Home exchange holidays, in which two households swap properties for a week or two with no money changing hands for accommodation, are drawing in more converts as the cost of a conventional summer break continues to bite. The maths, when it works, is compelling.
Henry Vanderpump, 42, his wife Elliw, 39, and their two young children have completed two home swaps in as many years and have a third planned. Their five-bedroom house in Tarporley, rural Cheshire, goes to a host family while the Vanderpumps move into theirs. Henry estimates they save around £2,500 on accommodation per trip, plus a further £700 on transport because they swap cars too. ‘We used to have one holiday a summer, now we have two,’ he says.
The savings are real. But the experience he talks about most is not the money. The Hamburg trip in 2024 put the family in a suburb rather than a hotel district, exploring lakeside spots recommended by their hosts. In Copenhagen last year, the house came with electric bikes. They cycled to the Baltic, swam, and ate at restaurants the owners had flagged. ‘We lived like a German family,’ Henry says of Hamburg. ‘A really authentic experience.’
Why Home Exchange Holidays Are Growing
The model itself is not new. HomeLink is celebrating more than 70 years in the home exchange business, making it one of the oldest organised swap networks in the world. Members pay an annual subscription rather than per-night fees, list as many properties as they wish, and receive support from a local representative throughout their membership, according to the HomeLink pricing page.
HomeExchange charges $235 per year for access to a community of over 280,000 members, with unlimited exchanges and no per-trip fees. It also runs a points system: one night hosted earns 150 GuestPoints, which members can spend on stays elsewhere. That mechanism matters because it enables non-simultaneous swaps, you do not need to find a family who wants to visit your town the exact same week you want to visit theirs.
May Burrough, 38, a chief operating officer based in London, has done 34 home swaps in three years via HomeExchange, accumulating points by hosting guests in her central London flat while she stays with her partner in France. She estimates savings of £5,000–£8,000 across trips to Barcelona and the Swiss Alps. ‘Last minute bookings won’t always work,’ she says, which is a fair warning: HomeLink says members typically exchange 10–15 messages before an offer is agreed.
Petra Novak, 34, who works remotely and uses the platform Kindred, puts her total savings at £18,000–£20,000. She was nervous about strangers in her London flat initially. She no longer is, though she does check the social media profiles of prospective guests and says she appreciates a personal introduction letter with a booking request. The human touch, she finds, reduces the friction that is inherent in handing your keys to someone you have never met.
The Catch: Flexibility, Prep, and Insurance
None of this is entirely frictionless. Hosts need to declutter, clear wardrobe space, leave appliance instructions, and lock away valuables before guests arrive. The Association of British Insurers advises checking that home and contents insurance covers the arrangement before hosting, and that travel insurance covers accidental damage when staying elsewhere. Some standard policies do; many do not.
HomeExchange’s own damage protection covers members whether they are hosting or guesting, and if a cancellation occurs the platform will find alternative accommodation or cover costs, subject to its terms. Kindred operates a similar damage protection policy, which Novak says has covered her on the few occasions something was broken in her flat.
The broader point is that home exchange holidays reward the organised and the flexible. Families who can move their dates, who are willing to spend an evening writing an attractive listing, and who are comfortable with a degree of reciprocal vulnerability tend to get the most out of it. Those looking for a guaranteed week in a specific location, booked at the last minute, will find the model awkward.
With package holiday prices unlikely to ease before the end of the summer season, the question of whether to share your house with strangers becomes easier to answer when the alternative is £2,500 more on a credit card bill.
