12 Best International House Swapping Websites (Save BIG On Expenses)

You want to try house swapping? But you don’t know which website to use.

There are so many to choose from and you don’t want to pick the wrong one!

We’ll show you our favorite international house swap websites so you can make an informed decision. After reading this article, you’ll be ready to start swapping!

What Is House Swapping?

House swapping is switching houses with someone for a set amount of time. 

People may join an exchange network to find someone they would like to switch homes with for a while.

Instead of paying someone to stay at their home, you let them stay at yours.

Even if you don’t have a house for other people to stay in, you can still take advantage of many of these sites.

Why Should I House Swap?

House exchanges are a great way to travel without paying for lodging. A hospitality exchange can make international travel more affordable for many people.

It is also nice because you know that your home will be in good hands.

Some people prefer staying in houses to hotels. This is another good reason to consider signing up on exchange sites.

Is House Swapping Safe?

House swapping is generally safe. However, you need to follow basic safety protocols.

Many exchange websites make it easy for travelers to find a home in their desired location. If you use a trusted exchange site, you will decrease your risk of a sketchy home swap.

Many of these websites charge an annual membership fee. This will help to prevent scammers from using the services.

Make sure you learn about the person, their home, and their location. The more you know, the safer you will be able to be.

What Is The Best International House Swapping Website?

There are so many house-swapping websites to choose from. We’ll talk a little bit about the major ones. 

Love Home Swap

Love Home Swap is one of the biggest home exchange websites. 

With over 75,000 properties, you can find a home perfect for your next vacation.

This website requires that you pay an annual fee, but you’ll save a lot of money on travel. You can also earn and use points through this website.

Home Exchange

Home Exchange started as a book before it went digital.

You can use messaging features from this site to communicate with other homeowners. This allows you to learn about the area and know what you’re getting into.

Since this website uses a points system, you don’t have to do a simultaneous exchange.

You get points when you host and can use those points whenever you want to stay in someone else’s home.

Because of the points system, you can do unlimited exchanges as long as you have enough points.

Homestay

Homestay has homes in over 150 countries. No matter where you want to travel, you can probably find a home to stay in.

This website will try to match people based on their profiles. So hosts and guests who have the same interests will be able to stay at each other’s homes.

Green Theme International

This website is designed for traditional home swaps.

You can only do simultaneous exchanges through this platform. While that is great because you don’t have to hire a house sitter, it can be difficult to plan.

Once you find someone who wants to travel at the same time as you, you can finalize the details. Stay in each other’s homes to enjoy an affordable vacation.

Home Link

Home Link is a great website for traditional home swaps.

However, it is not as big as some of the others. You won’t find as many good reviews and your destinations will be limited.

It does have cheaper fees than most sites. This makes it a more affordable option even if it isn’t as evolved as its competitors.

Bedycasa

While this is a smaller platform, Bedycasa offers many types of exchanges.

You can find farms, rural homes, and even hostels on this site. Stay in guest homes or with an exchange family.

You can stay at a riad in Morocco or at a traditional Japanese inn.

Holiday Swap

While Holiday Swap is a less popular option, it has over a million users. 

This website has some selling points to have such a large user base.

Holiday Swap has a lot of flexibility. For instance, you can swap a spare room instead of an entire home.

They also value your safety and take a lot of precautions to keep users safe. 

Intervac

Intervac accommodates traditional home exchanges. However, it also has a couple of other options.

You can use the bed and breakfast option. Or you can use the rental option for very affordable rentals.

This platform offers flexibility in travel planning. It also has over 6,000 listings, most of which are in Europe.

Home For Swap

Home For Swap has locations in over 120 countries. It also has multilingual customer support.

Both of these will make it easy to plan effortless travel.

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home is a new home exchange platform. It doesn’t have a lot of rules, either.

You can do unlimited exchanges, list as many properties as you’d like, and plan flexibly.

Insurance isn’t covered in the membership so you may want to buy travel insurance. If you host people in your homes, you may want to increase your insurance at home.

Aussie House Swap

Aussie House Swap is a great house-swapping website for Australia. However, it can also be used outside of Australia. 

We know that Australia is a leading country for using house-sitting websites.

So it makes sense to consider using their house swap website, too.

Switchome

Switchome is a small platform, with only a few thousand users.

The majority of these homes are in France. It may be a good option if you’re planning to spend extended time in France.

This website doesn’t have any membership fees. It also doesn’t have a lot of good reviews.

Part of that is because so few people have used it, though. If you choose to use this website, you may want to do further research.

IVHE

IVHE, or International Vacation Home Exchange, focuses on exchanging vacation homes.

The homes on this platform are mostly second homes. This allows more flexibility in swapping because the homeowner doesn’t live there every day.

Casa Particular

If you’re visiting Cuba, you should know about Casa Particular. 

Families in Cuba have opened their homes to tourists for decades.

Sharing homes in Cuba was popular long before it became mainstream. This is partially due to the lack of hotels in the country.

Staying with a family in their cozy home is the cheapest way to travel in Cuba.

Not Ready to Start House Swapping?

Not sure house swapping is for you?

Here are some others ways to get free accommodation so that you can explore the world. 

Wwoof

Wwoof is an abbreviation for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. 

If you’re interested in learning about sustainable living, this is a good platform.

Some of the hosts are breweries, woodlands, and education centers. You can learn many things, including beekeeping, cheese-making, and organic gardening.

Couchsurfing

This site is one of the originals. It was designed to help travelers find a couch to stay on no matter where they were. 

Some private homes on this website also offer a spare room for free. Many of the hosts are quite hospitable and will act as a bit of a travel guide.

With over 12 million members, you can find someone nearly anywhere you wish to travel.

Culture Go Go

Culture Go Go was started by English teachers. This platform connects English-speaking travelers with hosts who want to practice their English.

Travelers will have local guides who make sure they have a fulfilling trip. Hosts will have the opportunity to practice speaking conversational English with native speakers.

Homestay in

Homestay is aimed at younger people, especially students. Most of the guests happen to live in Asian countries but want to stay in countries that speak English.

There isn’t a membership fee, but you will have to pay for each stay. They donate a meal to a child in Africa with every transaction, though.

People Like Us

People Like Us has a trial option for anyone who isn’t completely sure about home swapping.

They also have a Facebook group that can make the community of members seems more like a family.

No matter where you want to stay, you can probably arrange a house swap. If you use a website with more flexibility, you can easily pick travel dates.

Even if you don’t have a house to offer to others, some of these websites will work for you.

Now you can travel even if you have a small budget.

Happy house swapping!