The great key swap: More New Brunswickers trade homes to stretch their travel budgets
A 16-day trip through three cities in Spain usually comes with a hefty hotel bill.
For Krista McCallum, it didn’t cost a cent.
McCallum is part of a growing movement in New Brunswick where travellers are swapping homes to dodge hotel costs and experience communities like a local.
"When you're not paying for accommodations, it allows your budget to do more," she said. "It allows you to do more experiences or stay longer or maybe fly to a third or fourth destination within the province or the country."
For Deborah Robichaud, travelling was at the top of her list post-retirement, and her home was her biggest leverage.
Nearly 10 years and nine exchanges later, her home swaps have taken her from Montreal to North Carolina, to 12 days in a Paris apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower — without paying for accommodation.
"It just felt like you were living in their home as a guest, but you were also going to the pâtisserie to get croissants, having dinner at the local bistro," Robichaud said. "It was just very much an immersion into life in another city."
For an annual membership fee, users on a home exchange platform can swap directly with another member or earn points by hosting travellers. The points can later be redeemed for stays elsewhere on the site.
"The annual fee for home exchange is about the equivalent of one night's hotel nowadays," Robichaud said. "[You’re] able to do a little bit more when you're in the city that you wouldn't normally do if you have a tight budget."
McCallum said her travel budget initially restricted her stay in Spain to roughly eight days. But once she factored in home exchanges for her accommodations, her vacation doubled to 16 days.
According to a leading home-swap platform, HomeExchange, there were more than 200 exchanges in New Brunswick last year, a 55 per cent increase from the year before. In addition, the Atlantic provinces saw a combined total of more than 1,000 exchanges last year, a 46 per cent increase from the year before.
"In the current economic climate with inflation, the cost of accommodation is quite high," said Karla Boluk, an associate professor in the department of recreation and Leisure studies at the University of Waterloo.
"Alleviating the pressure to spend all that money on accommodation will likely make travel more affordable for visitors."
An immersive experience
Beyond saving money, Boluk said more travellers are seeking authentic experiences and opportunities for connection while travelling.
The shift aligns with what she calls regenerative tourism, an approach that ensures local communities benefit from the tourism that takes place within them.
"Home exchange travellers tend to support local businesses," Boluk said. "They explore beyond just the tourism zone and oftentimes engage more deeply with communities."
McCallum did just that, noting how much she valued living alongside residents in neighbourhoods across Spain.
"When [the homeowner] recommended restaurants, they weren't the tourist traps that you would normally hit for a restaurant, which was really nice," she said.
Just as Robichaud enjoys immersing herself in the communities she visits, she ensures her guests can experience her community too.
"I can leave local craft beer, some local sweets and candies made by local confectioners. Ganong's chocolates and chicken bones," Robichaud said. "It gives them a taste of L'Acadie, a taste of the region."
Building trust
One of the main hurdles to starting home swaps is inviting a stranger into your home. For Robichaud, exchanging messages and video calls made the process easy.
Unlike short-term rentals, which often create anonymity, Boluk said this form of tourism cultivates more care.
"Home exchanges structurally encourage care because you're responsible for somebody else's home," she said. "You're visiting, it's embedded within a neighborhood, and you're accountable to a real person."
McCallum believes there is a mutual understanding of care between home exchangers.
"I think we're all in the same boat," she said.
"We all are opening our doors, so everyone kind of treats everything like it's their own."
