MY LIGHT BULB MOMENT

Entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow

Debbie WosskoW, 43, is the founder of love Home swap, the world’s largest holiday houseswapping site. Divorced, she lives in london with her son, eight, and daughter, six.

SIX years ago, when my son was nearly three and my daughter six months old, we had a family holiday in St Lucia. We stayed in a lovely — very expensive — hotel.

However, with two tiny children, I spent every evening cooped up in a dark room, trying not to wake them up: hardly my idea of an enjoyable break.

On the plane back, I put on a film. It was The Holiday, with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, in which the characters swap homes — an LA pad for a cosy Cotswolds cottage.

Immediately, I thought: ‘ Why don’t I do that? My home in London is currently sitting empty.’ I realised I wanted to stay in a home, rather than a hotel. I wanted space, a proper living room, with all the baby equipment already there. Home swapping was the answer.

I had run my own business before — a digital agency I sold in 2007 — so I had the expertise to launch an online company. Researching the market, I saw the home swap concept had been around since the Fifties, but the sector needed a big revamp.

This was before the days of Airbnb and there was an opportunity to digitally tap into a huge global community of homeowners.

In just two months, using my own savings, Love Home Swap went live. The idea was simple: sign up, pay a subscription fee, then swap homes with other members.

Today, we have thousands of properties worldwide. Our users are mainly families and emptynesters, and no money changes hands. My children and I have had some fantastic holidays, thanks to the site: huge homes a world away from that St Lucia hotel room. lovehomeswap.com