Testimonials
These families, couples and solos lived the home-exchange experience. Here is what they say.
« We are glad to provide you with the testimonials that some Homeforswap.com members have sent us. We hope you like them and that they encourage you to try all of the services available on the platform.
We are glad to provide you with the testimonials that some Homefors »
« Three weeks in Andalusia with the two little ones, and not a euro on accommodation. It felt like borrowing a family home, not renting a stage set. Our hosts even left the children’s bikes in the garage. »
« I was the more suspicious of the two of us. After six exchanges, I’m the one chasing hosts for next summer. You hand back more than the keys — you hand back a little care, and it always comes round again. »
« We swapped our flat for a house in Brittany, on different dates. It costs nothing to ask: half the hosts we contacted were open to a non-simultaneous exchange. »
« What won me over wasn’t the saving — it was waking up in a neighbourhood where people do their shopping. We spent two weeks in Edinburgh without ever feeling like tourists. »
« First time, and I’ll do it again. I spent longer getting the house ready than packing my case — and that is exactly why our hosts wanted to come back. »
« We spent a fortnight in Tuscany for the price of the train tickets alone. With two teenagers, the gap against a normal rental runs into thousands of euros. »
« The surprising part is what stays afterwards. We still write to the Portuguese couple who slept at our place two years ago. Their daughter is coming to Cologne for an internship this autumn. »
« A whole month in Lisbon while our hosts discovered Emilia-Romagna. The notebook left on the table beat any guidebook: the fishmonger, market hours, the tram to avoid on Sundays. »
« We travel with an old dog no hotel is happy to take. Here it was settled by the second message: our hosts have two cats and did not hesitate for a second. »
« I thought you needed a beautiful house. In fact, our two-bedroom flat ten minutes from the centre interests far more people than I imagined. »
« We were looking for somewhere quiet to work remotely for a month. A house with a real desk, a real kitchen and wifi that holds — impossible to find at this price anywhere else. »
« Our hosts left us their car and we left them ours. Nothing obliged us to, but after three weeks of messages we knew each other well enough. »
« It took me fifteen minutes to publish the listing and three months to find the right exchange. Take your time over the photos: they are the only thing hosts look at before replying. »
« Two families, two houses, not one invoice between us. I had to explain it three times to my brother before he accepted there was no catch somewhere. »
« super expérience »
« We hosted before we travelled. Receiving first changes everything: you know exactly what you would want to find when you arrive at someone else’s. »
« A February exchange with a family from Seville: they wanted snow, we wanted sun. Neither of us paid for a single hotel night. »
« The contract downloaded from the site reassured everyone, including my mother, who kept a spare set of keys. Two pages, signed by email, and it never came up again. »
« Retired, we travel out of season — and that is when everything becomes easy. In May and September, hosts reply within two days. »
« I travel alone and I did have my doubts. Verified profiles and reviews from previous hosts were enough for me: four exchanges since, without the slightest problem. »
« Three weeks in Porto in exchange for our flat in Le Plateau. Our hosts got a proper Québec winter and wrote to say they would do it again. »
« An exchange is not a free rental: it is a home entrusted to you. We left ours cleaner than we found it, and the same was true the other way round. »
« We started with a weekend, just to see. Six months later we were spending a month in Scotland with the same hosts. »
« Our flat is nothing special, but it is three stops from the centre and there is a piano. It was the piano that made up our hosts’ minds. »
« Our home insurance already covered everything. One ten-minute call to my insurer, and the only real question left was who would water the plants. »
« Thanks to the home exchange experience, our family really enjoyed our vacation in Salvador de Bahia! The home swap concept is a very nice way to travel completely free-minded and thanks to the home exchange we have discovered so many things we couldn’t have seen staying at a hotel! »
« Travelling as a family of five used to cost the price of renting a studio. This year we did two exchanges instead of one holiday. »
« Our Swiss hosts left a note for each of our children, with the name of the ice-cream shop round the corner. The little ones still talk about it. »
« The house is not left empty while we are away: someone lives in it, takes in the post, opens the windows. For us that argument weighs at least as much as the budget. »
« We turned down two offers before saying yes to the third. Nothing worrying about it — just dates that did not line up. You have to be willing to wait for the right exchange. »
« The most expensive thing about a holiday is the accommodation. Once that line is at zero, you go away for longer and more often — that is all that changed for us. »
« Two exchanges a year for four years, never an incident. The only advice I give: reply quickly and say everything up front, including what feels awkward. »
« Je rentre tout juste de mes vacances à Belfast. C'était mon premier échange de maison et tout s'est passé à merveille ! Nous avons retrouvé notre maison telle quelle et nos partenaires d'échange de maison nous ont très bien accueilli. »
« フランスの驚くべき社内スワップ。幻想的な家族や家。 »
« Fue mi primer intercambio de casa y no pudo ser mejor, tanto por el apartamento en el que me alojé como por sus amables propietarios, que facilitaron todo lo necesario para que los días pasados en Berlin fueran inolvidables. Al volver a mi casa no sólo la habían dejado impecable además tuvieron el detalle de dejar una botella de vino como regalo. El año que viene repetiré, ¡aún más lejos! porque voy a ir a San Francisco, intercambiando mi casa, por supuesto. »
« Quand j'étais à Madrid, je me sentais comme à la maison, et comme si j'avais une nouvelle vie. J'ai appris à connaître les propriétaires de magasins, les voisins. J'avais l'impression d'être un habitant local. »
« Abbiamo organizzato il primo scambio a Natale e siamo rimasti molto soddisfatti dell'esperienza. A febbraio ospiteremo la famiglia di Londra che ha messo a disposizione la casa. Il vostro sito ci piace molto soprattutto perchè riceviamo in continuazione proposte di scambio e la scelta è ampia. Consiglio decisamente l'esperienza! »
« Me encanta sentirme como si estuviera viviendo en un barrio, en lugar de caer en una zona turística. Por unos días me abstraigo de la realidad y me reinvento como una persona autóctona del lugar que visito. Para mí, es la única manera de disfrutar de unas vacaciones auténticas, se lo recomiendo a todas las personas que busquen hacer cosas diferentes en la vida. »
« We are on our second honeymoon, doing a travel and sights degustation around Europe with budget in mind. We swap our place with Homeforswap.com as we wanted a local and more personal experience where we would get to meet other people. We have only positive things to say. Members are very friendly and hospitable. The last house were we stayed was lovely. We regret that we only swapped for one week! »
« Cesária, a minha esposa e eu estamos inscritos no Troquedecasa à um ano. Em 2012 efectuamos duas trocas; uma na cidade de Boston e outra em Bruxelas. Nos dois casos adquirimos uma experiência muito positiva. Gostámos muito desta fórmula. Há muito tempo que esta modalidade nos intrigava e finalmente aderimos. Estamos embalados! Para 2013 já acordamos uma troca com um Membro de Provença. »
« We just concluded the exchange and had a wonderful experience! However, we still are interested in exchanging as many times as we can... Just wondered if you needed to know we had concluded our first successful home exchange... By the way, you have a nice looking web site, the easiest we came across and we think this is a brilliant idea! »
« I have had two successful home exchanges last year, and appreciate the facility you provide for genuine exchangers. I hope to do more in the future. I like this site very much... Wishing you all luck! »
« Seit ich Mitglied bin, durfte ich bereits mehrmals die Freuden dieser Ferien-Formel erleben: In Italien mit Amerikanern, in Brüssel mit Schweden und in Montréal mit einem Iren - der kulturelle Austausch ist garantiert!!! Alles ist immer reibungslos gelaufen. Das Vertrauen hat sich im Verlauf des Mailverkehrs und dem Austausch der Dokumentationen eingestellt. Der Wohnungstausch lässt einen die Welt entdecken - ob über kurze, oder lange Distanzen. »
« Just came across your site and registered, thank you for the opportunity to be able to network with other homeswappers. I hope to be able to give a family the opportunity to experience life here in London while experiencing another country more than just another tourist. »