Love Home Swap

Author: Kalicia Bateman

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The Good

• Home swapping
• Free trial

Love Home Swap is a true home swapping service where travelers can see the world without having to stay in standard hotels. When a user creates an account, they can either choose to also list their home or take advantage of swap points. From there, travelers can start making travel arrangements that work with their schedule. There is a relatively solid selection of properties and destinations for travelers to choose from. On the Love Home Swap site, there are over 95,000+ homes available for direct swap or swap points. These listings can be found in over 195 different countries with language translation tools available for open communication. To get started, users can opt to test out the service free of charge for the first fourteen days. This is highly recommend so that travelers can get used to the feel of the platform before making any travel plans. Home swapping is then conducted by following three relatively simple steps:

1. Join -  travelers will create a profile. This is where they can choose the free trial option when singing up.
2. Find a swap - start browsing homes in popular destinations. Once a traveler finds a home they like, they can read reviews and then view available dates.
3. Swap - message the other members and arrange the house swapping

There are two different ways for travelers to swap. Since not everyone is going to directly list their own property, but instead want to take advantage of a vacation home, there is an option through Home Swap. There are also those who wish to swap directly. Both provide a unique way to travel and rent.

• Direct Swap - this is where you go to theirs and they come to yours. Travelers can either swap homes at the same time or agree to stay on separate dates that do not coincide. It's entirely up to the travelers to figure out.
• Swap Points - this form of travel allows users to stay in other members' homes without doing a direct swap (and vice versa). They essentially act as hot spots around the world.

Members can swap homes as often as they want. There are not time limits or restrictions. Everything is agreed upon by the actual home owners/listers. To make sure travelers are satisfied with their rental, there are over 700,000 verified reviews and a customer support team ready at the drop of a hat. On average, the star rating for members' trips is 4.8 out of 5 stars. Making arrangements is easy with the online calendar that allows users to discover instantly if a home is available or not for rent. Travelers can also take advantage of Love Home Swap exclusive travel benefits. These benefits include airport lounge passes to local guides.

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The Bad

• Can be expensive
• Expensive trip protection

Love Home Swap can be a little pricey to use. Since users can't just conduct research to see if it is a viable option without creating a membership, it may deter some users from even trying. Most services do not charge travelers a fee just to look at available rentals, but this is how Love Home Swap has set up their service fees. There are three different membership options that are broken down as follows:

1. Lite - $20/month, includes two week trial membership, access to all 95,000 homes and more than one way to swap.
2. Standard - $34/month, includes everything in Lite package and access to see who's shortlisted your property, ability to list more than one home, access to exclusive member benefits, free airport lounge passes, and verified member status.
3. Platinum - $68/month, includes everything in Lite and Standard packages, as well as prominent featured listings and dedicated swap team.

On top of that, members are encouraged to purchase the trip protection pack which is another $79. These fees do not go towards the rentals themselves, these are charges on top of the actual trip. This protection includes both damage protection for your home and travel protections.

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The Bottom Line

Love Home Swap is perfect for those who want to stay in unique travel accommodations that provide a sense of home while in another country or city. The service does cost quite a bit, so unless a traveler anticipates using it regularly, it may not be the best option. Those that use Love Home Swap for their vacation rental (whether they list their property or travel with it) can expect the following from the service:

1. Access to thousands of homes in hundreds of different countries
2. Easy way to swap and stay
3. Multiple swapping options
4. Good user reviews/feedback
5. Monthly service costs required
6. Trip protection encouraged