A woman has revealed how she globetrots staying in stunning homes in incredible locations for a fraction of the usual cost – by swapping houses with other keen travellers.
Patsy Winters has exchanged homes 45 times to date, visiting more than a dozen countries without having to pay a penny for accommodation.
The 43-year-old, who lives in Dublin, estimates she has saved up to £15,000 with her clever travel hack, meeting like-minded people online who want to visit the Irish capital.
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And it means that she has been able to travel in style, often staying in incredible houses.
“Sometimes I arrive in these properties and just can’t believe it,” Patsy, an environmental scientist, told Luxury Travel Daily.
“I have stayed in many properties that are of a quality I would never be able to afford to rent – and definitely not as regularly as I do.
“For example, I had an exchange in Paris for the Rugby World Cup, and it was a gorgeous apartment by Sacré Cœur, in the building which was the original department store of Paris.
“I went a few days early to enjoy the atmosphere and the city.
“I probably wouldn’t have if I was paying the premium prices that these big events attract.
“I also went to Budapest in December for the Christmas markets and had a gorgeous apartment for free at a peak time in the city.
“I’ve also had beautiful characterful cottages in the Lake District and the Cotswolds, which are expensive areas of the UK to visit.”
Another stay that sticks out for Patsy was in Guadeloupe, where her temporary home was a large, open-plan villa with a sea view and private pool.
She said: “I remember my sister and I arriving in the house, looking out at paradise and thinking ‘this is too good to be true’.
“The house was so gorgeous that we almost felt we were missing out when we went off exploring the island.
“We deliberately came home early a few evenings so we could have a dip in the pool and just relax with the view.”
Meanwhile in Martinique, the front of the apartment she was staying in opened directly to the sea, allowing her a private cove to swim in.
She added: “Some of the properties in Panama were amazing too.
“One was in an extensive tropical garden with a pool.
“There was a thatched oval summerhouse with hammocks by the pool, where you could lie reading in the evening while fireflies danced around.
“Another one of the Panama houses was a large house in the mountains, with wrap around verandas looking out on the jungle.”
Not only has she enjoyed incredible experiences, Patsy has also been able to save a huge amount of money with her house swaps.
She said: “I have saved a lot of money over the years.
“I begin every January looking at city breaks for the early months of the year – the best way to beat the January blues.
“All I have to do is book the flight, and I can stay for extra days at no extra cost.
“I do up to eight a year.”
She also finds she is able to stay in a city for longer by house swapping, without the high price of hotel fees.
Patsy was inspired to try house swapping after watching the popular Christmas film, The Holiday.
In the blockbuster, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz’s characters trade their respective homes – one a Surrey cottage, the other a Los Angeles mansion – for the holiday period.
The plot sparked an idea for Patsy to have her own getaway worthy of a Hollywood movie plot without breaking the bank.
Patsy said: “I didn’t really consider house swapping as a way to travel [before watching the film].
“The movie put the idea in my head and I started to do some research.”
She signed up for HomeExchange, a website allowing users to advertise their homes and match with people in different cities in order to swap dwellings for a break.
On the site, you can either do direct swaps with people equally interested in your home, or you can offer them ‘points’ in exchange, which they can use to book other properties.
Patsy’s bright and airy two-bedroom Dublin house has proved very popular.
Patsy added: “Now, I get messages almost every day, so I visit the website most days to reply.
“I also spend some time seeing what homes are available in places I might like to visit.
“I did seven exchanges where I travelled in 2024, and welcomed other guests to my house.”
To date, Patsy has swapped houses with people in Zanzibar, Prince Edward Island, Costa Rica, Panama, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Milan, Madrid, Malaga, Budapest, Munich, Prague, Paris, the Cotswolds, the Lake District, New Forest, Yorkshire and one within Ireland.
Of her travels, she said: “The most unusual destinations stand out.
“My very first exchange was to a house in Costa Rica.
“It was outside a little local village in the heart of the jungle and I was surrounded by nature and local culture.
“I’m not a ‘sun holiday’ type – I would be bored lying beside a pool for a week – so I normally do a lot of activities when I’m away, especially hiking.
“In Martinique and Guadeloupe, both homes had amazing sea views and a walk to the beach.
“There are many spots on those islands where you can snorkel to unbelievable coral reefs right from the beach.
“I saw several turtles grazing very early in the morning – it was really amazing, like something in a nature documentary.”
A trip to Panama last summer was another highlight for Patsy, who stayed in four different properties across the country to get a full experience.
While there, she stayed in one home built on stilts in the sea where fish swam under the house.
She said: “Zanzibar was unbelievable too.
“I stayed on a side of the island with much less tourism.
“The house was on the beach, and it was the picture of paradise – white sands, blue waters and palm trees, and very few people, other than the locals working on their seaweed farms.”
Patsy has met some of the people who have stayed in her home, answering their questions about Dublin and offering advice on how to make the most of the city.
She has a base on Clare Island in County Mayo, allowing her to offer her Dublin home up regularly.
Using the website is like a “community” experience, with people doing their best to accommodate one another’s dates and requirements.
As for 2025? Patsy said: “The world is my oyster and I can be very spontaneous.
“I am often inspired by the messages I get so I have no definite plans yet.”
