Why Families Love Home Exchange
Nicole Frank is one of the leading experts of the home exchange community. Nicole has been an avid home exchanger since childhood and has completed dozens exchanges around the world with her family. Nicole’s "Key to Home Exchange" appears weekly on RoofSwap.com with do’s and don’t regarding house swapping and tips and advice on a wide array of travel topics. Have a question for Nicole or want to share some insight of your own? Visit our Member Forum section and post your comments and questions.
"What do your kids think about staying in other people's homes? Do they mind the kids in the swap family playing with their toys?"
When I tell people I let strangers vacation in my home while I do the same at their house they often want to know how my children react to this odd lifestyle choice. They love it! When I explore a new swap home always feels like unwrapping a gift. I wander around admiring the comfy sofa I get to use for the next week. There is usually something delightful I was not expecting, like a deep spa tub or some interesting artwork. Often I just revel in an amenity sorely lacking in Manhattan, where I live: space.
My kids, on entering a new swap home, head straight for the toys. We often exchange with other families with children or grand-parents who have toys around for young visitors. My son and daughter love playing with toys and reading books they don't have at home. When we are back in our city they sometimes ask "when are we going on home exchange again?"
For parents, nothing compares to home exchange. I love being able to feed the kids quickly in the morning, and make healthy snacks in the swap home's kitchen. I have occasionally heard the objection "I don't want to cook when I am on vacation so I don't need a swap home with a kitchen". I look at it differently: trying to keep small children entertained through three restaurant meals each day is simply not a relaxing way for me to spend a vacation.
PACK LIGHT
You will recognize RoofSwappers in the airport. They are the parents who are traveling light. Car seats are waiting for them in the car they are borrowing from their swap partners. The exchangers have left a stroller, high chair and crib for them to use, so they don't have to lug piles of kid equipment. No need to bring a suitcase full of clothes for each family member -- the swap home has a washer/dryer.
SWAP YOUR GRANDMA
Home exchange is great for multi-generation families. We often invite grandparents to join us when we swap. Home exchange means we can have a separate bedroom for each generation. It also makes visits "home" for the holidays much less stressful for everyone involved. We can visit with relatives but avoid putting them out by crowding our family into the less-than-gigantic ancestral manse.
MIND YOUR HOME EXCHANGE MANNERS
Through home exchange, our children have learned to treat other people's property with respect. They know the "home exchange rules": if it's not yours, don't mess with it. They have learned about hospitality by watching us leave a "welcome to our home" meal, note and basket of toiletries. They also see how important it is for us to take care of the swappers' home, leave it in good condition and welcome the exchangers home with a little gift.
HOME EXCHANGE IS THE BEST TEACHER
There is a reason that home-schoolers love house swapping. Families can get to know a new region from the inside out. "Living like a local" means you get to shop where real residents buy their groceries meet the neighbors, stay in a neighborhood where real people in that area live, and have access to "locals only" spots you would otherwise never know about. It is a much richer travel experience to swap homes than to stay in another boring hotel room. I like my kids to know that other people live differently than we do and have ways to do things that are just as good as our own.
Having swapped homes with my family, I could never be happy crammed into a generic hotel room. Home exchange is perfect for my family. It might be just the thing for your family too!
