TBT: Trading Homes – Experience New Cultures and Save Money
Back in 1997 (yup, that was a long time ago), I planned an unforgettable adventure for my family. My husband had recently sold his computer marketing company and I had just started Merit Academy. We certainly didn’t have the funds for a 6-week European vacation but I found a way to pull it off for little more than our normal cost of living. We traded homes and cars with families in our destination countries. With a little organizing ahead of time, we had the time of our lives!
We went to England and stayed in a flat in Lewis for 2 weeks, which is about an hour south of London. The kids, who were 8 and 12 years old at the time, loved exploring this English home. They loved the feather beds and were intrigued by the tiny steps (different from our standard 7-inch rise and 11-inch run) up their bedroom on the 3rd floor. The boy who lived in the house left them games to play and books to read. We discovered the Horrible Histories series that were filled with history facts that were presented in a hilarious fashion – they were irresistible to read! We grocery shopped at their neighborhood stores and learned how to use their kitchen appliances, which were surprisingly different from ours at home. By having a home base in Lewis, we took many day trips using our exchange family’s car. They used our extra car while they stayed in our house, too! We also travelled up to Stratford to see Hamlet, and then up to Liverpool to check out the Beatles Museum. Then we took a 3-day trip to Ireland to meet our Irish family (the Mahers and D’Arcys). The girls enjoyed staying on the farm and meeting their D’Arcy cousins.
We went from England to France by ferry and traded homes with a young couple who had a studio in the heart of Paris. Living in Paris for 2 weeks gave us the opportunity to buy baguettes and cheese every morning – just like the Parisians. The girls looked forward to going to their favorite bakery to pick up their own baguettes and buy scrumptious desserts like Napoleons! Yum. We also played an art history game that required that we visit 16 art and history (mostly art) museums. They found Modiglianis, Dalis, and all of the Impressionist painters on their lists. Learning how to buy vegetables in the French corner stores was an adventure in itself. Without help from the grocery clerks, the girls had to figure out how to weigh their produce, pay for it, and then bag it up themselves. Ahh, the French! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? We didn’t trade cars because we took the Metro everywhere. We even took a day trip to Versailles to see Marie Antoinette’s trianon palace.
After Paris, we took a train all the way to Florence, Italy, where we stayed for our last two weeks. We also exchanged cars with our Italian exchange family. This time we stayed in a luxurious apartment suite with an elevator. The house was filled with magnificent artwork and decorations. We learned yet another culture, that was quite different from the English and French. We visited art and history museums but the girls weren’t impressed after spending 2 weeks in Paris. They saw enough Madonna and child paintings that would last a lifetime. We took several 2-day trips to Rome to see the Coliseum, Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter’s Basilica, then down to Pompeii to see the archaeological site, and then up to Venice to ride gondolas. We accidentally ended up in Siena on one of the 2 days of the year when they held the Palio, a 90-second horse race. Ten horses and riders dress in full regalia marched around to the cheering crowds before the race. Each rider represented their extended family and the entire town comes out for this race. After the race, 90% of the people burst out into tears because they lost the race. It was quite a spectacle for the girls to see!
We used Intervac Home Exchange back in 1997. All three of our home exchanges were wonderful and different. One of our good friends, Jeni Sudbrink, greeted the foreign families at our home here in Santa Cruz when they arrived and gave them a welcome basket filled with tourist information and insider tips on where to eat and what to do.
By doing this 6-week home exchange, we didn’t have to pay for exorbitant hotel costs or dining out for three meals per day. We didn’t have to rent a car or pay for Eurail passes. Even our flights were all free because we used our frequent flier miles. Our only expenses besides normal costs of living (groceries, dining out, gasoline) were entertainment and ferries or trains between our destinations.
I would do this again in a heartbeat! It makes traveling much more comfortable and the experience culturally enriching.
