House Swapping: The New Way To Travel And Lodge

A new form of less expensive travel arrangement is emerging across the globe. And for the East End residents who have chosen to house swap, the pros apparently far outweigh the cons.

Hamptons resident Stan Cohen has had success with house swapping his way and said he appreciates all that the experience delivers.

“I looked into several websites when I decided to do it,” Mr. Cohen said during a phone interview on Wednesday, “but just in my own networking. I ended up connecting with somebody who knew somebody I knew and we worked it out individually.”

A lot of house swapping is done simultaneously, but in Mr. Cohen’s case, he and his house swap partner own two homes each, and because of that, they were able to arrange the swap to coordinate with their own different schedules. To date, Mr. Cohen’s swap is only part-way concluded.

“The woman I have an arrangement with is from Paris and she had a strong desire to visit the Hamptons,” he said. “She came last summer and stayed in my Westhampton home and had a fine time.”

Mr. Cohen said the most valuable part of the home swap experience is that he was able to strike up a friendship with this woman and they remain in contact to this day. A trip to Paris is in Mr. Cohen’s near future in order to seal the swapping deal.

“When she arrived, I was able to get her acclimated. I took her to dinner and to the beach before her boyfriend arrived to share time with her,” Mr. Cohen recalled. “And now I can expect the same from her when my trip to Paris occurs this October.”

The Hamptons resident said he would absolutely house swap in the future.

“When I look at what this kind of house trading this is about, I think it’s a wonderful way to get to places I wouldn’t normally get to and form a bond with people from all over the world,” he said.

Although Mr. Cohen was able to create the swap through connections with mutual acquaintances, there are several websites that offer a service with the intention of bringing together individuals from all over the world who have a desire to trade homes.

One of the more well-known sites, HomeExchange.com, has been assisting more than 60,000 exchanges per year since 1992, according to Keghan Hurst, HomeExchange.com’s director of public relations and marketing.

“I think it is literally the most incredible way to see the world,” Ms. Hurst said during a phone interview on Friday. “People who love to immerse themselves in the cultural aspects of life and want to live like a local, for free, are jumping at the opportunity.”

The website sparks that initial connection between potential swappers and costs $15.95 per month for a three-month membership, or $120 for a yearlong membership.

“I did a quick swap, a really fun three-day weekend,” Ms. Hurst shared. “I live in Southern California and I went to San Francisco. It was really great and I’m so excited to do a longer one as soon as I can, hopefully to Australia.”

Ms. Hurst gets to talk to HomeExchange.com users about their experiences and said she has a few favorite swap stories.

“One couple has one month left in their yearlong journey around the world,” Ms. Hurst said. “They have seen the world and used HomeExchange.com exclusively. It’s so amazing. They send me updates every few months and haven’t paid for one night of lodging in a whole year.”

Hampton Bays resident Beth Haupt and her husband, Rich, have been frequent home swappers since 2007.

During a phone interview, while en route to a home exchange in the Smith Mountain Lake area in Virginia, Ms. Haupt said that all of their swap experiences have been wonderful.

“We’ve done swaps that are simultaneous and others that haven’t been,” she said. “The best part is not having to stay in a hotel. You get a real feeling for the community that you’re in, you shop at the local stores, meet the neighbors and have all of the comforts home.”

According to Ms. Haupt, she and her family have already done approximately 20 swaps.

“We’ve been to numerous places in Europe, New Zealand, Manhattan and Florida,” she said. “And now we’re on our way to Virginia for a week. We went last year, too, and really enjoyed it.”

She added that the people who have stayed in her Hampton Bays home have thoroughly enjoyed themselves as well.

“We’ve had people from New Zealand that even want to come here during the winter,” Ms. Haupt said laughing. “They want to go to New York City for New Year’s Eve and experience snow.”

Both Mr. Cohen and Ms. Haupt mentioned meeting new people and establishing relationships with them as the best part of the experience.

“Not doing the swap simultaneously is great because we are here when they are here so we can meet and greet them,” Ms. Haupt said. “We suggest activities and local attractions and then when we go to Europe and they are there, they can accommodate and mentor us in the same way.”

A common question that Ms. Haupt said people ask is how she can trust people in her home. But she said she is just the type of person who is okay with it.

“We’ve never had a problem, I can’t say enough about how positive our experiences have been,” she said.

According to Ms. Hurst, stories like Ms. Haupt’s are extremely common.

“Once they do it, they actually fall in love with the travel experience and the friendships they make in doing so,” she said. “Sometimes they start out thinking, ‘Oh, it’ll be nice to have a kitchen’ and they don’t realize it becomes so much more than that. It becomes about the people they meet and the things they get to do and see.”