Travel the world for free via house swapping – a TRUE Story: Part 1

Dorothy Carlow
February 21st, 2009

Filed Under: Travel Tips

Recently, I had the privilege to speak with Kevin Daum, international author and highly sought after motivational speaker. Kevin shared many interesting travel stories, but the most interesting, that created buzz all around the Viscape office, was his story of house swapping. Let me say, even with the risk of sounding cheesy, it was a true pleasure to speak with Kevin and learn about his amazing vacation experiences(where all of his accommodations were free, YES, FREE!). Hey Kevin, thanks for spending time with Viscape!

Best swapping experience?

My wife and I swapped our San Francisco home for an amazing home in Bordeaux, France. We connected with a doctor and his wife, spent some time coordinating the details and then we were off for a cultural immersion in Bordeaux. We spent a month in France. We took French lessons, hung out with locals drinking wine, eating oysters (we were interested in engaging and immersing ourselves in the community) and just had the time of our life. We took side trips to the castles and cave paintings in Le Dordogne where we gorged ourselves on Foi Gras and Rose. We even took a weekend road trip down to Bilbao, Spain to experience tapas, sangria and the incredible Guggenheim museum.

Kevin and his wife Deanna enjoying the sites of Bordeaux

Any issues around this swap?

There were some issues with cars – our insurance company told us that the doctor and his wife would not be covered if they drove our car. So, we rented them one because they gave us use of their car. Another complaint – it is hot in Bordeaux in the summer. Oh and, the last day we were there, there was a huge rain and the roof bucketed in. I am not kidding. So, we put a bucket down and left them a note. One more thing…they had a rabbit and they asked us to feed it (don’t worry, we did not forgot or lose it). Actually, they left the rabbit out, so my wife spent the first half-day chasing a rabbit around the backyard to get it into a cage.

Last minute swaps?

Yes, of course. Great story around this one. We were contacted last minute by a family from Denmark whose host had canceled at the 11^th hour. So, like the friendly and trusting people that we are, we did a host visit. This Danish family came and lived with us for 2 weeks. It was incredible. We are now very close friends. They cooked us Danish meals and hung out with our friends and really, it was just a blast.

Worst swapping experience?

The only thing that happened was we did a three-way to help our friends. It did not work out so well. We had a friend who wanted to go to the Cape. At that time we were living both coasts, so we were able to find someone who was looking for a place for girlfriends’ weekend to hangout. We ended up making the swap – our close friends took the house on the cape and the lady looking for a girlfriends’ weekend was suppose to use our Victorian house. It is hard to explain because our house was a beauty. But, the women was not happy to stay – she did not like the house. But of course she was not paying for it. She backed out of the deal and then in turn said your friends can’t stay at our house on the Cape. So, that was the worst experience. Of course there are always princesses out there but most people are easy to arrange things with and very accommodating.

Swapping advice?

Look for a house that has similar style to yours. We have antiques, so we always look for someone who has the same type of style. We want them to take care of our stuff. And yes, most importantly, always leave nice things for your guest – a travel guide, a restaurant guide, a stocked fridge… For the doctor I left him San Francisco, Giants tickets and he left me a bottle of very rare brandy that was nice to take home.

More about Kevin:

Kevin was named one of the 40 people under 40 to watch in the San Francisco Bay Area and was recently named Distinguished Alum of the Year by his alma mater, Humboldt State University. Kevin’s high energy, motivational approach and thoughtful insights help executives and employees alike get inspired to pursue The Awesome Experience in all aspects of their work and life. He kayak fishes regularly at his New England beach home with his wife of 22 years, Deanna, and his 17-year-old son, Spencer.