{"id":133,"date":"2026-08-28T20:31:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T20:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/index.php\/winter-home-exchange\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T20:31:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T20:31:35","slug":"winter-home-exchange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Home Exchange: 5 Trips and the Season With No Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <strong>winter home exchange<\/strong> is the most underused season in the entire system, and probably the most rewarding. While thousands of families compete for the same houses in August, supply between November and March sits almost untouched. If you have any flexibility at all, winter is when exchange works best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In this article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#The_season_with_no_competition\" >The season with no competition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#The_five_kinds_of_trip_that_work\" >The five kinds of trip that work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#What_to_check_in_winter_and_not_in_summer\" >What to check in winter and not in summer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#The_agreement_on_utilities\" >The agreement on utilities<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#Winter_and_the_points_system\" >Winter and the points system<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#The_mountains_the_most_rewarding_case\" >The mountains, the most rewarding case<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/winter-home-exchange\/#Use_the_low_season\" >Use the low season<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-season-with-no-competition\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_season_with_no_competition\"><\/span>The season with no competition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The logic is straightforward: almost everybody thinks of home exchange as a summer thing. That concentrates demand into eight weeks of the year and leaves the other forty four with plenty of supply and very few applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice, a winter home exchange gets agreed in weeks rather than months, and gives you access to homes that would attract twenty requests in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-five-kinds-of-trip-that-work\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_five_kinds_of_trip_that_work\"><\/span>The five kinds of trip that work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Skiing.<\/strong> The Alps, the Pyrenees, Scotland. Resort accommodation is extremely expensive, so this is where the saving is largest.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Winter sun.<\/strong> The Canaries, southern Spain, Madeira, with mild temperatures and cities empty of tourists.<\/li>\n<li><strong>European cities.<\/strong> No queues, cheap flights and Christmas markets in December.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bank holiday breaks.<\/strong> December, January and February carry several usable long weekends.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Long remote work stays<\/strong>, which are far easier to arrange in winter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-check-in-winter-and-not-in-summe\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_check_in_winter_and_not_in_summer\"><\/span>What to check in winter and not in summer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Heating:<\/strong> what type, whether it works well and who covers the consumption, which in winter is not a trivial detail.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insulation.<\/strong> A beautiful, freezing house ruins a week.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Road access<\/strong> if the destination is mountainous: chains, tyres, the usual state of the route.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Daylight hours<\/strong> and local timetables, which change the shape of the day considerably.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What is actually open.<\/strong> In coastal destinations, many services close out of season.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-agreement-on-utilities\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_agreement_on_utilities\"><\/span>The agreement on utilities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the one point that deserves an explicit conversation in winter. A house heated for two weeks consumes considerably more than in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The usual and most sensible arrangement is that each family covers normal consumption in their own home, given that both are doing the same thing. It is worth writing down, as we explain in the guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/index.php\/house-rules-for-a-home-swap\/\">house rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"winter-and-the-points-system\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Winter_and_the_points_system\"><\/span>Winter and the points system<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a strategy that exploits both seasons at once and that many experienced families use: host in summer, when your home is in maximum demand, and spend that credit in winter, when supply is wide and cheap in points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practical terms, it is buying low and selling high. The mechanism is in the guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/index.php\/points-based-home-exchange\/\">points based home exchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-mountains-the-most-rewarding-case\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_mountains_the_most_rewarding_case\"><\/span>The mountains, the most rewarding case<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This deserves a paragraph of its own. A week in a ski in ski out apartment in high season comfortably passes fifteen hundred pounds, and in many resorts there is no reasonable alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Removing that line transforms the budget of a ski trip, which is among the most expensive there is. Before fixing dates it is worth checking forecasts and warnings with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metoffice.gov.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Met Office<\/a>, particularly for road access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is there enough supply for a winter home exchange?<\/strong> Yes, and with far less competition than in summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What if my home is neither in the mountains nor by the sea?<\/strong> Cities have strong winter demand, especially over bank holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How much lead time is needed?<\/strong> Six to ten weeks is usually enough, except at Christmas and half term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can the house be left empty in the cold?<\/strong> Not advisable. Leaving minimum heating instructions prevents damp and burst pipe problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"use-the-low-season\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_the_low_season\"><\/span>Use the low season<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your dates are flexible, winter is the best moment to start: less competition, faster agreements and better homes. The full process is in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/index.php\/home-exchange\/\">complete home exchange guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why winter is the most underused season in home exchange, and the five trips that work best between November and March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","category-home-exchange"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}