Apr 16 2008
Free Hawaii Vacation Home (Swap)
Would you like a vacation in Hawaii, brief or extended, without any costs for hotels or condos? Do you have a cottage, apartment/condo or house that you are willing to exchange?
If so you may want to consider a home swap. This is a growing travel industry trend and may be a perfect solution in our stagnant economy.
I found everything from a Kauai beachfront home to a condo in Lahaina, and even a yurt in Pahoa. Properties are posted with photos, descriptions and maps.
Here are two sites to consider: Home Exchange (20,000 listings and a $99/year fee) and Home for Exchange (10,000 listings and a $59/year listing fee).
Home Exchange was featured in a recent movie called, “The Holiday.” Here’s a clip from the movie which may inspire you to consider a home swap (especially if it includes Jude Law, Kate Winslet or Cameron Diaz).
Suggestions for a successful home exchange:
Do your own research, check with your insurance company regarding liability issues, obtain additional photos or video of the property you’re considering, set up a written agreement and obtain references.
Have you ever tried this? We’d love to hear your experiences with this innovative way to travel for less.
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With the cost of travel going up and the US economy slowing, Home For Swap has created a web site to address the high costs associated with travel.
Home For Swap has launched http://www.homeforswap.com, a community website that allows users to exchange homes with each other, thus saving on hotel costs during their next vacation. In addition to saving on lodging costs, members are to find out that they can save even more since their free home also gives them access to other amenities for free, such as a kitchen for meals, a washer and dryer, and even DVD’s. Some residences have free internet access and amenities such as bicycles to take in the local sights. Some members even swap automobiles.
You may also consider http://www.exchangeourhouses.com a new international home exchange community for vacations. subscription is free.
It all sounds too good to be true. I bet a lot of us looked into the house swap option but in the end most everybody decides against it.
We have quite a number of friends who only stay in Hawaii for 6mos out of the year and yet they don’t rent out their Hawaii homes or condos. The few who did learned soon that it’s not worthwhile the money.
Unless you know the people closely, whether it’s for a house swap or home rental, it’s really taking your chances. i think.