International Home Exchange: How It Works Across Borders

Disclosure: People Like Us is a home exchange community and this guide is published by us. The entry requirements, insurance and travel figures below are sourced at the end, and every one of them should be checked against the official government site before you travel, because they change.

An international home exchange is an arrangement in which members of a home exchange community stay in each other's homes in different countries, with no money changing hands and no nightly rate to pay. It works the same way a domestic exchange does: you agree dates directly with the other member. You also clear one extra hurdle: the ordinary entry rules of the country you are travelling to. On People Like Us there are more than 11,000 homes across more than 120 countries.

At a glance

How an international home exchange works

1. Create a free listing

Other members match against your home, so the listing does the work. Photograph the rooms as they actually are, describe the neighbourhood, and be specific about what a visitor gets: parking, a garden, a spare cot, a working desk, a bike in the garage. Be honest about the awkward parts too: a third-floor walk-up, a dog that needs feeding, a shared driveway. Members self-select on that detail. On People Like Us this costs nothing. The free tier includes your listing, browsing and favourites.

2. Find matches

Search by country, city or region, filter down, and read listings properly before you write to anyone. The Feed carries what members are looking for: dates, destinations, and flexibility, with automated matching surfacing members whose plans line up with yours. Reading intent there is often faster than searching cold. The two largest pools in the network are Europe and North America, so searching between them turns up the most matches.

3. Agree the exchange

You open with an enquiry, and the exchange then moves through three named stages: Proposal, then Accepted, then Finalised. The enquiry is a conversation, the Proposal puts dates and terms on the table, Accepted means both sides agree, and Finalised is the confirmed exchange, the record you will want later, including at the border.

Three formats cover almost every international trip:

• Reciprocal exchange. You stay in their home, they stay in yours: simultaneously if your dates line up, non-simultaneously if they do not.
• Globes and Plutos. Globes are the currency for one-way stays: one stay, any length, no expiry while you remain a member. Plutos cover short stays of one to three nights and stack, which suits a chain of stopovers on a long itinerary.
• Hospitality. The host stays in residence while you visit. Good for a first international exchange, and for cities where you want a local pointing at a map.

Non-simultaneous exchange solves the opposite-seasons problem. A northern-hemisphere summer is an Australian and New Zealand winter, so two households wanting each other's peak season can never travel at the same time. Each can still take their stay when it suits them. Globes do the same job when there is no natural pairing at all: host now and travel later, or travel now and host later.

If it is your first international exchange, the mentor programme pairs you with an experienced member who has done this before. Support is available every day of the year by message.

4. Sort the practicalities

Before you finalise, settle the operational detail in writing inside the platform: keys and handover, cleaning expectations, pets, plants, Wi-Fi, parking, what to do if something breaks, and who the local contact is if you are unreachable. Agree whether a car is part of the exchange, and write down the address you will each be staying at. You will need it at the border. If the exchange is non-simultaneous, note that one of the homes will sit empty, which has an insurance consequence covered below.

5. Travel

Book flights once the exchange is Finalised, not before. Carry your exchange confirmation and your host's address with you. Then arrive somewhere that has a kitchen, a laundry and a neighbour who knows why you are there.

Where members exchange homes

No home exchange platform publishes route-level data on which corridors are busiest, and People Like Us does not either. Treat any specific "top routes" claim you read with suspicion; the table below shows where the homes actually are.

Being straight about that last group: nearly 95% of our homes are in Europe, North America and Oceania. If you are exchanging into Asia, South America or Africa, search your actual destinations on the free tier before paying for anything, on our platform or any other.

UN Tourism's World Tourism Barometer for January 2026 recorded international tourist arrivals growing 4% in 2025 to an estimated 1.52 billion, almost 60 million more than in 2024, with Europe receiving 793 million. It also reported strong outbound spending from large source markets, the United States up 8%. Against that, about half the Barometer's panel of experts named economic factors, high travel costs and geopolitical risks as the main challenges for 2026, and expected travellers to keep seeking value for money. That pressure lands hardest on accommodation.

Entry requirements at a glance

A home exchange does not change your immigration status: you are a visitor, subject to the same rules as any other visitor. Here is what visa-free travellers typically need for the five destinations that cover most exchanges.

On ETIAS specifically. The official position, as published by the EU, is that ETIAS will start operations in the last quarter of 2026, and no applications are being accepted yet. That timetable is under review: the EU's own agency responsible for the system was due to consider a revised timeline in September 2026, and press reporting through mid-2026 suggested a slip into 2027. Nobody can currently tell you the date, and any website offering to sell you an ETIAS today is fraudulent. When it does launch, it is expected to cost €20 and be valid for three years. Check the official EU site before you travel rather than relying on this or any other guide.

ETIAS will cover the Schengen countries plus Cyprus, 30 countries in total, and not Ireland. Existing residence-permit and long-stay-visa holders are exempt from the Schengen 90/180 count.

At the border you will not have a hotel booking. Officers are entitled to ask where you are staying, and an unfamiliar answer under time pressure is the only awkward moment in international home exchange. Carry your Finalised exchange confirmation, printed or offline on your phone, with your host's full address and phone number. That is your proof of accommodation, and it takes ten seconds to show.

Entry rules change, and the figures above will go out of date. Check the official government site for your destination before you travel: gov.uk for the UK, CBP for the US, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au for Australia, immigration.govt.nz for New Zealand, and the European Commission's own pages for Schengen. The EU, UK, US and New Zealand all warn officially about fraudulent third-party sites selling these authorisations at inflated prices; apply only through the government site or app.

Insurance, cars and the practical questions

Your home insurance

Tell your home insurer, in writing, before an exchange. This is not a formality. No insurance regulator or industry body has published a position on whether a non-monetary home exchange triggers a policy's letting exclusion. Cover turns entirely on your policy wording and on what you disclosed. Nobody, including us, can tell you that you are covered. Your insurer can.

This matters more on our platform than on some others, because People Like Us offers no platform insurance at all and relies on members' own home and contents policies. We explain that decision here. Other home exchange platforms publish damage guarantees and cancellation cover; it is worth knowing which do and which do not before you join any of them.

In the UK, the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 places a statutory duty on you not to misrepresent the facts: a deliberate or reckless misrepresentation lets the insurer avoid the contract entirely, a careless one leads to remedies based on what the insurer would have done had it known.

In the US, the published guidance is all written about home sharing, meaning paid short-term rental, and standard homeowners or renters policies may exclude or limit losses arising from rental or business use of a residence. Wisconsin's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance puts the liability point plainly: cover that would respond if an ordinary visitor fell in your home may not apply to a paying guest, because that is commercial use. A home exchange involves no payment at all, which is exactly why the answer is not obvious from the guidance and why you need it from your own insurer.

Ask your insurer these three questions and keep the answers:

1. Does the policy permit non-household occupants in the home while I am away?
2. Is theft without forcible entry excluded while a guest holds my keys? This is the exclusion that most often bites, because a key-holding guest means no signs of forced entry.
3. What is the unoccupancy clause, and when does the clock start? Policies commonly withdraw theft, malicious damage and escape-of-water cover once a home has been empty for 30 or 60 days. This matters for non-simultaneous exchanges, where your home may sit empty while you are away and your exchange partner comes later.

Cars

If a car is part of the exchange, understand what an International Driving Permit is: a translation of your existing licence, carried alongside it, not a licence in its own right. A UK IDP costs £5.50, and AAA issues one in the US for $20, but a UK photocard licence needs no IDP to drive in the EU. Requirements vary, so check the destination's rules rather than assuming.

Then ask the motor insurer this: is a guest driver covered on this policy, and to what level? UK motor policies carry a minimum of third-party cover in the EU with no green card required. But third-party is not comprehensive, and the difference is your car. Get the answer before you hand over the keys.

Health cover

UK residents can hold a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which is free and covers medically necessary state healthcare (including for pre-existing conditions, maternity and dialysis) across the EU. In Australia, a separate reciprocal healthcare agreement lets UK visitors enrol with Medicare for essential and urgent treatment. Neither covers repatriation or private treatment, and neither is a substitute for travel insurance. Buy travel insurance as well.

Packing

Most of the world runs at 220 to 240V; the US, Canada, Japan and parts of Latin America run at 100 to 127V. If a device says "INPUT: 100 to 240V" (as laptops, phones and camera chargers almost always do), it needs only a plug adapter, not a voltage converter. High-draw appliances such as hairdryers are the exception and do need a converter. But as an exchange guest you have the host's kettle, iron, hairdryer and washing machine. Pack one adapter and leave the appliances at home.

Why exchange internationally now

The accommodation line is the one that breaks travel budgets, and 2026 data says Americans are feeling it.

Deloitte's 2026 Summer Travel Survey, fielded from 2 to 9 April 2026 among 4,003 US consumers, found that 45% of Americans planned a summer vacation involving paid lodging, the lowest level in six years, while travellers expected to spend an average of $4,069 on their longest summer trip, up 17% on 2025. Fewer people are going, and the ones who go are paying more.

NerdWallet's 2026 Summer Travel Report, based on a Harris Poll of 2,082 US adults conducted from 3 to 5 February 2026, found that 89% of summer travellers were taking some action to cut their travel costs, including 35% driving instead of flying and 33% choosing lodging on price rather than amenities.

Home exchange removes the accommodation line rather than discounting it. There is no nightly rate to compare, because none exists.

With People Like Us:

• Free tier: list your home, browse homes in more than 120 countries, save favourites.
• Premium at USD $159 per year: one payment, unlimited exchanges.
• No booking fees, no transaction fees. No money changes hands between members.
• 60-day money-back guarantee.
• Rated 4.9 on Trustpilot from 1,365 reviews, and ranked #1 in the Homestay category among businesses with more than 500 reviews on Trustpilot.

The company was founded in Sydney in 2018 by Drew Seitam and Kathy Leach, after the idea took shape on a family trip through Europe in 2016.

We are one of seven home exchange networks operating in 2026, and we are not the largest. If you are deciding between platforms, we have written a full comparison of all seven, with every figure sourced and archived, including the places where others beat us.

Frequently asked questions

Is international home exchange safe? How do I trust someone in another country?

Trust is built before anyone travels. You read a full member profile and listing, exchange messages inside the platform, and can arrange a call before agreeing anything. The exchange is reciprocal: the other member's home is exposed exactly as yours is, which aligns both sides from the start. Note that trust between members is not the same as cover from the platform. Check what your platform provides, and check your own insurance.

What does it cost?

The free tier costs nothing and lets you list your home, browse homes in more than 120 countries and save favourites. Premium is USD $159 per year as a single payment, with unlimited exchanges and a 60-day money-back guarantee. There are no booking or transaction fees, and no money passes between members.

Do I need a visa for a home exchange?

Only whatever any visitor to that country needs. A home exchange does not change your immigration status: you enter as a tourist and the standard rules apply, such as an ESTA for the US (stays up to 90 days), an ETA for the UK (£20, stays up to 6 months) or Australia (AUD 20, 3 months per entry), an NZeTA plus levy for New Zealand, and the 90-days-in-180 rule for the Schengen area. Check the official government site for your destination before booking.

Can I do a home exchange if I rent rather than own?

Renters do exchange homes, but your tenancy agreement decides what is allowed, and rules differ by country and by landlord. Read the clauses on guests, subletting and occupancy, and get your landlord's written permission where the agreement requires it. Do this before you list, not after you have agreed an exchange.

What about my car?

Cars are only part of an exchange if both sides agree to it, and it should be written into what you finalise. Ask your motor insurer whether a guest driver is covered and at what level. If you will drive abroad, check whether the destination requires an International Driving Permit: it is a translation carried with your own licence (£5.50 in the UK, $20 via AAA in the US), and a UK photocard needs none in the EU.

What if our travel dates don't match?

Mismatched dates are common, and non-simultaneous exchanges exist for exactly that reason. A non-simultaneous exchange lets each side take their stay at a different time. Globes go further: you can host now and travel later, or travel now and host later, with no need for a matched pair of dates at all.

Do we have to exchange at the same time?

No. Simultaneous exchanges are convenient when they work, but non-simultaneous exchanges, Globes and hospitality stays all exist precisely because dates rarely line up, especially between hemispheres, where one side's summer is the other's winter.

What about language barriers?

Home exchange is mostly written communication over weeks, which is easier than live conversation and gives everyone time to be precise. Leave your house notes in clear, simple sentences, and cover what is hard to guess: heating, hot water, rubbish and recycling days, the nearest pharmacy.

How far ahead should I plan an international exchange?

Further ahead than a hotel booking, because two households have to agree rather than one person clicking book, and popular destinations in peak season need the most lead time. Starting months ahead also leaves room for the practical work: insurance calls, entry authorisations and handover detail.

What insurance question should I actually ask?

Ask three: does my policy permit non-household occupants while I am away; is theft without forcible entry excluded while a guest holds my keys; and when does the unoccupancy clause start counting. Put the questions in writing and keep the written answers. Never assume you are covered because an exchange involves no money.

Can I do a long stay in Europe?

Within limits. The Schengen area allows visa-free visitors a maximum of 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, counted across all 29 Schengen countries together rather than per country. The UK and Ireland sit outside Schengen and count separately. Anything longer means a national long-stay visa, which is a separate application.

What happens if something breaks?

Agree the answer before you travel and write it into the exchange: who to call, what the guest should do first, and how a genuine accident is handled. Most breakages are small, and both sides are in the same position. Leave a local contact for anything that cannot be fixed by phone.

Start with a free listing

Create your listing, then browse homes in more than 120 countries and see who is looking for the place you already live in.

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