ORLANDO, Fla. – Over 3 billion people traveled last year. According to Value Penguin, lodging costs for a vacation take up about 26% of total expenditures for domestic trips and 21% for international trips.
According to Hotels.com, the average hotel room costs about $141 a night. The average Airbnb costs between $60 and $80 for a couple, but what about just swapping a home with another family?
Home Exchange offers 400,000 homes in 187 countries. It costs $150 a year or $15 a night. They also cover up to $1 million in damages.
Love Home Swap offers 10,000 homes in 100 countries. They offer three different memberships costing from $11 to $15 per month and you don’t have to swap homes at the same time.
Own a second home? Turn to thirdhome.com. There is not an annual fee to join just pay an exchange fee to swap. They use a key system which is based on the value of the home and the time of year, but they expire in 15 months. They also cover up to $5,000 in damages.
These services offer you ways to travel and feel right at home.
Love Home Swap offers a two-week free trial before it begins to charge you for the first month.
A recent study by Johns Hopkins warns that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are missing in up to half of the homes they surveyed -- so be careful.