Vacation idea #10 ~ House Swap

WISH i was on HOLIDAY

Featured January to September

- Vacation Idea #10 -

House Swap

In the same spirit as the "stay-cation" a home swap is an amazing way to enjoy a vacation.

Last year my mother and I exchanged homes. She lives about four hours away from me, in an area that is just far enough to feel like we were on vacation. When we came up with the idea to trade homes our husbands went along with it, but were not too excited about it in the planning stages. Although, by the end of the vacation both were won over by the  uniqueness of the experience and sense of adventure.

Personally believe the best way to swap homes is with a relative or good friend that lives some distance from you. Some one you trust, someone you would love to share this unique experience with, someone you will undoubtedly feel closer to once the trip is finished. And now that many of us are well connected to loved ones through sites such as facebook it is even easier to plan an exchange like this. But if that doesn't work for you, or you are looking to vacation in a certain location there are a couple of sites on line such as  www.homeexchange.com, which  was featured in the movie 'The Holiday'. Where for a small fee you can browse through homes,  contact the owners, and plan a vacation swap. They even have insurance for added security.

For our swap the first step was setting the vacation dates, making sure our spouses had the same days off, and convincing them that this was a REAL vacation. Next we each planned our outings. I planned each day down to the hour, they just had a general idea of the places they wanted to visit. My mother and I spent a lot of time on the phone asking for outing suggestions, how long it took to drive to nearby towns, and details specific to our areas. We explained how to take care of  pets, when the trash day was, and what plants needed watered. 

We decided to pre-cook meals for each other. And we talked a lot about which sort of meal would be best for each day. Looking back this was probably the most difficult step in the process and if we were to do it again we decided that it might be best to use more convenience foods, and meals that would travel well even if we thought we would be able to 'dine in'. But, as it was, having pre-made meals for each other turned out to be one of the most wonderful parts of the trip. We did not have to spend money going out to eat unless we wanted too. And a meal made by someone else that you just have to pop in the oven still feels like a luxury. 

The next step in preparing was cleaning. When you look at your home and realise someone else will be sleeping in your bed, using your bathroom, putting their coat in your hall closet, etc. you begin to see all the areas in your home that fall short. So we did a lot of cleaning, or should I say cleaning/cooking/packing. And in addition to all that I put together a little notebook that included such things as how to work the tv/dvd combo, how to use the treadmill, a little map with the best jogging rout around my home, and some other fun little odds and ends. Without planning it we each thought to leave a bottle of wine out to welcome each other to our homes. 

Finally, with  a sparkling clean house, our bags packed, and bikes loaded on the back of our car...  we were off. Her home is located near some of the best biking trails I have ever been on. We spent the first day on a beautiful bike trail before retreating to her house. We arrived late that first night and aside from the freshly made beds did not take much note of the house. The next morning we made pancakes from the pre-made pancake batter in the fridge and set off on our next adventure. When we returned to the house I noticed that it felt like there was no TV. There actually is a TV but it is small, out of the way, and not in the main living room.  Instead her end tables were filled with magazines and her coffee table with books. And while sitting in the living room a title would interest you and you found yourself reading without even meaning too. At the end of each day we would call each other to see how the adventure was going. This added so much to the vacation. She called to tell me that my home was near some amazing hiking trails, ones I had never heard of.  I told her that I loved her large bath tub (which I took advantage of after one particularly long bike ride). How the food that was left for us was beautiful. And how I thought it was cute that she included things on the menu that had to be picked from her garden. Near the end they said they loved our house, and that they slept so peacefully. We all agreed, living in each others houses provided a glimpse into the others lives that we never would have had. On the last night we each said we didn't want to leave. 

In the end we did go home and it was beautifully clean when we arrived. Neither family ended up eating everything we had prepared so we each had meals waiting for us at home. 

This home swap was an adventure, a change of pace, an experience we will never forget. And because we did not pay for lodging or food, we were free to spend our money on some of the other activities that make vacations so fun.