Top 15 Home Exchange and Vacation Rental Services
HOME EXCHANGE, also known as HOUSE SWAPPING, is an alternative means of travel accommodation, through which two parties agree to swap their homes for a set period of time, with no monetary exchange taking place. Its origins stem from low-cost vacation accommodation and are believed to date back to 1953, making it a pioneer in the Collaborative consumption movement.
Using the catchphrase, "You stay in my house while I stay in yours," home exchange has been around since the 50’s. The proliferation of the internet since the 90’s has greatly increased its popularity, providing users with easier communication and a much larger pool of homes from which to choose. Many websites now offer services to a growing home exchange community, where people sign up, pay a fee, upload a profile and search for a match, using each site’s search tools.
Some estimates indicate that traveller participation in house swapping is consistently increasing by 15-20% per year. Summer is traditionally the peak season for house swapping, due to families traveling during summer vacations and house swapping allows families to try out a location for a short period of time while saving money over the traditional vacation costs and allowing them to take vacations that they may otherwise be unable to afford. It's estimated that families can save approximately US$5,000 by swapping their homes instead of booking hotels and rental cars, though some may be uncomfortable with the idea of others using their home. Not all travelers are interested in house swapping solely to save money, but they also see it as a means of meeting locals, seeing relatively un-touristed regions and experiencing local culture. The internet has made the process of finding a swap significantly easier with a number of websites devoted to house swapping.
Home Swapping News, Reviews & Resources
- Agoda.com - "Deep discounts on 1,625,000+ properties, worldwide." Driven by our passion for travel, the Agoda team works hard to bring you the cheapest prices on hotels, resorts, unique homes, vacation rentals, and more. Our huge selection of accommodations will let you plan the perfect trip. From adventure travel and backpacking to honeymoons and family vacations, we've got you covered.
- AIRBNB | Airbed & Breakfast - since 2008. "Travel like a human." Called the "Ebay for space" by Time Magazine. A new way to travel: vacation rentals, private rooms, sublets by the night. As of March 2015, Airbnb is raising a new round of funding that will place the company at a $20 billion valuation. It has over 1,500,000 listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries.
- COUCHSURFING - "Find hosts to stay with in over 100,000 cities and connect with travelers from all over the world." Couchsurfing is a global community of 7 million people in more than 100,000 cities who share their life, their world, their journey. Couchsurfing connects travelers with a global network of people willing to share in profound and meaningful ways, making travel a truly social experience.
- cuckooz - "Live Local." A new brand of serviced apartments; designed by travellers for travellers. Design-led apartments in London’s diverse city fringe neighbourhoods, with fast access to excellent transport links; Cuckooz serviced apartments are genuine homes created to help nomads feel native.
- HOME BASE HOLIDAYS - home exchange: swap homes and travel the world with free accomodation.
- Home Away - since 2005. "Get HomeAway from it all." Vacation rental marketplace with more than 1,000,000 vacation rental listings in 190 countries. It has operated through 40 websites in 22 languages as of December 31, 2014. The company offers the most comprehensive selection of rentals for families and groups to find accommodations such as cabins, condos, castles, villas, barns and farm houses.
- HOME EXCHANGE - since 1992. "World's #1 International Home Exchange Site." Search 65,000+ homes in 150+ countries.
- HOME FOR EXCHANGE - "The marketplace for home exchange worldwide."
- HOME FOR SWAP - "Your ultimate passport to free vacation accommodations in over 80 countries around the world!"
- HOMELINK - since 1953. Home exchange & house swap holidays worldwide.
- House Trip - since 2009. Online holiday rental marketplace that allows homeowners and holiday rental managers (known as ‘hosts’) to list and rent out their properties to guests.
- Intervac - since 1953. "The original home exchange service." We are all richer when we share! Since 1953 Intervac has been leading the way so that you can find the perfect home exchange and enjoy your holidays stress-free.
- Love Home Swap - since 2010. "You go to theirs. They come to yours." Welcome to the world's simplest holiday idea. Swap with inspiring homes worldwide. Try free for the first two weeks. Members-only home swapping site that's stylish, social and simple to use. Home swap holidays are revolutionising the way people travel. With 80,000+ inspiring homes listed in every corner of the globe, those looking to house swap can save themselves thousands on holiday accommodation costs.
- Nestpick - "The largest search engine for furnished apartments." Nestpick is the biggest platform to search for mid-to-long term rentals. Browse more than 500,000 listings from 80+ top local vetted providers, in over 130 cities worldwide - completely free to use.
- OneFineStay - since 2009. "Renowned hospitality for stays in the finest homes." The new way to stay in a city. Stay in someone's beautiful, characterful home while they're out of town, walk in their footsteps, and make the city your wonderland.
- Plum guide - "Book London's Most Beautiful Holiday Homes." The cream of the crop of London's accommodation. The Plum Guide vets & handpicks London’s best holiday homes. Only 1 in 100 accepted.
- VRBO - "Start planning your next getaway now!" The most popular vacation rental site in the US. Build your best vacation ever from over 2 million house rentals worldwide.
- WIMDU - since 2011. "Best City Apartment Deals." Over 10 Million Nights Booked. From penthouse apartments in New York, to holiday homes in Majorca and city studios in Paris, Wimdu's range of over 300,000 properties in more than 150 countries ensures that everybody can find attractive, affordable accommodation for their next trip. But that's not all. Wimdu also lets you rent out your own place to those looking for a place to stay. Listing is free, and allows hosts to make money from their extra space whilst helping others explore the world.
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