To House Swap or Not to House Swap?
The Benefits of House Swapping
Are you new to house swapping? Are you wondering if you should take the next step in signing up for People Like Us Home Exchange? Maybe you are on the fence as you weigh the pros and cons. I can happily tell you the pros are plentiful and the cons very few. House swapping isn’t perfect, just like traveling to a rental isn’t always perfect. You will run into snags and hiccups along the way, but the benefits you gain far outweigh any negativities you may encounter. This article dives head first into why you should join People Like Us and enter into the world of house swapping.
1. Let’s go ahead and dive into the most obvious benefit: saving money. Inflation has caused rental rates to sky rocket in the United States. These days, we are lucky to find a house for a week for less than $1500. In areas throughout the world, you will find this to be true. House swapping makes traveling more affordable, especially for families larger than 4 people that can’t fit into a single hotel room.
2. House swapping usually gives you access to a full house with all the touches of “home”. This means a kitchen filled with all your cooking necessities, laundry access, ample space, and all the little extras beyond the basic necessities you find at many rentals.
3. You now have access to a local guide. You’re likely house swapping with someone that wants to explore your area and vice versa. They want you to have an incredible trip and to share the joy of their area with you and to have the same in return. Most people are excited to share their recommendations for best restaurants, entertainment, and all the hidden sites to be seen you may have missed trying to travel on your own. This in turn helps you save time when planning your trip!
4. You are able to build new relationships. House swapping isn’t a business transaction but the start of a new friendship. There is something so personal and vulnerable about inviting someone into your home, and sharing the journey of traveling with someone. I love sending photos of the memories we make while swapping and inviting our host along the journey we take. It’s such a gift they have given our family, and we always want our hosts to know we are so thankful for the memories they are giving us.
5. You have the opportunity to truly live like a local and immerse yourself in another culture. The opportunities to enrich your life and your family’s lives are endless. So many days we can get trapped into thinking our way of living life is the only way or the right way. House swapping opens your eyes to discover new ways of living life and to appreciate and respect the differences. It also teaches you compassion, kindness, and consideration.
6. House swapping has the ability to restore your faith in humanity. Many days media pushes negativity and can bog us down. It can encourage us to be distrustful of one another. House swapping is trusting a stranger with your home and possessions. It can understandably be a little scary. Yet, most home exchangers are going to treat your home with the utmost respect. So many offer a little welcome or thank you gift, leave your home extra clean, and go above and beyond to take care of your home if any issues arise while you’re away. It also helps that People Like Us gives us the opportunity to review each other and give feedback on our swaps. This can help a host feel more at ease before swapping with someone. Communication is key to a successful swap! The more you swap, the more you realize how much good and kindness can still be found in others from all walks of life.
7. House swapping makes you fall in love with not only other places but also your own area more. When starting to share why people should come to your home, it encourages you to dive deeper into what is so great about where you live. We often get trapped into a routine and not exploring where we live. My husband and I made it a mission to see and experience all we have to offer so we could adequately share the beauty of where we live with others. This in turn helped me to see how amazing our area is and to live life a little more fully when I'm at home and not just when I travel.
I could write about this all day, but I know I should probably keep this short. I want to note I am not getting paid to write this article. I do not receive money if you sign up. I am simply a People Like Us member who has experienced the joy of home exchanging and wants to share it with others. I assure you it will be life changing! If you were on the fence before you read this article, I hope you are finally ready to hop off that fence and start home exchanging. You will not regret it!
People Like Us is the world's most trusted home exchange community. We believe in sharing, trust, generosity, respect, communication, equality, cooperation, honesty, hospitality, friendship, flexibility and adventure. We take pride in our homes and we care about the environment in which we live: our village, city, country and our planet. We care about the ethos of home exchange and we do it because we love the experience and the friendships that it generates.
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