A retired Derbyshire couple who say they no longer pay for accommodation have described how a decade of home‑swapping has allowed them to travel widely and saved them an estimated £45,000.
Joan Patterson, 67, and her husband Noel, from Buxton, have completed some 120 exchanges through platforms including LoveHomeSwap, which later joined HomeExchange, and say the swaps have taken them to France, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and elsewhere. The couple told PA Real Life that swaps have ranged from a "luxurious" Bangkok apartment with an infinity pool to a property in Australia where they watched whales from their bedroom.
Joan said the arrangement has opened access to properties they would not otherwise have stayed in and allowed longer, more comfortable trips. "It’s not possible to put a price on our trips," she said, adding that the social side — meeting hosts and getting local recommendations — was one of the main attractions. HomeExchange, which charges an annual membership (LoveHomeSwap previously charged about £180 a year), says it has more than 200,000 members in 155 countries.
The Pattersons live in Buxton but use a one‑bedroom holiday home in Criccieth, North Wales, when swapping. Joan said their main house is "old and quirky," which can be a drawback for attracting swaps, while the holiday property is better suited to exchanges. Their first swap was a small Parisian flat, she said, and they later stayed for a week on a yacht used for racing that had a link, she added, to a royal stag party. On that occasion they paid for fuel and the hosts' lunches and used platform points to secure the booking.
The couple have experienced a wide spectrum of arrangements: high‑end apartments with swimming pools and large gardens, family homes that required looking after animals and plants, and informal stays that introduced them to local characters and places they would not otherwise have found. In Tasmania they visited a homeowner who had built an unconventional house made from car ports surrounded by wallabies. On a reciprocal, non‑simultaneous exchange in Australia, their hosts collected them at the airport and showed them around.
Joan said she and Noel are careful and respectful when staying in other people’s homes and have not encountered negative experiences. "The main thing is that money cannot buy the experience of being welcomed into someone’s home and being in a proper local living community," she said. She described home exchanges as "never sterile," in contrast to hotels, and said hosts often provide detailed local advice that enhances trips.
Home‑exchange platforms typically allow members to swap homes simultaneously or arrange non‑simultaneous swaps with a points system; some hosts also accept GuestPoints as gratitude when they do not directly exchange dates. HomeExchange estimates the Pattersons’ savings at about £45,000 over their exchanges, a figure that incorporates what they would otherwise have paid for comparable accommodation.
The Pattersons, who ran an education company before retiring, said they use swaps to support long holidays focused on walking, hiking and history. They have several swaps lined up, including a three‑week trip to the Dolomites this autumn and a visit to Malta in March. Joan said she does not keep a bucket list, encouraging others to travel sooner rather than later.
Industry data indicate home‑exchange sites attract members seeking longer stays, local immersion and lower accommodation costs compared with hotels or short‑let platforms. Platforms vary in fee structures and member protections; travellers and hosts generally are advised to confirm house rules, insurance coverage and responsibilities for pets and utilities before an exchange.
The Pattersons’ account illustrates how home‑swapping can combine cost savings with opportunities to live in neighbourhoods and homes that differ from typical tourist accommodation. They said the mix of comfort, social connection and local knowledge is the central value of their approach to travel.