Who doesn’t like to get away on vacation? It’s a time to unwind, explore new places, try new foods and experience new cultures. Unfortunately the costs of going away can be limiting and this especially the case when arranging a family vacation. Often the largest chunk of the travel budget is spent paying for hotels or holiday rentals. However you can completely do away with accommodation costs by choosing home swap vacations rather than hotels or rentals. With a home swap your accommodation is free and with free accommodation you can slash your travel costs in half. With the popularity of home swapping increasing every year there are thousands of tempting offers to choose from. There are many stylish luxury home swap offers available throughout the world. However don’t be put off if you live in a more modest abode – with people choosing to home swap for vacations, to visit friends and family or even to work, you’re bound to find someone that would like to swap with you. Interested? We can help explain what to consider when planning an exchange vacation.

Get to know your exchange partners
If you are not familiar with the whole concept of home swapping it’s basically as the name suggests, rather than staying in hotels you arrange to stay in someone else’s home while at the same time they stay in your home. By doing this both you and your exchange guests enjoy totally free accommodation while enjoying the space and comforts of a real home. When arranging a swap first join an established website such as Guardian Home Exchange which will give you access to thousands of genuine up-to-date travel offers. You can browse the offers and start contact members of the site with enquiry messages to see if they would be interested in a swap with you. Once you have found a potential exchange partner make sure in the planning stages to ask any questions. Communication is key to arranging successful exchanges and so make sure that you and your exchange partners know all the details that have been agreed – from swapping keys to how to leave the towels and bedding when you leave. It’s nice to get to know your exchange partners and many friendships have been found through home swapping.

Make sure your insurance covers the exchange
It’s always advisable to contact your home insurance company prior to agreeing an exchange to make sure that your policy covers the period of the swap. Some home swap websites offer home swap insurance but make sure to read these policies carefully as they usually still do require the agreement of your home insurance company. If you have also agreed to exchange cars then make sure you and your exchange partners are covered on your car insurance policies.

Try to be as flexible and open to offers as possible
Although not always possible, if you can be at all flexible with your travel dates and where you’d like to visit you will have many more potential offers to choose from. Also if you are lucky enough to own a second home or a holiday home you may be able to be even more flexibility with the times you can travel, some people choose to arrange a non-simultaneous exchange where you and your exchange partners swap at different times.
Are you interested in home swap vacations http://www.guardianhomeexchange.co.uk/ihea/memberform.cfm ? Check how you can cut your vacation costs in half by home swapping http://www.guardianhomeexchange.co.uk/ihea/memberform.cfm .