How a house exchange holiday could save you thousands

First step, make a listing.

“We started investigating home exchanges 14 years ago after our wedding,” she begins.

“We were a typical story really: newly married with new mortgages during a recession and little disposable income for holidays. A colleague mentioned home exchange as an option for holidays so I started researching the idea. My husband, Jer, and I were both teaching at the time [Sharon is Deputy Principal of St. Aloysius’ College in Carrigtwohill] and had great flexibility around the summer months especially. We both enjoyed travel which was a little off the beaten track and Jer was equally open to the idea of exchanging. So we signed up with a house swap website and completed our first exchange in the beautiful Auteuil neighbourhood of Paris for two weeks in Summer 2009 when our daughter Miah was 6 months old.”

For would-be house swappers, there are a number of website options. Sharon favours homexchange.com for ease of use, security and selection of listings. The mechanics are simple, a process somewhere in between navigating Airbnb and Daft.

“Investigate web-based options and select the one which fits your needs best,” advises Sharon.

“Then you list your home with some photos, a description of your home’s facilities and some details about your family and the local area.

“You can also list the regions or countries you’d like to exchange to as well as the times of year or date ranges your home would be available for exchange.

“Then, you either wait for expressions of interest from other members or search for your own dream holiday and finally, once the dates and any other details have been agreed, you can confirm your exchange and start booking your flights!”

What’s the deal?

Home exchanges can vary from reciprocal arrangements, where both parties exchange homes across the same or very similar dates, to non-reciprocal, where stays are arranged at different periods.

“[Non-reciprocal] guests may come to you at Christmas and you go to them at Easter,” says Sharon. “Then, there is also what homeexchange.com calls a guest points exchange option. You can host people at your home on dates you are away or be hosted at theirs in a similar fashion. You can earn guestpoints for each night of hosting which can then be used to stay at other people’s homes. This is mainly the case for a whole home but some people are also either happy to host or be hosted in a guest room, while [owners are still] at home.”

Sharon herself lives in an enviable Georgian farmhouse, her restoration of the property amassing her 10K followers on Instagram.

However, she’s quick to point out that you don’t need a period pile in the country to pique the interest of any would-be guests.

Every home has a plus

“The system doesn’t place a value on your property, so you’re free to contact anyone on the site,” she explains. “We’ve completed exchanges to one bedroom apartments that have a city centre location while our home is a detached four bedroom home. It’s all about location really and where you’d like to be based. Homes vary in size, style and standard but we’ve been lucky enough to exchange both our current and previous home for some great locations and gorgeous properties. Many Irish people also forget how small and accessible Ireland is for travellers compared to many parts of the world. Some of our visitors think nothing of staying at our home in East Cork for a few weeks and visiting Kerry, Limerick, Galway, Dublin, Belfast and Cork all in one trip. Every home and location has its own advantages and disadvantages,” she adds.

Peace of mind

Many people may be a little apprehensive about welcoming a bunch of strangers into their home but it’s good to remember the road goes both ways.

“Security is always a big ask topic when people chat to me about home exchange,” she explains. “The key is to remember that it’s an equal leap of faith. I’m a bit of a worrier and remember worrying before our first exchange about what might happen if things went wrong. To date, nothing of concern has ever gone wrong. Of course a couple of cups or glasses have gotten broken but that generally happens in our home on a regular basis. We don’t have much of real value in our home but we do lock some possessions into a small room or the attic and lots of other families do the same. We’re also lucky that my parents-in-law live close by so they are available to assist if our visitors have any queries while we are away. This is also an ease to us knowing that they are close by. Most home exchangers would have a neighbour, family member or friend available for this type of support. We also maintain a thread of communication on WhatsApp with our exchange family and generally have ‘met’ them briefly on a video call before the exchange is confirmed or certainly before it takes place.”

Insider tips

For first timers, Sharon suggests starting with a ‘home from home’, a staycation swap.

“Take the leap,” she says, “and you will not regret it! Doing a home exchange is the best way to travel in my opinion and has afforded us the opportunity to travel to fascinating destinations for a fraction of the cost of a package holiday. We wouldn’t give up on home exchange now even if we won the lotto! There’s nothing like having a home away from home and making friends in different parts of the world. It’s been great for our three children too to experience the world as a local. I’d suggest starting with an exchange within Ireland which feels easier and safer in many ways. We’ve completed as many exchanges within Ireland as we have abroad at this point and have met great people along the way, too!”

• For more information, see www. homeexchange.com or Sharon Holland on Instagram via @now_and_then_home