The most expensive part of a long trip is often not the flight, but the accommodation. That’s exactly why our way of traveling has changed: Instead of two weeks in a hotel, we now prefer to spend a month in a real apartment. Planning long-term trips through changing residences For us, this doesn’t mean giving up comfort. On the contrary: We have space, a kitchen, a washing machine, and a daily life that feels surprisingly easy even with children.
A longer trip doesn’t have to be a sabbatical with a huge savings account. It can also consist of four weeks during the summer holidays, six weeks between two projects, or a winter month in the south. By significantly reducing overnight accommodation costs, you suddenly create space in your budget – for slower travel days, a rental car, good food from the market, or simply less financial pressure.
Why apartment swapping is so good for long trips
With a long-term trip, needs change quickly. A hotel room that is charming for a weekend becomes cramped after ten days. Vacation rentals can be wonderful, but especially in popular regions the prices add up brutally. With children, there’s also the problem that you don’t want to eat out every night and eventually have to do laundry, whether you want to or not.
During a house exchange On the other hand, living in a home means something different. It can be an old apartment in the middle of the city, a house on the edge of the forest, or a family apartment near the sea. In the morning, breakfast is served at the kitchen table instead of the buffet stress, in the middle of the day there’s a break in the living room, and in the evening maybe even a game in the garden. These small things sound trivial, but they make the difference between a vacation and a life of temporary living.
Something else is crucial for families: many exchange apartments already have a children's room, books, games, a high chair or a garden. Of course, you should never rely solely on that. But when your own children immediately find something to play with in a foreign apartment, it makes the first few days of travel much more relaxed.
Planning long-term travel through changing residences: start early and remain flexible
The best time to search is earlier than most people think. For the summer holidays or the Christmas season, we like to start several months in advance. Especially when exchanging for three or four weeks, patience is needed, because both parties need to adjust their calendars. This is not a disadvantage, but part of the principle: You plan with real people, not with an anonymous booking machine.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t wait for the perfect request to come along by itself. A carefully filled out profile is half the battle. Good photos, Having a friendly description and clear information about your own home creates trust. Those who write how many people are traveling, what data is available, and why this particular destination is a good fit usually get significantly better responses than with a bare-bones standard message.
With HomeExchange, you can exchange at the same time or in a staggered manner. When exchanging simultaneously, both parties live in the other person’s home at the same time. This is particularly elegant if the travel dates and schedules coincide. With staggered exchange, one side travels later. In many cases, this is done by GuestPoints for use. So not every trip has to be a perfect one-to-one business – and that’s exactly what makes longer stays more realistic.
Our experience: For long periods of time, it’s worth thinking outside the box when it comes to choosing a destination. Instead of only looking for a single city, a radius of 30 or 50 kilometers can open up surprisingly many options. Especially with a car, smaller places are often even more pleasant: more space, better parking options, and a daily life that is less hectic.
Finding the right duration
Three weeks feel different from seven nights. In the first week, you want to arrive, shop, get to know the area, and get settled. Only then does that wonderful feeling of not having to see everything really set in. For us, a long-term trip really starts to take effect after about two weeks.
That doesn’t mean that every family should immediately go away for a month. For those making the first exchange, it might be better to go for ten to fourteen days. After that, you’ll know much more precisely which living situation, amenities, and travel schedule are best suited for your own family. Some people love the city life, but others realize that a garden and a parking space are more important than the museum around the corner.
The season also plays a role. Four weeks in a small apartment often work wonderfully in the spring, but in rainy November it can become more exhausting with two children. Then I would consciously look for sufficient space, a cozy living area, and good access to excursions nearby. Long trips don’t need to be a luxury, but they do need a place where you can spend a quiet afternoon.
What should have been clarified before the exchange
Trust is not built through perfect wording, but through clear agreements. Before a longer trip, we write more in detail with each other than before a short stay. How does the key handover work? Are there plants or animals? Which rooms are private? What about parking, garbage, heating, Wi-Fi, and the use of bicycles?
A small home manual is particularly helpful. It contains information about Wi-Fi access, important devices, shopping options, emergency contacts, and a few personal tips. We always welcome suggestions such as: the best playground is five minutes away, the bakery is open on Mondays, or the washing machine needs a specific program. This not only saves time for questions, but also creates a sense of being welcome.
During a stay of several weeks, I would also like to address these points openly:
- Are there ongoing costs that become relevant during the stay, such as electricity for very long periods of use?
- How are keys, mail, and possible packages handled?
- What happens if travel dates change or a problem arises in the apartment?
- What rules apply to pets, smoking, guests, or the use of the car?
The point is not to make everything complicated. On the contrary: Those who clear up the practical questions beforehand can live more relaxed on site. We have had the best exchange experiences when both parties have communicated in a friendly, concrete and uncomplicated way.
This way, your own home stays relaxed.
The concern about one’s own apartment is understandable. After all, one does not rent a hotel room, but the place where one lives. At the same time, no one has to clean their home sterilely in order for a swap to work. An inhabited apartment is often exactly what makes the stay pleasant.
We remove personal belongings, valuables, and items of special emotional value. For this, a lockable cabinet or a room that is not used is usually sufficient. Depending on the length of the exchange, some clothing remains in the cabinet; of course, some space should be left for the guests. Before leaving, we clean thoroughly, make room in the refrigerator, and leave bedding and plenty of towels.
A realistic perspective helps: Small mishaps can happen, just as friends visiting can accidentally spill a glass. The key is for both parties to treat each other’s homes with respect and to speak openly in case of any problems. If you have a fundamental problem with this, you should first try a shorter exchange. This is not a defeat, but a sensible starting point.
Calculating, but not only in euros
The financial advantage is easy to understand. Four weeks of accommodation in a European city or a holiday region can quickly cost several thousand euros. With a home exchange, this money is left over for other things or makes the trip even possible in the first place.
But the type of travel is at least just as valuable. You buy something at the neighborhood store, know the way to the bus stop after a few days and maybe even find your favorite coffee shop around the corner. Children experience not only sights but also a small slice of life in another place. That is often much more lasting in the mind than the next tightly scheduled city trip.
Anyone who has become curious doesn’t have to immediately exchange their whole world. First, set a desired timeframe, create an honest profile, and send out a few personal requests. The first apartment exchange may still feel unfamiliar at first. Then, when you sit down at a stranger’s kitchen table, the children discover their toys, and the vacation finally isn’t over after seven days, this idea suddenly seems surprisingly natural.
- About the Author
- Latest posts
On my travel blog Wandernotizen I'll take you along on our family trips around the globe. Between wanderlust and everyday chaos, you'll find honest travel reports, tips, and plenty of material to ignite your wanderlust. 🧭 ❤️ 🏝️