Are You A Responsible Traveller? Consider A Home Exchange
Swapoffi
13 Jun
The end of one year and the start of another gives us the opportunity to ponder and plan travel plans for the next twelve months.
We are all encouraged to be responsible in our safeguarding of the planet, and that means looking at responsible ways of travelling.
For the travelling part, there are many environmentally friendly travel options for these days, such as Sail and Rail, a ferry and train combo designed to tempt us away from airports. Slow travel is of course so much more enjoyable too if time allows.
For those fortunate to live on large land masses such as Europe, the USA and Asia, the options to travel far and wide by land rather than by air, are much greater than for those of us who live on tiny rocks in the middle of the sea, such as my home country of Ireland.
Why Home Exchanges Are Good For The Local Economy
When you reach your destination though, how does your accommodation choice impact the environment?
Home Exchanges Reduce Demand For New Build Tourist Accommodation
One of the many persuasive reasons to use home exchanges is that we use existing resource
By exchanging your home with another verified member’s home, there is no demand for hotel rooms which might in turn trigger demand for new builds.
Purpose-built tourist accommodation can negatively impact on local people, the choice of permanent accommodation available to them in their own locale - whether to buy or to rent - and of course can also drive prices up, potentially pricing them out of reach of local buyers.
Home exchanges avoid all of this.
Home Exchanges Use Existing Resources
In a home exchange, we use existing resources. Furthermore, we use existing resources that may otherwise be empty in the case of a one-way swap. (What is a one-way swap? This is where a host leaves their home, perhaps to visit family, for work, or to stay with friends, thus leaving their home available for another member to stay in yet the host does not need a reciprocal exchange at the same time.
People Who Use Home Exchanges Want To Live Like Locals
If you are the kind of person who prefers to stay in a real home instead of a hotel or hostel when you travel, it is more than likely that you enjoy immersing yourself in the local culture and exploring your local area.
Home Swappers Spend Money In The Local Area
Those who swap homes tend to shop in the local area. Many hosts like to leave neighbourhood tips for their visitors to maximise enjoyment of the home swap.
Can Introduce Guests To Their Friends And Neighbours
Not a requirement, but many hosts in the home exchange community may introduce their guests to their neighbours, friends or even family. These may be only for emergency reasons, but these links would not exist in the same way in a paid for transactional accommodation arrangement.
As home exchange members communicate on their chosen home exchange platform in advance of any swap, some may get to know each other well, or at least, understand their likes and dislikes when they travel. This provides ample opportunity for each member to ask the other any questions they want about both the home and area.
For all the above reasons, home exchanges are a responsible accommodation choice when you travel. (And we haven't even mentioned that they are free! Members of a home exchange community only pay a low-cost membership. We never ever pay for accommodation. So, if the concept of home exchanges is new to you and you are making real efforts in your life to be more environmentally friendly, consider a home exchange for your next trip. With Swapoffi, you get a work space or home office, as well as sleeping and living accommodation. We are the ideal home exchange platform for remote workers, hybrid workers and digital nomads.
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