Home exchange New Zealand- HomeLink Home Swap & House swap N.Z. & worldwide. Visitors

Campbell Live TV3 August 2008

Imagine swapping your house here in New Zealand for a place in the Cotswolds, a pad in New York or an apartment beside the Spanish steps in Rome. Well, you can says John Campbell!

House swapping is cheap, easy and an authentic way for Kiwis to see the world.

Valerie Martin and her husband John run Home Link International - a web site for Kiwis who want to swap their houses with others around the world.
They say to take part in the scheme, you must have a home that is generally well located, clean and tidy and well presented.

Many Kiwis have swapped their homes for those overseas and say they enjoy the low-key accommodation and the sense of belonging in a place you d not get when staying in a hotel.

To set up a house swap, you first need to sign up with a reputable house swap website.Then, pick the country you want to visit and stay in. Check the listings and see what suits and then contact the member.

Being able to make arrangements on the internet, means you can easily ask whatever questions you have.

The top ten house swap destinations are Italy, Spain, Australia, France, England, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

One of the other big advantages is that no money changes hands with a house swap, so travel money is not wasted on accommodation.

New Zealand Herald - Aug 2005

No place like home

Over the years we have built an extended family network around the World. I find that a warming experience . It makes the World a smaller place.
Lesley Matheison- Smith

Thousand of people worldwide are taking advantage of house-swap organisations to see the world for a fraction of the normal price, writes Karen Graham
How would you like to experience a white Christmas in Canada but still have all the comforts of home? or lounge by a private lagoon in French Polynesia without the hassle of hotels and other guests?
John & Valerie Martin of rural Manukau discovered the concept over 10 years ago . They had travelled extensively but wanted to try something different so they joined HomeLink International soon after it started operating in New Zealand. Since then they have travelled to Italy, Austria and several locations in the United States and Britain including a memorable exchange in the Highlands of Scotland next to the Balmoral estate.
Four years ago the Martins became the directors of HomeLink International NZ. Founded 50 years ago by two groups of friends in Europe and North America. HomeLink International originally relied on word of mouth. These days members have access to an extensive online database of fellow participants from more that 60 countries. Easy access to the internet and email means home exchanging is catching on rapidly.

Gordon & Isobel McIntyre of Queenstown first exchanged homes in 2001 after hearing enthusiastic stories from friends." We run a B&B for 6 months of the year so are used to having strangers in our house " Gordon says. " The single main attraction for us is to spend an extended period in an area at little cost." Their travels have included exchanges in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Ireland and Scotland. Highlights have been trips to the Isle of Skye and the ancient Roman remains of Trier in the south of Germany.
"Our most unusual experience was having the Scottish hosts come into our lounge area for a jazz session with the local musicians and singers," Isobel says. "But one unpleasant experience was when we realised our host couple near London had returned while we were away for the night . They went through our room checking on us and our belongings."
While incidents like this are rare, it is important to communicate as much as possible with the other party by asking lots of questions and finding out what is expected of the trip, such as car exchange or wheelchair access.
"The more communication, the greater the chance for a successful exchange," says Lesley Mathieson-Smith, of Kiama, South of Sydney. "It is very important to establish ground rules. Something that may seem trivial to you could be very significant to your swappers and vice versa."
Lesley with her husband Phil Smith has been exchanging since 1996 . During that time they have seen fantastic places and met wonderful people including friends and neighbours of their exchange families.
The Smiths have exchanged homes eight times and have some swaps in credit. Often the timing is not right for both parties to exchange homes simultaneously so it is possible to home host in exchange for a visit at a later date... If you have a holiday home then you can make arrangements to suit either party and the exchange can be non simultaneous.
Most people are travelling to experience a new culture and want a comfortable place to base themselves while exploring. Homes range from a one bedroom apartment in Switzerland to a nine bedroom villa in Jamaica. You can relax by a lagoon in the Cook Islands, take a safari in South Africa or live in a village in the Greek Islands. The world is your oyster provided you are prepared to do the legwork.
Once both parties come to an agreement HomeLink has a contract that members can sign. "People often ask aren't you afraid your house will be trashed?" says Lesley "We respond that house exchangers are generally like minded people who have nothing to gain by crossing the world to trash someone's house. If you value something greatly then lock it away before you swap"
Norrie & Jennie von Sturmer of Maraetai, Auckland have participated in four home exchanges since they joined last year and are about to embark on a trip around the world with home exchanges in the US and Spain.
Norrie stresses the importance of leaving practical information for your guests, including instructions for household appliances, phone numbers of friends, family, local tradesmen and emergency numbers.
The von Sturmers leave a gift such as a bottle of wine to make the guests feel welcome and at the end of their trip they leave the host home in impeccable condition and the car clean with a full tank. .
In today's world, with fear seeming to dominate the headlines, it is refreshing to hear that there is a community of people who still find it possible to open up their home to strangers.
"It's not just a house swap", Norrie says" You are making friends, living in their community and fostering relationships.

Wellington Evening Post - 2004

Home away from homes that's free

Holiday exchange schemes take the accommodation costs out of a holiday. By Marina Skinner

John & Valerie Martin have had lots of overseas adventures in the past ten years. They've stayed in mansions and humble villas - and it hasn't cost them a cent. They reckon they've saved themselves over $100.000 in accommodation and car hire costs by belonging to a home exchange programme, HomeLink International.

Last year they stayed in an apartment, managed by the Hotel Radisson and normally let for $US 350 a day. "We stayed for 2 weeks for nothing" says John. The wealthy owners of the apartment lived 80km away in a mansion where the Martins spent the last 2 days of their holiday. "If we sold all my house, I could have bought the furnishings in their dining room" he smiles.

The Texans did a swap with the Martins more modest Auckland abode before heading to the South Island. They were happy with their reduced comfort level since the objective of swapping homes is not just about saving money but getting the chance to live in a community. Rather than passing through a series of identical hotel rooms as a tourist, neighbours and family members often do their best to make the visitors welcome..

The Martins joined HomeLink several years ago and have travelled to Europe, Britain and the United States. The Organisation, which began in the Unites States in the mid 50s and has been in New Zealand since 1989 has up to 16,000 members in 68 countries. Yearly membership costs around $200 which gets you listed in Directories which are published twice a year and on the internet.

In 1999 the Martins arranged home exchanges in Bavaria, North Italy , Florence and Birmingham. The next year they went to Texas and Arizona. "We've had over 15 exchanges and never struck a dud", assures Martin when asked about the pitfalls.

On their last European jaunt they stayed in an 18th century villa outside Florence in a National Park village overlooking Arezzo. The plumbing was almost original but that didn't faze the Martins, who usually spend their holiday out and about.

The scheme is sometimes seen as elitist, but Martin stresses that many homes are basic- though clean and tidy- and that by taking accommodation costs out of a holiday, overseas travel is more achievable

Most New Zealand members are aged more than 50, though in Europe many families with children are part of the scheme.

Often the family car is part of the package. Usually no money changes hands , even for the power. You're invited to help yourself to food, wine and other provisions, so long as they're replaced. People can make other arrangements. including house-sitting, youth or student exchanges and rentals.

Newcomers to the the scheme often worry about security while strangers are in their house, though the organisation seldom has complaints. Particularly precious things can be locked away and some rooms can be declared out of bounds to visitors. John says he always takes greater care in the houses he visits than in his own. Pets can also be looked after. On their trip to the Arizona Desert, the Martins happily looked after 2 dogs.

"There's a great demand for houses in New Zealand, some of it hard to meet , especially in Wellington where we could do with a lot more members" says Martin.