Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Homeboy

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to enjoy all the comforts of home while also satisfying your wanderlust? Internet-savvy companies are now making house-swapping, homestays and ‘un-hotels’ available to budget- conscious travellers. Jenny McNeely explores the best of both worlds

Photography Paul Farnham

No one likes to be labelled a tourist, so what better way to travel than by tapping into the knowledge of those who love somewhere enough to make it their home? Debbie Wosskow, founder of Luxe Home Swap (www.luxehomeswap.com) has seen the concept gain popularity fast. “Budgets are now more constrained, and people are beginning to see their property as an asset base that allows them to travel,” she says. “We want to travel like locals, and to move the experience of being ‘at home’ into a completely different context.”

Personality contest

Retired journalist Abbey tried out the ‘living rather than staying’ experience, swapping her villa in France with a flat in Copenhagen belonging to 26-year-old DJ Emil: “I would never have picked Copenhagen,” she says, “but when we started emailing, our sense of humour was such a good fit. Because of Emil, the city came with its own personality.” And how did urban dweller Emil find the experience? “He said it was a little piece of heaven,” responds Abbey. “They didn’t even have a balcony in their apartment, so they loved the space. I left lots of maps and guidebooks, but they didn’t do anything – they just cooked and stayed by the pool.”

The passion people feel for where they live is demonstrated by Belgian swapper Chantal, who joined Luxe Home Swap because she couldn’t bear the thought of her property in Santorini sitting empty: “I believe that houses are living,” she says. “If there’s nobody in the house, it’s as if it is slowly dying. We wanted to find a way to use it.” Chantal also saw her travel horizons broadened through the medium of other people’s lives, as when people interested in swapping with her got in touch from all over the world she found herself day-dreaming of places she’d never previously thought of visiting.

Swap in the city

Zoe Hine launched Swap My City Pad (www.swapmycitypad.com) after being made redundant. The recession that kick-started her business also made it an instant success, due to increasing budget concerns; her focus on urban apartments ensures indulgent weekend city breaks don’t have to be a thing of the past. The website features a ‘My City’ database, where members can leave tips to create an instant guidebook that travellers can dip into before or during a trip. The huge success of sites like TripAdvisor, eBay and Twitter mean that we’ve come to trust what we read online, and we look to our peers for advice and knowledge. You can even join particular networks based on your profession; if you only wish to swap with fellow dentists, you can do so.

If a straight swap doesn’t appeal, but you’re intrigued by the prospect of stepping into someone else’s life, the onefinestay (www.onefinestay.com) site makes a great hunting ground for authentic travel. This ‘un-hotel’ experience bridges the gap between home-swaps and hotels by providing the freedom and uniqueness of the former with the services of the latter. The bric-a-brac of the owner’s life is tidied away, toiletries from the White Company are arranged and fluffy towels are folded, providing everything you’d expect from a four-star hotel. Co-founder Greg Marsh admits bringing geekery into every aspect of the business, including providing an iPhone for the duration of a stay. This is loaded with a onefinestay app that contains everything you need to know about the property and tips from the owner for exploring the area – in other words, a passport to becoming an instant local. Simply point your iPhone at the barcode stickers in your new ‘home’ and a video will pop up telling you how to work the heating or dishwasher, or give you a guided tour. The gadgets tell the story of the house – and they’re interesting tales.

I sampled a pied-à-terre in the heart of London’s Monopoly-board must-have, Mayfair – a plush but cosy blend of high ceilings and book-lined walls – and also tried the ultimate bachelor’s pad: a high-tech apartment with views over the Houses of Parliament that, even for a Londoner, were breathtaking. Staying in these wonderfully unique properties allowed access to fascinating pockets of the city.

Travelling companions

If you don’t have a property to swap, or you’d like your insider info delivered in person, you might want to sign up to Crashpadder (www.crashpadder.com), a site that helps those visiting cities for work or pleasure link up with people who have space for rent. It offers 1,155 rooms in 78 countries, which you can browse on a site that is as much a social network as an accommodation service, creating a ‘homestay community’. Reminiscent of dating sites, Crashpadder encourages members to match their personalities to that of their hosts. If you like second-hand bookshops you can seek out a bibliophile who knows the best bookshops in town, or if you like to be in tucked up by 9pm you can find hosts who also turn in early.

Friendly footprints

The company also offers a more sustainable way to travel: ‘carbon coach’ Dave Hampton has calculated that a stay with Crashpadder means your carbon footprint is around 80% smaller than if you’d stayed in a hotel. And it seems it’s not just pleasure-seekers who are choosing to travel this way, with Crashpadder founder Stephen Rapoport estimating that 50% of users are business people – the most cost-conscious travellers, and those most likely to have grown weary of the ‘chocolate on the pillow’ sameness of hotel rooms.

Rapoport notes that his company relies on the concept “that most people in the world are really nice – the whole site is based on that principle.” And with Abbey claiming that her swap “restored her faith in humanity”, it seems that going local could make for a richer travel experience. So get clicking – you never know where it could take you.

Shot on location at a onefinestay member’s property in Primrose Hill, London

Photography Paul Farnham
Stylist Nino Bauti
Hair & Make-up Katie Webster
Model Alex Beer

1ST IMAGE BOSS Black Jacket and burgundy roll neck jumper by Hugo Boss;
2ND IMAGE Stripe shirt by Tommy Hilfiger; Brown leather belt and grey denim trousers by Dirk Bikkembergs;
3RD IMAGE Cord blazer, cream cashmere roll neck jumper and jeans all by Tommy Hilfiger;
4TH IMAGE Violet cashmere V-neck jumper by Tommy Hilfiger; BOSS Black White cotton shirt by Hugo Boss; Jeans by Tommy Hilfiger;
5TH IMAGE Black wool coat, black leather gloves and black leather weekend bag all by Dirk Bikkembergs; Black leather boots by Dirk Bikkembergs Sport Couture; Black cotton/cashmere roll neck jumper, wool check trousers and black leather belt all by Tommy Hilfiger.

For stockists visit www.tommyhilfiger.com, www.bikkembergs.com, www.hugoboss.com

FR L’eau-de-vie de Gascogne

De nombreuses compagnies offrent de bons plans via internet aux voyageurs soucieux de leur budget : échange de maisons, séjours chez des privés et hôtels d’un autre type – Jenny McNeely explore les meilleurs côtés de ces options économiques et classiques

Y a-t-il façon plus agréable de voyager qu’en entrant dans l’intimité des personnes qui ont choisi de vivre dans cet endroit ?

Abbey, journaliste à la retraite s’est lancée dans l’aventure avec Luxe Home Swap (luxehomeswap.com), en échangeant sa villa en France contre un flat à Copenhague, appartenant à Emil, un DJ de 26 ans. « Je n’aurais jamais choisi Copenhague, » confie-t-elle, « mais lorsque nous avons commencé à correspondre par mail, notre sens de l’humour était tellement semblable ! Emil m’a fait voir la ville à travers sa personnalité. »

Swap My City Pad (swapmycitypad.com) offre un service similaire, centré sur les appartements dans des zones urbaines, pour éviter aussi que les city breaks ne ressemblent à des incursions dans d’anciens quartiers délabrés. Les membres peuvent laisser des conseils sur le site, et vous pouvez même rejoindre des réseaux spécifiques liés à votre profession.

Vous n’êtes pas attiré par un échange ? onefinestay (onefinestay.com) offre une ambiance différente des hôtels classiques, avec la liberté et l’aisance d’une demeure privée, mais avec les services d’un établissement hôtelier. Un iPhone vous y est même proposé avec le séjour qui met tout à votre disposition pour vous acclimater.

Enfin, Crashpadder (crashpadder.com) met en contact voyageurs et locataires, sur un site qui s’apparente autant à un réseau social qu’à un service d’hébergement. Le principe est d’encourager les membres à rencontrer des hôtes qui s’accordent à leur personnalité. Au bout du compte, cette dimension locale pourrait bien vous faire découvrir de plus larges horizons.

NL De geest van Gascogne

Slimme internetbedrijven bieden budgetbewuste reizigers huisruil, homestays en ‘un-hotels’ aan – Jenny McNeely ontdekt het beste van beide werelden

Hoe beter reizen dan ergens te verblijven waarvan je weet dat iemand anders de plek zo leuk vindt dat hij er zijn thuis van heeft gemaakt? Journalist op rust Abbey probeerde het uit via Luxe Home Swap (luxehomeswap.com), ze ruilde haar villa in Frankrijk in voor een appartement in Kopenhagen van de 26-jarige DJ Emil. “Ik had Kopenhagen zelf nooit gekozen”, zegt ze, “maar toen we begonnen te e-mailen leken we hetzelfde gevoel voor humor te hebben”. “Dankzij Emil kreeg de stad toch persoonlijkheid”.

Swap My City Pad (swapmycitypad.com) biedt een gelijkende dienst, met de focus op stadsappartementen zodat citytrips geen verleden tijd hoeven te zijn in economisch moeilijke tijden. Leden kunnen tips achterlaten op de website zodat er instant gidsen ontstaan. U kunt zelfs lid worden van specifieke netwerken op basis van uw beroep. Als swap u niet meteen aanspreekt, dan is onefinestay (onefinestay.com) misschien wel iets voor u; een ‘un-hotel’ ervaring die u de vrijheid en unieke sfeer van ‘thuis’ bezorgt mét de diensten van een hotel. U beschikt er zelfs over een iPhone, inclusief applicatie die alles bevat wat u nodig hebt om perfect te functioneren als local.

Tot slot brengt Crashpadder (crashpadder.com) reizigers in contact met slaapplaatsaanbieders. De site is zowel een social network site als een accommodatiedienst. De leden worden aangespoord te zoeken naar een gastheer met een gelijklopende persoonlijkheid. Bij locals logeren zou wel eens een bijzonder rijke reiservaring kunnen zijn.

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