Swap Homes And Roles
// September 17th, 2009 // House and Home
If you want to swap homes as part of your vacation, then you have two choices. One way is to trade homes for an agreed upon length of time, where party A stays in party B’s home, and vice versa. That’s the standard homeswap. The other option is to do something similar called a hospitality exchange. In this situation, party A stays in party B’s home, but party B doesn’t leave. Instead, party B takes on the role of a host and provides party A with information about the area, invites them to meals, and could even act as a chauffer/tour guide, all depending on the agreement.
When entering into a vacation home swap, you are usually on your own, albeit often with maps or hints left behind by the homeowners. Yet with the services help of hospitality exchanges, you have someone right there living with you who can tell you about the best places to go in town, the cheapest ways to get there, and can even go with you and offer commentary and perspectives that only a local has. For people who want to avoid the touristy places and see what real life in a particular place is like, this is an advantage.
If you swap homes as part of your vacation, then you are usually able to save a significant amount of money; money that would otherwise have gone to pay for staying in a hotel. With hospitality exchanges, the same holds true, except that often a certain fee will be required to offset costs like household items, gas and food, and anything else that might be used during your stay. These are the kinds of things that the visitor would pay for anyway, if it was a traditional case of a homes exchange and the host was not present.
While hospitality exchanges can give you a greater understanding of other cultures and ways of life by sharing space and time with a local of the area, it can go the other way as well, unfortunately. When people opt to open their homes this way, there may be a conflict between the host and the people visiting. Personalities may clash, there may be different expectations on what the exchange should offer, or there could be stronger barriers of social and racial concerns. If this happens, then a trip that could have been pleasant and interesting may turn into a nightmare.
When you swap homes you are taking a chance on experiencing life through someone else’s eyes. However, with hospitality exchanges you have a chance to experience life in that location and interact with the person you stay with. Financially, it will be a cheap way to have a vacation. The actual experience could be very enjoyable and a lasting friendship created, or the whole experience could cost a great deal in terms of stress and disappointment.
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