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International Membership |
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Two year Membership |
$179.99 |
Three year Membership |
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Only $99.99 with money
back Guarantee for
new members!
No Quibble Guarantee!
If you are unable to negotiate an exchange in your first twelve months with Intervac I will refund your subscription. Terms apply.Home Exchange
See all the members who would like to exchange in the next eight weeks!
- First Home Swap Agency - Started 1953
- Best Coverage in Europe
- Many Second Generation Members
- Member Rating and Reference systems
- Only Active Members on line
- Representatives in Most Countries
Planet Friendly Holidays
Home exchange is more friendly to the environment that any other way of taking holidays!
Eighty percent Overseas Listings
Much higher for Intervac than any of our competitors. You have much less competition with other Americans
How Home Exchange Works
Find Member
Check "Currently available", select "Exchange with USA" and pick the countries you are interested in.
Send Email
Become a member and contact other members by email whose homes meet your requirements.
What our Members Say
"We joined three other home exchange organizations in order to get a series of exchanges in the USA; four in a row from September to November. It finally worked out, but I'll tell you the Intervac exchangers have been the most knowledgeable with the nicest houses." Susan Liang, Costa Rica
"Your service is fantastic. We have had three exchanges and are waiting on our fourth, fifth and sixth. Thanks so much." Siri Richar
"We've had four exchanges through Intervac so far and have discussed it with far too many people, increasing the San Francisco pool too much, we fear. Nevertheless, here we are again. " Carol Livingston, California
"We have made three exchanges through Intervac this year; San Francisco later this month, Scotland in July and southeast England in August. Plus, we unfortunately had to turn down many more offers! Incredible response from the winter catalogue and especially on the Internet. We are obviously happy campers! Thanks for everything." Randle Griggs, Arizona
"Wow! Members for one week. One offer from Finland, two from Sweden, one from Switzerland and two from France. Looks like we're going to central Paris. The other company we joined three weeks ago, no offers! Thank You Intervac!!! Many thanks for our Honeymoon, a dream come true! " Gordon & Kathy Poulson, Santa Cruz
"We love to travel to foreign and exotic places as well as the good ole USA. Exchanging homes through Intervac USA has been a wonderful experience--being in Key West makes it fairly easy to find suitable exchanges. In August 2003, we exchanged homes in Paris and we did a second trade with folks from New York City for the holidays. We returned from California in a non-simultaneous exchange in May of 2004 and a simultaneous exchange in New Orleans for Thanksgiving." Guillermo and Kent, Key West, Florida-
"We once got 61 (yes, sixty-one!) home exchange offers in one season. Fully expect the upcoming season to be another year, which will provide exciting opportunities for fascinating exchanges and the making of new friends in some corner of the world." George Rausch, Florida
New Rating System!
We base awards on home exchanges made. Bronze members have made one exchange, silver members three or more, gold six and platinum eleven. Members can now also exchange references.
Our Online Services
- Finding your holidays
- Advertising your home
- Special Services
- Member Guidelines
Home Exchange in the Press
As vacationing New Yorkers Jerry Koenig and Mary Geissman jaunted in their posh gray sedan from the 400-year-old stone house overlooking the narrow paths of medieval Padua, Italy, to the modern ski condo in Asiago, Italy, they had time to reflect on how breathtaking the vineyard-dotted Po Valley is...and how the house, the condo and the car had cost them not a cent. All three came in exchange for use of their two-bedroom apartment in New York City. What a deal! No wonder more and more folks--by some estimates 15% to 20% more each year--are getting into house trading as a vacation alternative.
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Adventures in home swapping
It's almost January, which means my family will soon be in demand again, though there's no predicting where. A golf resort on a Washington state wildlife preserve? A farmhouse in the south of France? England's Lake District? A Danish island? My wife, two teenagers and I have been invited to them all -- just as we have invited adventurous strangers from around the world to our house in Laguna Beach.
Trading Places Can Be Enriching, Too
I AM in my own little fantasy land right now. I’m spending the Christmas holiday in a three-bedroom tropical mountain farm house in Costa Rica. Or, on second thought, maybe I’ll take the luxury apartment in the heart of Rome. All right, none of them specifically asked for Larchmont, N.Y. But being in the suburbs does not rule me out of playing the home-exchange game. If you are lucky, you will end up swapping with someone like Martine Poulin, who lives outside of Quebec City. "We leave things people can read about the area, " she said. "We also leave flowers and a bottle of wine."
Alena Tugend NY TimesHouse Swapping
Betty and Bob Shiffman of Frankfort like to go on vacation, but they do not like to pay for hotels or car rentals while they are traveling. "What I think attracts people like us is to be a real part of the community," Betty said. They begin talking to a prospective home swap family about six months in advance, and then once they have gotten to know the people whose house they will inhabit while abroad, they schedule a home swap. "Talk to people who have done it, maybe start with an exchange in the U.S. or Canada," she said. Whether in the U.S., Canada or the Netherlands, the Shiffmans tout the home exchange program as less expensive and more like a home away from home. "It is a much more intimate way of taking a vacation," Betty said.
Latest Listings
PARIS
In the country
House
4 person(s)
SAN DIEGO
At the seaside
Flat
4 person(s)
BIARRITZ
In a small town
1-story house
4 person(s)
ARLES
In the country
1-story house
5 person(s)
Your Questions
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Is it safe to trust my home to strangers?
This is the most often asked question! And. . . . the truthful answer is that you don’t really know. But as you prepare for the exchange you establish a unique relationship with your exchangers. Most are professional people with standards like yours, and being guests in each other’s home creates a very special bond of trust. By the time your exchange occurs you feel like you’re going to a friend’s home and your friends are coming to your home. In the more than 50 years that Intervac has been facilitating contact between exchangers, there have been no reports of theft and rare reports of damage. Occasionally, housekeeping standards differ, but members tend to take even greater care of their exchange home than of their own!
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Does my homeowner’s policy cover damage to my house while on exchange?
You need to ask your insurance broker. We have had very few incidents of damage to people’s houses in the past 50 years.
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How can I be sure that the exchange will be "equal"?
Instead of thinking of an exchange as "equal" think of it as "fair". If the location of the two homes and size of accommodations are similar than you might consider it "fair". Many exchangers with large homes often trade for an adequate apartment or condo if the location is right. And there is less housekeeping to do!!
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Will I be able to exchange a home that is not in a tourist area?
You never know where people will want to visit. Many people use their home exchange as a base from which to explore a wide region. Other times, they may have relatives or a specific event to attend. No matter, where you live, as long as you plan ahead and are flexible about destination and time frame, you have a great chance for achieving your dream vacation.
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I want to travel in the next few days/weeks. Is it too late?
No. Click on this link to our "Hotlist" and see for yourself that there are many people looking for exchanges in the next couple of weeks. It’s never too late to organize an exchange as long as you flexible about destination and time.
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What about the possibility of cancellation?
This rarely happens. But you should be prepared in case of illness or an emergency. Make certain that your exchange partner is committed by entering into our Exchange Agreemennt and ask your exchange partner to prepare a contingency plan. Tell your exchange partner what you plan to provide in case you cancel – stay at a friends or mother-in-laws! Or in a motel.