How to travel accommodation cost free
Since making the transition in my career to work as an executive coach I undertook an exercise to see how I could keep doing the things I love to do whilst simultaneously spending less money. Who doesn’t want to achieve that!
Now that my son has left for university I knew that I would have more freedom to do something I loved - travel! But how can you do that when you’re starting a fledgling business. Step forward Homeexchange.
Homeexchange facilitates swapping your home with people all around the world. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. The first question I get when this topic arises is; aren’t you worried your home will get trashed? Or your belongings stolen? So far I’ve not experienced this so that’s a good sign. And second of all I’ve developed a new relationship with the loss of material objects. We can’t take any of this stuff with us that we’ve accrued through life. It’s more than likely going to end up in landfill or at best a cherished heirloom in a distant relative’s shelf in a home you’ll never see. So, whilst I love my home and everything in it - if something gets broken I’m not going to be distraught.
So with that objection handled, we’re free to start exploring all that Homeexchange can offer! So far I’ve done three swaps - a delightful lodge in a forest park in Devon (complete with jacuzzi), a fabulous Paris apartment within walking distance of the Louvre and this summer my longest solo trip to date two weeks in a wonderful Mallorcan village home. Every home I stayed in was beautiful. Being connected to someone who lived there gave me the insight track on where to eat and what to do! I felt like a holiday maker and a local all at the same time.
And who’s visited me. A french couple enjoyed London at Christmas. An Italian family stayed whilst my son and I went to a music festival in Paris - they even took care of Stan. The American couple that owned the place in Majorca stayed and told me my neighbourhood reminded them of Chicago!
A note on Stan sitters, I’ve only left Stan with a family once and I make sure to vet them by having a video call to check that there is a good match. I also have friends locally who are around. Good news now is that Stan can come along!
I’ll share more with you about how we do the swaps and the logistics of getting ready for a trip when we get closer to travel day! For now enjoy the photos of some of the experiences Homeswap has enabled me to have and all completely free!
Two weeks in a wonderful village home in Fornalutx
Celebrating exam success at Rock en Seine in Paris
