobes and drawers - yes, we'd just take out a load of stuff and put it in binbags in our utility cupboard to make some space for the visitors.

I'd hate strangers in my home and couldn't cope with coming home to any mess.