In the last decade, sites like Airbnb have been competing with hotels, but lately, a new competitor is emerging - home switching.
Changing house is exchanging house with someone else in the place where you live or somewhere else, so everyone can take advantage of a financially valuable opportunity when it comes to vacation accommodation.
According to a new study by UK-based Love Home Swap, this type of holiday accommodation is on the rise. The company saw a 282% increase last year compared to 2019, followed by a further 73% increase between May and June 2020 as well.
Since the Covid-19 created a fear about common spaces, the change of houses gives travelers peace of mind in their space.
"Unlike hotels, there will be fewer people passing through the place where you are staying," Celia Pronto, director of Love Home Swap, told Euronews.
"The concept of moving house was on the rise before COVID, but the pandemic really added to that," said James Asquith, founder and CEO of Holiday Swap.
Apart from the health point of view, financially, changing houses is a cheaper option. In the case of Holiday Swap, this is less than one euro per person / night.
“One of the reasons we are seeing an increased interest in moving houses is definitely to save money,” explains James. "Economies are struggling more than ever, small businesses, people working in the services industry are having a particularly difficult time."
Another special feature of the house exchange is the 'live like a local' mentality, building genuine relationships with the community. You know the people in whose house you will be staying in advance, they can introduce you to the locals. For many people, this is the best part of traveling.
Source: Euronews
