We did 50 home exchanges to see the world

A Cork mother-of-three who has undertaken more than 50 home exchanges with her family is urging others to give it a try this summer, saying home exchanges are a sustainable way to see the world.

Sharon Holland, deputy principal at St Aloysius’ College, Carrigtwohill, started house swapping in 2008 after her second child was born.

“As teachers, my husband Jer and I have regular vacations, but we are always tied to traveling during peak times, which makes travel expensive,” she explained.

“We both have a strong sense of wanderlust, but when we got married with a new mortgage, closely followed by a new baby, funds were tight and holiday prices were exceptionally high and rising.

“We learned a valuable lesson on our honeymoon after booking a number of luxury resort experiences in Cost Rica. Although we spent a lot of time on our honeymoon and thoroughly enjoyed every moment, we realized that a trip to Cuba on a budget, staying with the locals, was infinitely more enriching and enjoyable,” says Sharon, Cian’s mother. (25), Miah (15) and Faye (13).

They first heard about home exchanges from a teacher couple they worked with and were excited about the idea.

“Both Jer and I are very open and trusting people, so the options and opportunities that home exchange potentially offered us seemed too good to be true. “I did some research online and signed up for a three-month trial with home exchange platform homeexchange.com while on maternity leave,” she says.

The family live near Ballycotton Bay in a beautiful early 18th century farmhouse, which has been the Jer family home since 1905. They moved in in 2021, after completely renovating the building.

Sharon is well known on Instagram and set up @now_and_then_home to document the renovation project.

However, when they started exchanging homes, they lived in a modernized but unfinished bungalow from the 1970s.

“But by being clear about the accommodation and finishing of our house, it was no problem that our house was not yet finished,” says Sharon.

Many people on my account are initially concerned that the location of their house is not that attractive, or that their house is not big enough, not finished well enough, etc. I can promise you that there is a place for everyone on home exchange.

“We have been exchanged for small apartments and large detached houses with gardens and swimming pools. We have experienced different standards and styles in terms of furnishing and finishing within homes, but the most important thing is that you have a clear idea of ​​what you will experience in an exchange. Don’t try to pretend that you have a house or that you don’t; this is not authentic.”

Taking the first leap of faith is probably the hardest part of a home exchange, she admits.

“I remember getting on the plane for our first exchange to Auteuil in Paris in the summer of 2008 and feeling a little sick about all the things that could possibly go wrong! That’s not the case, and we’ve subsequently completed over 50 exchanges!

“I’m naturally the worrier in our relationship and it’s been quite a leap to try and understand the idea of ​​’strangers’ in our house.

“I stayed focused on the positives, the opportunity this presented, the fact that thousands of home exchangers reporting positive experiences couldn’t all be wrong, and the fact that homeexchange.com has great live 24/7 support and extra layers of warranty and protection helped also the nerves!”

When their children were younger, they usually stayed within a three- to four-hour flight, most often visiting France, Spain and Italy.

“We also traveled to Berlin, Amsterdam, Scotland, Hungary, England. We have had many exchanges within Ireland, both north and south of the border, including multiple trips to Antrim, Derry, Galway, Dublin, Kilkenny, Clare and Kerry,” said Sharon.

In more recent years they have taken two longer summer trips to the US – one to New York and Boston, the other to California, visiting Vegas and Palm Springs as part of the same trip.

“My favorite memory is probably our holiday to the heart of Tuscany, where we stayed in a beautiful old villa, surrounded by rolling Tuscan hills and friendly neighbours,” says Sharon.

Our girls became friends with the neighborhood children and spent the evenings paddling in the pool and playing in the olive trees, while we relaxed with the adults or read books in the sun. Happy children – happy parents!

“Another personal favorite memory was our first full day on our New York adventure in the summer of 2018. We started the day at 4am on the Metro North train line to Grand Central and walked across the city at sunrise to Central Park. We attended a Good Morning America Summer Concerts Series with Florence and the Machine and sat in the front row for the entire performance. Our girls even met Florence briefly as she left the stage.

“From here we continued to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island and finished the day with a trip to Ellis Island to learn about immigration and the Irish immigrant story.

“Our girls were thrilled to find the Annie Moore statue on Ellis Island. Annie was the first immigrant processed at Ellis Island on January 1, 1892, after leaving Ireland from Cobh. We took our girls to visit Annie’s statue in Cobh before letting them go to look for her at Ellis Island on the other side of the Atlantic – my favorite day of HomeExchange so far.”

HomeExchange, Sharon said, has provided opportunities for the children to experience the world within communities rather than outside.

“Our children have grown up with home exchanges as the norm for travel and it has given us fantastic opportunities to travel for extended periods during the school holidays.

We could never have afforded to pay for accommodation on this type of trip. HomeExchange is also a wonderfully sustainable way to travel, investing money directly into the communities of both exchange partners, rather than into hotel chains.

The only downside, and it’s a minor one, is the cleanup beforehand!

“We clean the whole house before every exchange, but knowing that there is usually an exchange right around the corner also keeps us organized and informed.

“The more experience you get, the more systems you create in your home to make life easier too. Although I dread the big clean-up day, there is great satisfaction when it is done, knowing that when we get home, our house will be just as neat and tidy, so that we benefit from this extra effort as much as our visitors do. !

“We do clear out some personal belongings, but you do not have to remove the personal belongings from your home. Many people lock private equipment in a room, while others place a lock in the attic or basement to create a layer of privacy for paperwork or other belongings.”

Her advice to anyone thinking about it is to take the leap of faith – and she points out that it’s an equal leap. Communication is also crucial.

We generally do a few FaceTime calls with our hosts to sort things out, get to know them a bit, and work out preliminary details like dates, airports, transfers, house rules, etc.

Her other advice is to start small and plan a long weekend or weekend getaway in Ireland.

“We hope to be able to travel further in the coming years, as our children are now older, and to enjoy longer-term exchanges well into their retirement – ​​still a long way off!

“My eldest son Cian, who is now 24, started house swapping when he was 10 and will hopefully continue to travel with us from time to time. Both of us, as parents who work full time, can sometimes be a challenge, but our HomeExchange holidays give us the time to relax and really enjoy quality time together in homes that are welcoming, spacious and beautifully situated with beautiful decor and a beautiful environment. We can forget about the daily routine and focus on each other.

“Life is for living and we really only get one chance to live it to the fullest, so our approach is to seize the day and get the most out of life in all aspects. I have very few regrets about using this philosophy and therefore have many happy memories at home and abroad. If you’re tempted to join the home exchange community, follow @now_and_then_home and just do it!”

See homeexchange.com for more information

Advantages of home exchange:

The most obvious, says Sharon, is free accommodation in return for the use of your home, allowing you to travel cost-neutrally in Ireland and abroad.

In addition to home exchange, you can also consider car exchange. It’s an extra saving and one that makes up a large part of holiday budgets, with car rental costs soaring at the moment.

Local knowledge: Are there local discounts for theme parks, cultural events, concerts, etc. that your hosts might be able to help you with? Local knowledge is a powerful thing.

Arrange a mutual grocery store so the refrigerator is full upon arrival. Sharon said: “We usually plan a mutual shop, where we agree on an expense, for example. €50 and see if there are specific items that our visitors would like or need at home upon arrival. This can be very useful so you don’t have to rush to the supermarket or for children who are picky eaters.”

Safety: By having your home occupied by home exchangers, it will be well taken care of and you will have to worry less about burglary or burglary.

Both of our girls completed their first HomeExchange trips at six months old and have never looked back. Baby equipment was organized by the hosts and support in having diapers, food etc, purchased in advance was a great convenience for us traveling with babies. We often have extra equipment such as bicycles, kayaks, etc. available as part of our exchange, and we offer the same to our visitors – all these home comforts are extras on holiday that add to the cost, but are a standard part of the home exchange.

Budget breakdown

This summer, Sharon and her family will travel to two destinations for four weeks. Here is the budget breakdown:

Accommodation:

Two weeks at Plage du Verdun in the South of France – four bedroom seaside house just steps from the beach and village life

Two weeks San Sebastián in the Basque Country – city center, two bedroom apartment five minutes by bike to the beach, including car exchange. Costs x4 persons

Aircoach to Dublin – €62

Flight: Dublin to Marseille – €223

Train: Plage du Verdun to San Sebastián €190

Flight: Biarritz to Dublin – €398

Dublin Airport parking (our visitors from San Sebastián drive our car to the airport where it will wait for us when we return) – € 13.50

Total price: €886.50 for 4 weeks

Additional costs: Normal home expenses during the stay of visitors – food and various entertainment abroad.