Home Swap Travel- Why Not? 3 Mistakes We Made but You Don't Have To. Sydney Edition.
Traveling the world is expensive, no doubt.
Sydney was originally NOT on our list because the accommodations we found at hotels and Air BnBs (our normal go-to's!) far exceeded our budget. But we had heard about home swapping and of course visions of the movie, The Holiday, came to mind......it sounded too good to be true so we decided to investigate. Two days later we had set up our profile and posted our home at https://www.homeexchange.com/dashboard and listed Sydney as a top destination we would like to visit. Two weeks later we had set up our first exchange with a family in Sydney.
The experience was nothing short of incredible but no need to make the 3 mistakes we did if you want to give it a shot.
So, what to watch out for-
Don't assume anything!
We needed a place for 3 weeks in Sydney, the family we were swapping with could only come to Colorado for 2 weeks. This would squash the deal for sure, right? No way! We chatted with the family several times and in our discussions mentioned this and they said it was no problem. You just never know unless you ask and, yes, there are good people everywhere in this world!
2. Arriving to town on a holiday.
It was the only flight we could get, so we flew into Sydney on Christmas Eve. By the time we got our luggage and picked up the car we tried to pop into a grocery story to get goodies for Christmas Day but everything was already closed. We figured we would "just make it work" the next day (something we often said during our travels). However, when we arrive at our home exchange we found a fridge stocked full for everything you would need for a delicious breakfast and Christmas dinner, and a trimmed tree with presents for all of the kiddos. Above and beyond and sooo appreciated! It made for the most memorable holiday.
3. Don't speed when you swap cars.
Not only did we swap homes but we also swapped cars. Our mountainous 4 by 4 for their sleek Volvo. Both of us double checked with our insurance companies, so when we got the thumb's up we decided it would be easiest to just leave the vehicles at the airports for the other family to pick up when they arrived. Perfect planning.....until your hubby gets a speeding ticket in THEIR car. In Australia, it is reported on their transponder so we, happily, paid the charges and filed the claim as our own. Ooops!!
Home swapping is one of the BEST discoveries we have made in our travels. Definitely some work involved to get everything situated but once you are up and running, the world is your oyster!
Good Bye Australia!
xoxo- Jess
