By Elna Pieterse
My first article is something that is very close to my heart. I used to think that everyone must know about this by now, but people always tend to listen wide-eyed when I relate my experiences.
I remember the day I was reading an article in an In-flight magazine on the way to Johannesburg my life has never been the same since, and I love sharing my secret with you today.
We have traveled for the last 7 years in a way that I never dreamed possible before - Home Exchange!
If you are South African like me, your first question might be - "is it safe?" Of course, there are never any guarantees in life, but in all the years we have done this, I never had any reasons to feel alarmed in any way. In fact, we have made so many dear friends in places we would otherwise never have been to before.
If you love to explore and experience the heart of the place, the people, the local cuisine and atmosphere, this is what you need to do! Getting to those places where you can rub shoulders with the locals, is where the true experience begins.
It works best if you have a second/holiday home to put up for exchange. That way you are able to do non-simultaneous exchanges where both parties are able to visit in summer, for instance. Being in South Africa, it means we are always in the opposite season than Europe and the USA.
If you have to exchange your primary residence, don't despair, there are always the shoulder seasons or local exchanges. Or how would you feel about a white Christmas, or a skiing holiday in the Alps?
The beauty is that no place is too big or too small to qualify. Even a studio flat, like the one where we stayed in Zurich, will attract interest.
This also means that you could take the whole family when you find a big enough place, and it is not necessary to trade size for size - there are many different reasons people travel and you are sure to find the perfect exchange partner.
The best way I found to do this is through http://www.homeforexchange.com. There are many websites offering the idea, but this one is superior to all of them, with over 10 000 houses to choose from, worldwide.
The way it works is to decide where you want to go and start contacting people to see if they are interested in visiting your area. Sometimes it takes quite a few tries before you hit the jackpot. But some of the popular cities like Paris and New York, for example, have loads to choose from and you are bound to find a suitable exchange.
For the senior travelers, with more time on hand, the special deal is to do long-term exchanges with a similar couple. Really, your biggest expense is the flights. Once you are there, it's not going to change much to your budget if you stay for a week or a month! You have to eat anyway! Many of the senior exchangers are interested in long-term exchanges, so now's the time to make those dreams come true...
This, of course, has no age restrictions, and you can even do that with your toddlers. Just look out for a similar family, and the kids would have loads of new toys to keep them busy for the holiday.
You need to be prepared to be a little flexible, though. This is more or less like buying a second-hand car - you might have to search for the right deal and take what is available, instead of walking into the nearest dealer and order the exact model and color you prefer.
BENEFITS
The first and obvious benefit here is to be able to stay for free, chopping thousands off your budget. Often, there is a possibility of exchanging cars as well, saving you another big expense!
The second, for me a biggie, is to be able to really experience the place like a local. Going to shop and eat where the locals do, and not the over commercialized tourist traps; meeting the people. This is something that you will never be able to experience, staying in fancy hotels or resorts.
Another great benefit is that you have a local guide on the other side, ready to help you with any kind of questions, planning, and tips of what to see and do. Imagine on your side, the benefits for your guests to have your knowledge of the local area. No hotel employee will take the time to give you that!
We have done Home Exchanges in Swakopmund/Windhoek, Cape Town, Paris, Scotland (2), Italy, Zurich, Bern and the Swiss Alps, Germany, The Netherlands and the beautiful Gent in Belgium. Coming up in June, are two exchanges in Italy and Ireland!
Feel free to contact me with any questions, I'll be happy to help where I can. Happy traveling! For more on this, visit my blog [http://www.maturetravellerdiscount.com]
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