Swapoffi: Sustainable Travel, Affordable & Community-Driven
Swapoffi
18 Nov
Our Story
Swapoffi co-founder Sandra came up with the idea for Swapoffi as the cost of accommodation stopped her living her dream life of working as she travelled. She thought there must be a better way. She tried traditional home exchanges but learnt they are mainly for families on vacation. Families on vacation want bedrooms over home offices and travel for weeks not months. Sandra had a great time in her home exchange in Nice but could not work as productively as she does from her own home office. She likes to work with two monitors, a gaming chair, a full-size keyboard, and a printer nearby.
Furthermore, the other home exchange members didn’t want to swap with Sandra! Although she lives in a two-bedroom apartment, Sandra has converted one of those to a home office. So, her one-bedroom apartment simply couldn’t accommodate most home exchange members’ needs.
Sandra’s vision for a home swap community for people just like her is Swapoffi. Digital nomads and remote workers swap homes with workspaces and Wi-Fi with each other.
I want to work as a pro and travel as a pro. Why do I have to sacrifice one for the other?
The Three Values Underpinning Home Swapping
Affordable Travel
This one is simple! Home swapping is affordable because…it is free!
No money changes hands between people who swap homes. There are no hidden costs. It is impossible to make a profit when you swap homes.
How can this be? we hear you ask. Home exchange platforms typically make money through charging members an annual subscription to join. Swapoffi is free to join now and free to use. There is no commitment, no contract, and no catch. 100% free – that is right. Having nailed that one, let’s move on!
Community Driven
Swapoffi is first and foremost a community of like-minded people. We are not a marketplace of two different types of people, which is what you get with Airbnb, made up of landlords and home owners. We are all the same in Swapoffi. We are people who work as we travel. We are home-owners or tenants. Our homes are all equipped for working from home. And so, we can swap homes with each other as we have the same needs. We need somewhere to sleep, eat and work from! We are all the same type of people!
The other factor that distinguishes a community from a marketplace is that swaps are requested, not booked. There is no onus on any member to accept a swap. During the swap request process, members can chat to each other to ask questions about their homes, workspaces, local area etc. During that process, anyone can decline a swap. We prefer if a respectful reason is given, so members can learn and understand.
Our members tell us that the community aspect of Swapoffi home exchange is what they value a lot. They cherish the local experience, which some say has disappeared from other forms of accommodation which have become entirely transactional.
Sustainable Travel
Home swapping is the most sustainable form of accommodation possible. Our members swap homes with each other instead of feeding into demand for tourist specific accommodation. Also, many Swapoffi homes might otherwise be empty when their members travel.
We love that home swapping benefits nomads who can travel longer, as they don’t have to pay for accommodation. We also love that home swapping does not affect local property markets or prices as there is no money involved. Other forms of short term private rental accommodation have had very negative effects on several cities such as Barcelona.
So there you have it, we are all about affordability through free accommodation, community through our verified members who request swaps from each other, and sustainability as home swapping does not impact local property.
Join www.swapoffi.com if you too share our vision of affordable, sustainable and community driven accommodation solutions.
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