Exchanging living spaces provides an affordable option for travelers

Home swappers should be honest with each other, and tell each other things ... to establish trust. We should take care of other’s property and personal belongings.”

Imagine making yourself at home in a stranger’s bedroom and kitchen. You can chat, shop and dine with them as if they were friends, and they will show you around the attractions in their town. It’s called home swapping, which means that two parties agree to exchange their homes for a set period of time with no money changing hands.

Yan Dong, 42, who works in education in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, had his first home swap experience at the end of 2014, when he stayed one night at a stranger’s home in Liuyang, Hunan province.

“It’s a good experience. Her family was very hospitable. We chatted with each other happily. They made local dishes for me such as homegrown vegetables and guided me to scenic spots,” he says.

Yan and his hosts were connected to each other via the home swapping website huanzhuzg.com. The website claims to facilitate about 200 home swaps every year. China has several similar websites, some are free and some charge member fees. Swappers have to register their real name and national identification number.

The concept of home swaps dates back to 1953, when the leaders of the teacher unions in Switzerland and Holland initiated the idea to help their members travel on a budget.

Besides simultaneous home swaps, one can choose hospitality exchange, which means people take turns staying as guests in each other’s homes at designated times.

It’s an affordable option for travelers who want to experience the region like a local and make friends.

Yan says mutual trust is important. Different from family-run hotels, home swapping can lead to exchangers becoming friends, and after his stay, he will host the people he stayed with in his own home.

“Home swapping lowers the cost of traveling. More importantly, you will feel at ease because you have a friend in a strange city. But you will not have that feeling if you stay in a hotel,” says Song Xiaoyan, 45, a psychological counselor from Shanghai.

Song has been a member of huanzhuzg.com for about three years, but only recently had her first home swap experience, traveling with her son and mother, because she found the options limited.

“Home swappers should be honest with each other, and tell each other things, such as their profession and personal habits to establish trust. We should take care of other’s property and personal belongings,” Song says.

Tan Qing, 42, who works in admin- istrative management in Kunming, picked Song and her family up the train station and gave them detailed travel tips and kept in touch with them to see what he could do to help them during their stay. They stayed at Tan’s timeshare property.

Tan says traveling in group tours organized by travel agencies is not as good as taking part in home swaps, because travelers don’t have enough time to explore the local customs and culture. Home swapping makes it possible to have detailed independent tours, and the hosts will try their best to make the guests feel integrated into the city.

“You can have a relaxing trip, and the person you are swapping with can give you the best suggestions about scenic spots and dining choices. It’s also interesting to make local dishes at the hosts home. I learn how to cook dishes in different cities when I travel,” he says.

According to Tan, many home swappers are civil servants, Stateowned enterprise workers, students and teachers with summer and winter vacations, and retirees.

He says civil servants and Stateowned enterprise workers have paid leave, and some have more than one property because of the welfare housing system. Retired people like home exchanges because it’s not easy to find a suitable travel agency.

However, there is still a long way to go for Chinese home swapping websites.

“Many Chinese parents tell their kids not to speak to strangers, let alone invite others to live in their homes. Also, exchangers mainly connect online, so it’s difficult to say how many people are willing to shift from the virtual world to reality,” Tan says.

Chen Huabin, 52, founder of home swapping website, yijiazhilv.com, says several websites emerged a few years ago, but closed because it takes time to develop the market and promote the idea. It’s also better to have a membership system to ensure safety, and member fees can maintain the websites.

“It’s essential to offer offline services. It’s difficult to get a clear idea of a person’s information online because China’s social credit system is still under development. I’m looking for investment to establish offices in cities to check exchangers’ identities and information in real life,” he says.

He says he is confident about the Chinese market. Such websites should play the role of Alipay, to ensure the safety of both parties.

“Home swapping is mutually beneficial if both parties are trustworthy. If not, there are risks such as risk to your person or property, and uncertain factors in travel, such as accidents while hiking or doing watersports. It’s better to sign a contract to avoid the risks,” says Yu Guofu, a partner with Beijing Shengfeng Law firm.

According to Liu Dongyang from hflyw.org, the website offers standard contracts for members, and they can use electric signatures. They have to upload their photos, scanning a copy of their ID card. He suggests exchangers double check the cell number and address before their trip, and speak to the person they are swapping with via a video chat.

While the domestic market is still developing, some Chinese are home swapping with foreigners. In 2010, HomeExchange.com launched a Chinese version of the site but has not yet deployed any marketing efforts. Its community in China is mainly made up of expatriates and mixed couples of Chinese and foreigners, and people who have spent some time in Western countries.

In 2014, China-based members of HomeExchange.com took part in about 230 home exchanges. For an annual fee of 900 yuan, they can exchange as many times as they want.

Jim Pickell, chief operating officer, says the potential for home swapping between China and other countries is huge, and the demands for exchanges with China on the website are 10 times higher than offers. Domestic exchanges are an untouched marketplace which can become significant as the China based community grows.

According to Pickell, they are open to the possibility of partnering with local players in order to develop in China. Students and young adults who speak English are familiar with digital solutions and online travel options, and teachers and university professors are a promising market in the near future.