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A great way to save money on your holidays

October 10, 2008 by admin  
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For most households in the UK money is tight due to the effects of the global credit crunch, higher living costs, soaring inflation, and rocketing bills. However, even when finances are looking a bit sorry for themselves many of us still want to try and find a way to get away from it all by booking a holiday, especially with things as stressful as they are in the current climate.

The key to being able to sort your finances in order to afford a holiday is to try and cut costs wherever possible, and there are a number of ways of doing this. One innovative way to cut costs according to some industry officials is to swap homes with someone else, and this can save you a fortune on the cost of your holiday, as you won’t have to pay for accommodation and the only costs will be your travelling costs and spending money.

There is a specialist home swap network that you can join in order to get started and enjoy a home exchange holiday, and for a small fee you will be able see what is available and where you could go on your home exchange holiday. The theory behind this process is simple. Whilst you holiday and stay in one person’s home the person that you are exchanging with comes and stays in your home and also gets to enjoy a holiday.

This means that neither home will be left empty as it would have been had you decided to book accommodation the traditional way. However, there does, of course, have to be some element of trust between those that are swapping homes for that period.

One industry official involved in home exchange holidays said that it is important to plan ahead, stating: ‘Flexibility is key to success with a house swap and that means the earlier it is arranged the better. You don’t have to live in a palace – it is the location that most people are interested in.’

He also added: ‘As long as the home is clean and you are totally honest about the description, then you should have a successful, cost-effective experience.’

Of course, the location of your property will help to determine how much success you will have with these home swap deals. For example if you live in a rural area or in a major city there will probably be plenty of people looking to stay in that area for a UK holiday.

Home exchange holidays have become particularly popular in the summer holidays, when families want to go away but do not want to spend a fortune on accommodation. The average exchange time is around three weeks although there are some people looking for shorter and longer periods than this to exchange for.
One consumer said that he had a great experience when he did a house swap holiday and went to Barbados where he stayed in someone’s home whilst they stayed in his home in Wimbledon.

He said: ‘It was a fantastic experience. The savings are a benefit, but we also find the friendly and homely environment of a house swap far better than the shared space of a hotel or overpriced rented accommodation. The total cost of our two-week Barbados holiday came to £1,500 –a great deal for such a fabulous family break.’

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