Home Exchange UK? Top 8 Reasons Why it’s a Great Idea!

House swapping is a great alternative to buying or renting a house if you want to live in a different country.

You can swap houses with someone for any length of time that you agree upon; it could be days, weeks, or months.

House swapping has been around for over 100 years and has been popular in England since the late 1950s. But it has become even more popular with the advent of home exchange websites like THIRDHOME that specialize in this niche and make the whole process much easier, fun, and secure.

Below are some tips for new house swappers and reasons why the UK is a great place to do a home exchange.

What is house swapping?

House swapping is when you trade houses with someone for a set amount of time.

It’s a great way to live without the risk of renting or buying a home, but it’s also an amazing way to travel since it lowers the cost of lodging in your destination country.

In places like the United Kingdom and especially London, being able to lower your cost of accommodation is key as London is notorious for being expensive.

House swapping also allows you to live like a local. There is no comparison in the experience you’re going to get by becoming an insider. Just having the time to go to your corner pub and hang out with the locals to eat fish and chips over a pint of beer is a whole new level of understanding of the culture as opposed to darting around from site to site to make sure you don’t miss anything in your travel guide.

House swapping tips for newbies

If you’re a newcomer to the world of house swapping, it’s a good idea to learn about the process. With a little knowledge and preparation, you’ll be able to successfully swap with someone in no time!

First, read up on the basics, so you know what to expect. You can find blog posts like this one on how house swapping works and what exactly is involved.

Next, unless you’re trying to do this on your own which takes time and persistence, get on a professional house exchange site like THIRDHOME and list your house for swapping. Make sure you post lots of photos and mention everything you can think of to make it easier for someone to decide to swap with you.

Then, decide where you want to go. There are plenty of choices out there. For example, THIRDHOME has over 14,000 listings all over the globe including the UK, so it’s easy to find your dream swap home.

The beauty of this kind of setup is that your house exchange partner wants you to have a great time as much as he would want to have a great time at your house. So, your host will often offer tips and recommendations for local offerings and adventures and tell you things that only an insider would know. He may even ask his friends or family to check on you and help you out.

These are all invaluable resources to have at your disposal that make the difference between mostly enjoying a place and loving a place so much that you’re left with wonderful memories for life.

Top 8 reasons to do a home exchange in the UK

1. Low lodging cost compared to other types of accommodations.
2. Don’t have to stay in an anonymous hotel but you get to stay at a place with personality instead.
3. Flexibility – You can stay in a property for days, weeks, or months. All you have to do is agree with your house exchange partner.
4. You can become friends with people you would not have met any other way.
5. You get to live in a different city or country without having to buy or rent a house.
6. You get to learn about other cultures and customs in depth.
7. You avoid tourist traps, like awful food and overpriced vendors who target tourists who are pressed for time and have no transportation, and you don’t have to brave crowds to enjoy the popular sites as you can visit during “off-times”.
8. You get to see things that no tourist will ever see. This alone gives you an intimate knowledge of the place that no other way of traveling will allow.

Conclusion

If you’re interested in having unique experiences when traveling, you can’t beat exchanging homes with someone and becoming an instant local anywhere in the world.

The cherry on top is that you get to save money on lodging, and this is particularly welcome when you visit a place like London in the United Kingdom which can get expensive very quickly.

So, come on and join millions of people around the world who have made the choice to swap their home. The UK is waiting!

Get started on your home exchange UK adventure with THIRDHOME.