HOW IT WORKS
Home exchange is surprisingly simple. You exchange your home with that of another member. Simply put, you stay in their place while they stay in yours! Most exchanges are conducted by two members simultaneously but for those exchanging a second home, there tends to be more flexibility allowing for non-simultaneous exchanges as well.
Members contact one another directly to set up exchanges. There are no financial transactions between members. You can exchange as many times as you like during your membership period. As soon as you register, your listing will be visible to all members and you will be able to contact members directly.
Whether you own or rent, and whether your home is an apartment, cottage, villa, or second home - you can exchange your home easily!
Why Exchange?
Comforts of home
One of the key reasons more and more people are exchanging is the simple fact that you will have a full house/apt to enjoy during your travels. No longer will you dread the cooped up feeling of being in one hotel room and living out of a suitcase. Hotel rooms just seem to get smaller as the vacation gets longer. And after two weeks, they can seem very small indeed. Imagine being able to come "home" instead after a long day of sightseeing. You can go to the refrigerator for a cool drink, or you can sit in the garden or patio wearing whatever you please.
Your home away from home will be your comfortable base from which you can explore the region.
Amenities
Exchange homes are often fully equipped with all the basics you would need during course of a visit -- cookware, bedding, towels, toys, games and entertainment systems, movie rooms, libraries and more. Many homes offer private outdoor play areas, hot tubs, pools and private gardens and conservatories.
More space
You're usually going to have more space than a hotel room. Usually -- a whole house! Enjoy private bedrooms, bathrooms, family rooms, a home office and more. Most exchange lodgings offer a combination of both private and common space which -- especially for a family -- makes for a very comfortable vacation.
Save money
With no lodging expenses, fewer restaurant bills and no room service expenses, you can save thousands of dollars on an exchange as short as two weeks. See the world authentically and affordably. In these economic times, we can't overstate the savings by exchanging your home when travelling.
Community
Wherever you exchange, you are part of a new community Simply by living there temporarily, you will learn from your new neighbors and friends -- and they from you. We are all enriched by this form of travel.
Many home exchangers become lifelong friends with their exchange partners as well as with their new neighbors.
Green
Making use of space which would otherwise be left unoccupied is a form of sharing, conservation and is the ultimate form of green accommodation. Travel soundly without contributing to the consumerist hotel development rampant throughout the world.
Why InventedCity?
- At InventedCity, it's all about quality of travel & experience, not quantity of listings. (Just run a search and see!)
- Our site is optimized to create great travel experiences, not ad revenue.
- InventedCity members are highly motivated travellers who pay a nominal fee to participate in our program. (In other words, we do not permit anyone with web access to contact you. Casual, public web surfers will not bombard you with informal exchange offers, 'couchsurfing', b&b and room-share offers.)
- We do not create artifically huge memberships by endless free offers to sign up anyone with a remote and passing interest in home exchange.
- We do not inflate our databases by offering lifetime memberships popular amoing other clubs. (There is nothing more frustrating than trying to arrange a swap to Paris only to discover most of the members joined 5 years ago, and may no longer inerested in swapping.)
- InventedCity began in 1991 and has been a continuous promoter and advocate for home exchange.
- We are exchangers ourselves and planning on more exchanges!
- InventedCity is a founding member of First Home Exchange Alliance (FHEA). By joining InventedCity you automatically enjoy all listings of our esteemed partners.