Home exchanges 101

One of the features in our Aug./Sept. 2018 issue, “Loving Frank,” is about a home exchange managing experience editor Allan Britnell recently had in Chicago. (The home was an early Frank Lloyd Wright design.) Here’s a sidebar from that piece on home exchanges.

One of the ways we’ve been able to travel so much on a magazine editor’s income is by using home exchanges for our accommodations. Last summer, we spent a month travelling through England and France and only had to pay for one night’s hotel accommodations.

Direct exchanges are the most straightforward: You stay in my home for X-number of days, and I’ll stay in yours for the same period of time. The other option is a “non-simultaneous” exchange. The two parties agree to swap homes, but not at the exact same time. This is a great option for people with vacation homes as they can retreat to the cottage while guests are using their primary home.

No money changes hands between homeowners; you simply play the monthly or annual fees (starting as low as $10 a month) that that the various home exchange websites charge. Some sights, such as LoveHomeSwap.com, include a “points” system where members can use accumulated points in lieu of an actual exchange. We stayed in London last year on points while our Chicago hosts used our home, allowing us to “bank” the visit until this spring.

There is a bit of work clearing out personal items and prepping for your guests’ arrival, and if you’re booking multiple exchanges you’ll need to someone come in to change the linens and tidy up between guests, but the cost savings on accommodations far outweigh any minor inconveniences.

The hardest part is the time spent searching out locations online and trying to coordinate timing (thank you again Mehnaz!), but we’ve found the experience to be far more rewarding than simply saving money on hotels. Owners usually leave a “house guide” outlining how to operate various household items (ranging from the TV remote to where the fire extinguishers are), that also includes recommendations for where to eat, shop, and sights and attractions that most tourists would miss. We’re often in contact with our hosts/guests during our stays sharing updated details, and we’ve keep in contact with many of the families we’ve exchanged with.

We’re lucky enough to live in a nice part of Toronto (nestled between High Park and the Humber River), close to shops and restaurants, and a short walk from the subway. It also helps that our house was designed and decorated by my wife, Mehnaz Malik, of NatariDesign.com.

If, like Frank Lloyd Wright, you’ve built your home to be a showcase for the quality of your work, then you may well draw attention from the owners of Tuscan villas, wild western spaces, Caribbean condos, or anywhere else you might like to spend your down time.

Then again, if you’re like the cobbler whose kids have no shoes and living in a perpetual jobsite, home exchanges might not be for you!