Home Swaps - Advantages and Disadvantages - And Alternatives

Home swaps. Best done when you have a new almost empty home with nothing to be broken.

 I did this with my family when we were newly married with a small child and an au pair (like a maid or cheap nanny). We swapped our home in London for a week in the Channel Islands. 

Want something short term?  If you can't be around to hand over the keys, and no agent does it, you can ask a neighbour or a family memer who lives nearby. Best not to leave keys under a flowerpot. 

Cars

You can even swap cars. You need to given the right insurance for both vehicles, which includes lots of details, correct names and so on for the insurance documentation.  In fact, if you are dealing with people who say, just call me John, or have nicknames, it's good to have an official reason for demanding documentation well in advance.

What could go wrong?

Crockery

To avoid problems with breakages, some people put away their own crockery, and 12 person sets, because that would risk the visitors breaking one of a set of 12, or something no longer replaceceable, or leaving 12 sets of everything needing washing.

If you  buy a brand new matching set of crockery for four, that can easily be replaced by you or them. They have a small number of plates and cups and bowls and have to wash up after each meal and can't leave a huge amount of washing up deliverately or accidentally if they have to rush to get the taxi to the airport or catch a train or bus. 

We also rented out our home in the UK when we went to live and rent a home in the USA for a year. 

I found it very awkward to come back to the UK to see my family and not be able to live in my own home.

If you don't want to leave the place empty whilst you are away, consider a house sitter.

Pets

You could choose a family with the same pets.

Angela, and neighbour with dog.

You can also book a pet sitter. Compare the cost wwith the cost of putting your pet in a cattery or dog home. All sorts of options are available. 

You can join a Facebook page for English speakers, French speakers and Spanish speakers.

How do you check out the place? You could try Streetview, but check the date to see how recent the picture is.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Home_exchange#

https://www.homeexchange.com/p/facebook-groups-homeexchange

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Home_exchange#Home_Exchange_for_Seniors

https://www.homeexchange.com/p/risk-free-home-swaps?

Holiday for free - house-sitting

Dog walker on skates, pulled by six dogs. Photo by Tomwsulcer in Wikipedia.

Free holidays? Options include house sitting, home swapping, free homestays, or staying with fellow Esperanto speakers.

One single man chatted up young ladies on Facebook in any country he hoped to visit. He got offered a free night's stay in half a dozen cities, with the chance of a romance as well.

As a heckler said at a recent meeting I attended, "How do you know they are young ladies!"

You could travel as a nanny, but you could be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can holiday for free, house-sitting. Ideal for retired couples.

What would you need to offer:
1 References - from people who have known you for longer than five years, such as employers.
2 Experience with looking after animals would be an advantage as many homes require dog-sitters and dog-walkers as well as house-sitters.
3 You need to be available during the evening - not out for more than an hour. So you can watch TV at their place.
4 Check your insurance - how long you can leave your own home unoccupied.

It would help to clarify:
Your use of microwaves and ovens and washing machines and dishwashers and waste disposal and instructions.
Household insurance in case you have an accident.
The vet and insurance in case their animal is taken ill.
Spare keys or who locally has spare keys in case you get locked out.
Under what circumstances do they wish to be woken at night time, their time, eg for pet illness, burglary.
Numbers of all emergency services for gas leak, electricity failure, burst pipes, flooding, broken locks or lost keys.

Who if anybody might arrive claiming to be:
 the gardener,
window cleaner,
parents,
in-laws,
children home from college.

Should you allow in the meter readers?

Who if anybody might borrow the family car - such as teenage son, home for the weekend or home early from college.
Who, if anybody, can park on the driveway, such as neighbours, window cleaners, gardeners.

Who is likely to call for the annual check, such as boilers, water softeners?

How do you turn off the burglar alarm and the car alarm?

Useful Websites
https://homestayfinder.com
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/pensions/article-6801511/Holiday-homes-paid-cash-stay-House-sitters-earn-500-month.html
https://www.airbnb.com
https://www.couchsurfing.com/
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/07/coach-surfing-in-edinburgh-and.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Update

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time on bha.learncool.sg  

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.