We'd like to spend 6-8 weeks in Europe (esp. Italy, France & Switzerland) to really explore the areas that we've just glimpsed on tours and/or cruise ships. It seems like the best way to do this is to have a "home base" and set out from there, and an economical way to do this would be through a home exchange. It would be helpful to hear from others who've done this and get specific websites or agencies that are reputable. Advice gratefully accepted!
Posted by
OP
Piedmont, CA, US
18 posts
Thank you for your valuable input so far. Frank, I know there are lots of sites -- that's precisely why I'm asking for personal references.
Posted by
Springfield, VA, USA
283 posts
I have never done a home exchange, but have looked into it. I dislike the idea of others in my primary residence-damage, etc. Some of the home exchanges even share vehicles, which is also worrisome.
I prefer to rent a Gite while in France. The website is www.gites.com. In France this is a government sponsored sight--they provide funds to update a home for rental purposes, and they are displayed on this site.
We are staying near Epernay this year and I rented from another site: www.iha.com This site lists prices for longer term rentals.
You can also google for rentals--there are lots of places to look.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23242 posts
There are several sites that are completely devoted to home exchanges. You probably would get better info there than on this site.
Posted by
Portland
3592 posts
We just returned from our 5th successful house exhange, and we're big fans of this way of traveling. All but one also included an exchange of cars. Here's some of the stuff you need to be aware of. First, there is a level of trust involved, since the agencies have no responsibility for anything. They simply make it possible for you to hook up with someone who wants an exchange. Kind of like computer dating. In our experience, nothing bad happened. Nothing broken or missing, no damage to the car, no tickets showing up later. We've used 3 agencies: intervac.com, homelink.org, and homeexchange.com. They all let you browse their listings, but you have to join to get the contact information. We look at the listings, then sign up with the one that has the most potential for the places we want. You can pm me if you have more questions.
Posted by
Bend, OR
576 posts
Hi, Patti. I agree that a home exchange seems like a great way to spend an extended period of time in an area without spending a large amount of money. We like it because we can get a house large enough for our kids to bring their friends, which would also be a cost prohibitive option if we had to pay thousands a week for something so large. Although we haven't done an exchange yet, we are scheduled for our first one over Christmas with a family from Amsterdam. Yes, there is risk involved with letting other people use our home and car, but the payoff is that we get to stay in this fabulous, beautifully decorated, former monastery FREE! (I looked up similar quality Amsterdam places on several rental websites like VRBO and comparable apartments were around $3,000 a week...a big savings with an exchange!) We are using HomeExchange.com. I have often read listings from Europeans who want to exchange for longer periods so I think you would have a fairly easy time arranging an exchange on this site. Of course, you can't exchange with everyone who writes to you and vice versa, but I've gotten such nice letters from people just the same, offering to have us over for Champagne in Amsterdam while we're there, etc. It's been a very positive experience so far. Because it is an activity that involves letting strangers into your lives, it attracts a very trusting group of people, which I love. Before I signed with HomeExchange.com (the one featured in the movie "The Holiday") I browsed the websites of many others. Look around and see what you like. HomeExchange.com has worked quite well for us and is easy to use. Good luck and may you get a great exchange!