Swap hotels for more space and comfort

Rare are the times I can truly boast about being a trendsetter but with 10 years of home exchange under my belt, this is one trend that I can claim to have been in on from the start. Having spent this time holidaying in other people's properties around the world, I've always wondered why more people aren't open to the idea, though now it finally seems that they are. A straw poll of the most popular home exchange websites reveals that listings are increasing dramatically. Debbie Wosskow founded www.luxehomeswap.com in 2010 and the site now has more than 1,500 listings. Wosskow now prefers holidaying in real homes over hotels. "Small children and boutique hotels really don't mix. Home exchange is the obvious solution and I saw a gap in the market for luxury house swaps," she says. Wosskow credits the global economic downturn for boosting home exchanges and says that research proves that savings are a major factor for boosting the trend: "Client surveys show that most save several thousand [pounds Sterling] on their holidays - it is a significant factor." I first swapped my six-bedroom Victorian London terrace 10 years ago with a family from Cornwall. My then small children, Bruno and Tatiana, loved having access to other children's books, games, toys and even pets. As they've grown we've holidayed in fabulous properties in California, New York, Boston, Tobago and Dubai, as well as European destinations such as France, Italy and the occasional exchange in the UK when funds are tight. We've realised that there are few places in the world where "strangers" who are happy to trust others don't exist and, wherever you live, you find that there is someone who wants to visit your part of the world. So far, so good, I hear you say, but what about the downsides? Two common concerns are whether you can really trust a stranger with your home and prized possessions and what if they - or you - feel that your homes are not of a compatible standard? Architectural consultant Graham Jones, 63, recently asked himself both questions before bravely deciding to list his two luxurious homes on luxhomeswap.com. He explains: "I wanted to make sure that any person I swapped with would be a like-minded individual."I think this site means that it's more likely that their property would be of equal standard to mine."And that's a pretty tall order. Based in Abu Dhabi for seven months of the year, where he stays in a five-star hotel, Jones plans on exchanging his picture-perfect boutique villa, complete with staff, in Bali and his main home - an architecturally superb two-bedroom town house in Victoria, Australia, which has won seven design awards. Now freelancing, Jones is at the stage of life where he could enjoy five-star travel around the world with his wife, Petronella, 60, but, with an eye on retirement, he prefers not to. "I'd rather save money and take more trips so home exchange can work well for us," he says. With three bases, the couple can be flexible and freelance consultancy equals greater freedom: "I really want to be able to spend a month or so in places like the French Riviera, Lake Como and Tuscany. We're not the sort of people who like arranged tours but prefer living like locals, sitting over a bottle of wine in a St Germain cafe."Currently deep in negotiation for his first exchange trip to Morocco, Jones believes the advantages of swapping homes far outweigh any concerns."I'm sure there's always some apprehension," he says, "but the idea of exchanging with like-minded individuals gives us peace of mind."Wosskow is seeing growing numbers of clients, just like Jones, who are choosing to use their most valuable asset as currency to fund their own travel. Exchangers typically are self-employed, creative types, many of whom travel for work and, she says, bad experiences are rare and largely avoidable. From / The National