Joan and Noel Patterson, who are from Buxton, Derbyshire, has been using home-swapping platform HomeExchange for nearly a decade and said she has completed 120 exchanges
A globetrotting couple who have seen the world through home-swapping, even staying on a yacht where “Prince William had his stag do”, have declared they “don’t pay for holiday accommodation any more”.
Joan Patterson, 67, and her husband Noel, from Buxton, Derbyshire, have been utilising the home-swapping platform HomeExchange for nearly ten years, completing an impressive 120 exchanges. The innovative platform allows members to swap their homes during mutually agreed dates. If a member lends their home without a reciprocal arrangement, their guest can offer GuestPoints as a token of gratitude for their hospitality.
While Joan admits it’s challenging to put a monetary value on their swapping adventures, HomeExchange estimates that the couple have saved at least £45,000 with exchanges in France, Australia, New Zealand, the US and other locations.
From residing in a “luxurious” Bangkok apartment complete with an infinity pool and living on a yacht, to witnessing “whales going by” from their bed in Australia, Joan insists these are experiences “money cannot buy”. Joan believes that “experiencing places as a local” and meeting new people are the best aspects of home-swapping and encourages everyone to give it a try.
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“It’s not possible to put a price on our trips,” Joan told PA Real Life. “I would never stay in a home where you’re watching the whales going by. This was a very luxurious, five-bedroom, three-storey property, with whacking great big grounds in the best location.
“There’s no way that I would have been staying there, so it gives you access to quality, the quality of properties, that wouldn’t ordinarily be available.”
Joan revealed she and Noel, who operated an education firm before retiring, have always been passionate about travelling and adore walking, hiking and discovering historical sites. Since they favour extended holidays lasting multiple weeks, the couple were seeking methods to make their adventures “affordable and comfortable” and had learnt about house-swapping through Joan’s sibling.
This encouraged them to register with LoveHomeSwap in 2017, which subsequently became part of the HomeExchange group, and the service, featuring a £180 yearly membership cost, boasts over 200,000 users across 155 nations.
Whilst residing in Buxton, Joan and Noel own a one-bedroom retreat in Criccieth, North Wales, which offers vistas of Snowdonia National Park from a neighbouring shore, and they utilise this dwelling for house-swapping.
“The house that we live in, in Buxton, is old and quirky, so it’s not so easy for somebody to walk into it,” Joan explained. “But when we bought the holiday home that we have in Criccieth, in my mind, we would exchange it.”
Joan and Noel carried out their inaugural house-swap in Paris, occupying a distinctive “student pad”.
She described the accommodation as compact, essentially an “attic”, and you needed to clamber over a ceiling beam to reach the kitchen, though it was perfectly positioned and they enjoyed “the cheapest beer” at a pub downstairs. “We would come home in the evening and go into this student bar with cheap beer – a pint was probably around three euros,” Joan explained.
“These places are local, so one of the key things for me is that you could stay in a hotel, but that’s sterile. These home exchanges are never sterile.”
On another occasion, the pair enjoyed a more “unusual” home-swap, spending a week aboard a yacht. She revealed the bloke who owned the yacht became their captain, taking them around the Isle of Wight and south coast – and he even allowed them to “have a go at sailing” themselves.
“The man used this yacht for racing as well and, interestingly, this yacht has, if you like, a royal link,” Joan said. “The yacht was used for Prince William’s stag do – someone had organised it for him, they had a whole load of activities and one of them was sailing this yacht when it was new.
“The deal for us was, we paid for the fuel and for our host’s lunches, and we used our points for the boat and it was lovely.”
Describing some of their most lavish swaps, Joan said they stayed in a “swanky apartment block” in Bangkok, Thailand, which had an infinity pool and “wonderful views over the river”. They have stayed in other “posh properties” with large gardens and swimming pools but have also lived in family homes with chickens, cats and gardens to look after.
They even met someone in Tasmania who had built his own property, using car ports, and it was surrounded by wallabies. “We did a big trip to Australia, and we did what they call a reciprocal exchange, but it was non-simultaneous,” Joan said.
Joan explained she always remains “respectful” of other people’s homes and possessions, and has never encountered a bad experience whilst hosting or staying elsewhere.
She’s witnessed some amazing wildlife, including observing a whale migration from the bedroom of one Australian property. Beyond globe-trotting adventures, Joan revealed one of the greatest benefits of house-swapping is connecting with others and forming lasting friendships.
She explained: “That’s one of the joys of home exchanging because, even if you’re only doing it online, you get to know other people, you make friends with people. It’s not just about the property, it’s about the people as well.”
This autumn, Joan revealed she and Noel are spending 3 weeks in Italy’s Dolomites, with additional home swaps planned, including a Malta getaway next March. She expressed that she doesn’t have any “dream destinations” as she doesn’t believe in waiting or creating a bucket list for the future, stating: “Life only goes in one direction, so you should hurry up and do it.”
She explained that HomeExchange is for “anybody”, it’s not just focused on large, luxurious properties, and it’s enjoyable to see how people around the world live their lives. “I am out of touch with prices since I don’t pay for holiday accommodation any more, but I have effectively travelled the world and not paid for accommodation,” Joan added.