Why Swapping Homes is Ideal for Young Families

CasaVersa
CasaVersa
Aug 23, 2017 · 4 min read

We all love our kids but travelling with them isn’t easy — not only is it incredibly costly, but it also involves much more forward planning. When you’re alone, or in a couple, you can walk out the door with only hand luggage if you choose, and wing it when you arrive. When you’ve got kids, it’s always more complicated — there are so many things you need to pack, even before you make it to the airport. But there is a way not just to save money, but to make the entire travel experience easier (and more fun!) for everyone. What is it?

Home exchange. Instead of booking a hotel, a villa or an apartment, you can swap homes with another family. More and more people are beginning to wonder why they need to be spending thousands of dollars on holiday accommodation when they’ve got a place back home sitting empty. And home exchange isn’t difficult either, especially with our new app. Once you’ve uploaded a few photos of your home, and written a little about yourself and what you’re looking for in a swap, you can start browsing…and chatting with like-minded people.

Home exchange is great for so many reasons — but never more so than with families. And here are five reasons why we think you should consider swapping yours…

1. It’s a great money-saver

For many young families, this is an obvious reason for joining a home exchange network like Casaversa. When you consider that the average family (two adults and two kids) spends around $4,000 on accommodation for a summer holiday, you ‘ll realise why more and more people are swapping residences. After all, think of what you can do with $4,000. (Hint: travel more!)

2. Your kids get more space to run around and play

When you stay in a home, there’s going to be far more than space than in a hotel or a small rental apartment. You may even get a garden or terrace too, giving you the chance to sit outside on long summer evenings. But even if you don’t have that, what you will have is a kitchen — and that’s invaluable for young families. You can eat breakfast together, prepare packed lunches for days out and, if you’ve been out all day, come in and cook a light dinner. Furthermore, if your kids are starving at 6am, you don’t have to wait for the hotel breakfast service to open — you can keep them going with a bowl of cereal.

3. You all get to see how other people live

Casaversa is all about encouraging home swappers to live like locals, not like tourists. And when you swap homes, you’ll do exactly that — from meeting the neighbours, wandering in the local area, shopping in less commercial areas and generally stepping outside the tourist bubble. After all, there’s more to Paris than the Eiffel Tower, and thousands more things to see in London than Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. With a homeswap, your kids can play in a local park, with local kids, and get a great feel for how someone their own age is living. And that’s an experience you can’t buy.

4. You can swap more than just homes

If you’ve got young kids, you’ll know that they have a lot of demands…which go way beyond food, drink and sleep! When you swap homes with another young family, chances are that your kids will end up in their bedrooms — with access to toys, books and puzzles. So when you’re home from a day out, you know they’ll have something to keep them occupied whilst you take a break or make dinner. Some families even swap membership cards — to zoos, museums and local attractions. Another money saver!

5. You get to know that your home is being lived in too.

It’s well-known that burglars like empty homes…and that families are prey to being robbed when they take holidays, especially at busy times of the year like the summer and Christmas time. When you swap homes, you know that the mail is going to be collected, the plants watered and the place inhabited. Even better, if you’re conscious that we’re all using too many of the planet’s resources, you’ll feel better about knowing a space is being utilised, rather than being left empty.

There’s no two ways about it — home-swapping is a great way to see the world, save money, make new friends and do your bit for the planet too. And we’re sure your children are going to like it too. So get browsing now!

Check out our blog for more travel tips and personal stories!

CasaVersa

CasaVersa is a home-swapping platform. Find swaps all around the world and stay for free.

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CasaVersa

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CasaVersa

CasaVersa is a home-swapping app (I stay at your place while you stay at mine). Erase your accommodation bill entirely. Travel more often & stay for longer.

CasaVersa

CasaVersa

CasaVersa is a home-swapping platform. Find swaps all around the world and stay for free.

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