Imagine jetting off for a month – or three – to the coastal haven of Noosa, the vineyards of France, or the wilds of New Zealand, all without the stress of hotel bills chewing through your super.
Sounds too good to be true?
Not with house swapping. For over-60s with their own homes and a taste for immersive travel, house swapping is a savvy, secure way to unlock long stays around the world -while saving thousands you can put towards even more holidays.
House swapping isn’t just the domain of backpackers and twenty-somethings. In fact, more Australians over 60 than ever are turning to home exchanges for extended holidays, because it offers the comfort of a lived-in home, the joy of living like a local, and the freedom to explore without worrying about the spiralling cost of nightly accommodation.
It is about more than just a roof over your head – it is about trading the ordinary for the extraordinary.
And here’s the best part: with all that money you’ve saved by swapping homes, you’ll have plenty left over to book extra short trips throughout your stay, thanks to trusted platforms like Travel at 60 – perfect for excursions, rail adventures or local experiences within your holiday region.
Home exchange: www.homeexchange.com
Largest global network, flexible GuestPoints system, trusted support, and a vibrant community for secure home swaps
Aussie house swap. https://www.aussiehouseswap.com.au Australia’s biggest platform, user-friendly, great for local adventures, and offers strong member support.
Kindred. Www.livekindred.com Members-only, strong vetting, curated urban/nature homes, seamless concierge service, and a credit-based swap system.
People like us. peoplelikeus.world/en Friendly, flexible swap options (reciprocal, non-reciprocal, hospitality), excellent for Australians, growing global listings.
Homelink. https://homelink.org/en/ Trusted for 70+ years, international listings in 58+ countries, unlimited exchanges, expert guidance for mature travellers.
For me, swapping homes isn’t just about exchanging bricks, mortar, and soft beds for a different postcode – it’s about unlocking the soul of a place, one kettle, one cozy reading nook at a time. My quest started with one click: joining the community at People Like Us, a home-swapping platform where wanderers trade dreams – and dwellings – for a modest annual membership fee (currently $69USD). For that, the world opened: a tapestry of kitchens, gardens, and family sofas from the highlands of Scotland to leafy Canadian inlets.
The plan was simple: my wife, my spirited 86-year-old mother-in-law, and I sought spaces where adventure didn’t come with flights of stairs. We set our sights on regions rich with story and scenery but demanded practical details: a house in town, not too far from a good bakery, with a crucial downstairs bathroom for Mum’s comfort. That added hours (days!) of emails, poring over floor plans, and swapping friendly “tell-me-about-your-place” messages.
Once the dust of digital correspondence settled, we’d struck golden bargains: four- plus weeks on Canada’s idyllic Sunshine Coast, in the green wilds of Halfmoon Bay, and a month in a charming Southern Ireland village. Why more than four weeks?
Well, that’s the secret sauce: enough time to become local enough to have a ‘usual’ in the café, and to see emerald lanes and salmon streams with local eyes, not just a tourist’s checklist.
The joy is manifold. Every interaction (and there have been many!) has radiated goodwill and generosity. There’s a surprising kinship in trading homes – you’re not just handing someone your keys, but a slice of your life, with instructions for watering the tomatoes and where to find the best fish and chips. And with People Like Us, the whole enterprise feels reassuringly official and secure, with an active community sharing notes, tips, and encouragement on Facebook.
For us, travelling with family means weaving together the comfort of home with the tapestry of new places – without breaking the bank. House swapping is the ultimate insider ticket to the world, and as the mother-in-law reminds us, “Every journey is sweeter if it ends with tea and a biscuit in a real home.”
Whether you’re craving a Scandinavian summer, an Outback adventure, or weeks by the beach just a state away, house swapping opens the door – literally – to affordable, authentic travel. And thanks to the money you save, you can make the most of every journey by booking those extra sightseeing tours and experiences with Travel at 60.
This year, why not swap your postcode and start living like a local – one holiday at a time?
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