1 of 4 | Photographer Heidi Kirn said she’s used HomeExchange many times in New York City, Ireland and Oregon. Photo courtesy of Heidi Kirn
Feb. 1 (UPI) — Although it was popularized by the 2006 film The Holiday, home-swapping has been around since the 1950s. Now it’s booming as travelers seek ways to save money while exploring new destinations through a local lens. Home-swapping was started informally by teachers and professors looking for cheap alternatives to spend their summer months. In the past three decades, the idea has been picked up by entrepreneurs and relaunched as services like Homestay, Couchsurfing, Homelink and HomeExchange. Advertisement
HomeExchange CEO Emmanuel Arnaud told UPI global subscriptions to the service have jumped 50% over the last year. In the United States, the company has seen a 34% rise in people trying out the service.
The company says it has 150,000 members across 145 countries.
Globally, exchanges in 2023 were up 54% compared to 2022 and nearly 190% compared to 2021, mainly due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Arnaud said.
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Arnaud started out as a customer of Home Exchange in 2010, using the service in his home country, France. But he became frustrated when he couldn’t find anyone in Florence, Italy, who wanted to swap for his home in Paris.
That led him to start GuestToGuest, which uses a points-based system, in 2011. In 2017, that company merged with HomeExchange.
Home-swapping grows as cost-saving travel trend with local flavor
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