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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

111 replies

notanothertakeaway · 29/05/2022 18:18

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

OP posts:

Original poster

notanothertakeaway · 30/05/2022 17:19

RaisinGhost · 30/05/2022 13:06

I wouldn't mind this but no one would want to stay in my area, even as a "base" to go elsewhere - they'd just choose a base in that area.

Also surely it only works for retired people, who don't work or have kids at school so don't have many restrictions on when or how long they go for. As you need a double coincidence of wants with the dates. It's hard to even get a friend to go on holidays with you because you both won't be free at the same time, let alone being free at the same time as a stranger who also wants to stay in your house.

@RaisinGhost There's quite a bit of coming and going to find suitable dates, that's v true. It's not as simple as looking on a holiday website to see what's available on the dates you want. Plenty of initial enquiries don't get off the ground

OP posts:

iklboo · 30/05/2022 17:26

I doubt where I live is on anyone's holiday destination list.

Original poster

notanothertakeaway · 30/05/2022 17:26

Runorsleep · 30/05/2022 15:33

We have done it and I agree with some of your points op but I do think it really depends where you live etc . Also demographic of people , do they have kids etc ? Also it’s a huge amount of work before , you didn’t mention that but it is!!! Do you have kids @notanothertakeaway and what ages ? I think that’s also a big factor as to the state of a house etc for people.
All the bedrooms cleared of clothes etc (where do you put it ? we had extra space in attic to put all the clothes and random bits in rooms and living areas but loads of work. We actually had to paint areas as place needed refreshing , deep clean , empty fridge and freezer, for people working loads and with kids this can be loads and loads of work before a holiday. Clean sheets the morning you leave on every bed, leaving for a holiday that day is manic , leaving it absolutely immaculate when you are wrangling with kids and all the logistics of travel that day is mental tbh.
Can you explain how you managed it in the morning of your travel @notanothertakeaway ?
Also we have 3 v v high energy kids so need access to a pool etc , that’s why we go to campsites as the area we go to is all villas and although our area is nice , our house wouldn’t compete with a villa with pool tbf..
Also we find we meet way less people on our own in a house vs in a campsite area where it’s v international and we also spend loads of time in the local areas too.
Its just not as simple as it sounds and can take a lot of work beforehand tbh and after!
We live in a tourist area though and can rent the place on Airbnb when travelling but still epic work before.

@Runorsleep Our house is quite minimalist, I suppose, and it's pretty clean and tidy all year round, so for us, there isn't much additional cleaning etc

I don't empty wardrobes completely. Just put underwear in a bin bag and hide it in the garage. I bought an extra sheet / duvet cover, so we can whip off our bedding before we depart, leave it in the garage and wash it on our return

On departure day, we don't really have much to do. Just a quick clean of the bathroom and kitchen surfaces, and make beds (or leave out bedding for guests to do that when they arrive). Everything else is already done

OP posts:

ZaZathecat · 30/05/2022 17:30

We did it once and it was a great experience. The only downside for me was getting our place looking ship shape before leaving, as we're not the tidiest family!
We do pretty much just have IKEA type furniture, nothing to be precious about.
The people who came to ours looked after our cat so that was helpful. They also left freshly made sandwiches for us to return to as they thought we'd be tired and hungry!
Oh and we swapped cars too, saving loads of money on car hire.

UglyModernWindows · 30/05/2022 18:44

Thanks OP! Now I just need to convince DH..

2bazookas · 30/05/2022 18:46

We've done it, and would happily do it again.

2bazookas · 30/05/2022 18:52

*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!*

We have never had anything stolen, and our insurer was fully informed and perfectly happy. From their POV, an occupied house is more secure than one left vacant.

Runorsleep · 30/05/2022 18:53

Our house is always really clean and tidy but with 3 dcs and normal day to day things it’s definitely not minimalist ! It took a lot of work to make it pristine on the day and was a bit stressful leaving it like that on the morning of travel. It can definitely work well and is a big saving as accommodation is so expensive now but it’s a lot of work before. Also we’d never get a house with a pool and we use one in the campsites two times a day so we tend to go with that more than houseswaps.

llibrollibre · 30/05/2022 18:54

I love this idea but I've looked through listings before and it doesn't seem like a wonky ex-council house like ours is really in demand!

Runorsleep · 30/05/2022 18:59

We also have 3 youngish kids so cleaning the house and organising them for a big day of travelling in the morning is really difficult too but I can see if you have older children it would be easier.

ManateeFair · 30/05/2022 23:34

If it works for you, great. I’m glad the option is there for people who want it. But personally, I would rather not go away at all than swap houses with strangers for a week.

Not only do I not want strangers in my own house, I don’t really want to stay in a stranger’s house either. Being in someone else’s family home really wouldn’t feel like a a holiday for me. I don’t want to ‘live like a local’ on holiday, because the whole point of going on holiday for me is to feel like I’m on holiday, not to feel like I’m living someone else’s ordinary daily life.

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