Home Exchange Tips - Easy Step-by-Step Guide to an Affordable Family Vacation

When we told friends we were trading houses with a family from Spain for a month-long family vacation, reactions were divided into those filled with envy and those who thought we were nuts.

Trading houses is not for everyone. But if you're interested, here are some tips about how to get started and how to make it a successful family adventure.

1. Join a home exchange web service.

One of the hardest parts of planning a home exchange trip can be finding a match. I joined HomeExchange.com. (But be warned; you may spend hours looking at photos of homes around the world, drooling over the possibilities.).

2. Choose a specific destination.

It's counterintuitive, but it's harder to find a match when you're open to the entire world. Narrow your focus to a specific city, send inquiries to your top 5-10 families, then wait for their responses. Repeat if necessary. Your e-mail should propose a time frame for travel, but let them know if you are flexible. Brag about your home and location in your inquiry. It’s enticing.

3. ...but, be open to possibilities.

If you are open to the world, you can join a web service like HomeExchange.com and wait for someone to contact you.That is ultimately how my family found a match--saying yes to an inquiry we liked.

4. Tell your friends and family you’d like to trade houses abroad.

If having a stranger in your home makes you squeamish, there are other options. Talk to friends, neighbors and relatives about your desire to trade houses in a particular destination and see if they know anyone who would like to visit them and stay in your house while you stay in theirs. Do your next door neighbors’ parents live somewhere you would like to visit? Offer them an house exchange!

5. Find a compatible family.

You want to feel comfortable with the family who will be sleeping in your beds. We declined an inquiry from a trio of 20-something guys, but said yes to a family whose two children were close in age to ours. From the photos of their home (which you must see) and our e-mail conversations, we knew their home was kid-friendly (and that they wouldn’t be hosting all-night keg parties in ours).

6. Make a contract.

It may not be legally binding, but it helps both families to know what is expected. Our contract included details such as date of arrival and departure, where the keys would be left, phone numbers of helpful neighbors, whether they were expected to pay for cleaning, and details about internet access.

7. Have a sense of humor; you’ll need it.

While in Barcelona, I joined the ranks of “suckers whose purse was stolen”--a large club, it turns out. If this happens to you make a police report. You’ll need a copy of it later to show to credit card companies, the consulate, your bank, maybe even the DMV.

8. Preserve your memories!

This goes for all travel: Take lots of photos, make an album, keep a journal—your kids may be too young to remember it, but they will LOVE looking at the photos and reading the stories about the amazing adventures you will no doubt have together. Bon voyage.