Abby43's message in the budget vacations thread reminded me of a few questions I have about house swapping. Does anyone here have any experience with house swapping or stories you can share? What if you don't live exactly in a vacation destination, but not too far from one? (We are about an hour from Washington and Baltimore.) Do you usually include your personal car for your swapmates' use?

I have friends who did this a couple of times - and they do not include their car. After talking to their insurance agent they decided there were too many risks involved - and additional premiums - in giving use of the car to europeans who seemed to be nice people - but whose driving record they had no knowledge of.

The agent also recommended a special home insurance rider if they were swapping houses - which apparently is different from just having guests (similar to renting).

I didn't swap cars when I did my houseswap although I had one the first year we did it (kept it in CT with my parents) and he had one that sat in his driveway while I was there. I didn't care b/c there was a big bus station at the end of his block and he was dead center in midtown NYC with plenty of transport options, plus I had no idea and was too scared to learn how to drive on the other side of the road! I think it would be too big a risk to loan out your car. As far as home insurance I have it and I assume he does too, but we just promised each other not to do anything drastic to our homes. It was pure trust and I'm lucky it worked out so well.

Thanks for responding NY and Abby. I never thought about additional insurance. NY, how did your friends like swapping houses. Do they still do it? I'm thinking it would take a big leap of faith to trade your primary residence, and maybe no big love of your stuff.

Anyone else heard anything, good or bad, about trading houses for a vacation?

We've swapped houses and use www.homeexchange.com. We have included cars after discussing it with our insurance agent who did not foresee a problem. We've never gotten a separate rider for our house.

Swapping homes is based upon trust and it is not for everyone. You have to trust your instincts and just assume that once you've made a decision things will work out. We tend to rent to other families who like to travel and so far our experience is very positive. It is a very inexpensive way to travel, but it is a slower travel, because you are generally living in one spot for many days.

Devonmcj, last summer we swapped with a family who was about 40 minutes from Stockholm (sounds a little like your situation being outside DC/Balt.) They didn't live in a tourist destination but were close to lots of places for daytrips. We had a blast! All you can do is advertise and see if you can find a swap -- IF you decide exchanging will work for you.

We had a great swap with a family from London, including cars. It's based on trust -- remember, while those strangers are in your house using your stuff, you're in their house, using theirs. It's true, if yo're very attached to your stuff in general, yo'ull be too nervous to be happy. But if it's just a few valuables, or fragile sentimental stuff, just pack it away. My advice for a newcomer is to be as flexible as possible about your destination and dates, pick an experienced exchanger for your first exchange or two, and exchange LOTS of correspondence in advance, about everything from expecations about lawnmowing to how to use the washer and where to buy groceries.

IMHO, travel is enriched by living in a regular house in a regular neighborhood instead of in a hotel. You get to see how the other folks really live, everything from operating exotic appliances to which radio stations are pre-set in their car.