Bamberg, Germany -- September 01, 2026 -- HomeLink, the home-swap travel network marking its 75th year, is letting new members try the platform free for three months while more than doubling its cancellation guarantee fund from 2,000 to 5,000 euros. The organization connects 60,000 members across 70 countries who trade homes instead of booking hotels, and families can save up to 4,000 euros on accommodation depending on destination and length of stay. The changes apply to HomeLink Deutschland, the German nonprofit branch of the network founded in 1953.
During the free trial, prospective members can list their own home, browse listings from other members and start conversations with potential swap partners. A paid membership only kicks in once two households actually agree to a swap, according to HomeLink.
Trading keys instead of paying for hotel rooms
The appeal is straightforward: no accommodation costs change hands between swap partners, so the money that would have gone to a hotel goes toward flights, day trips, museum tickets or a nicer dinner out. HomeLink members stay in a real home in a real neighborhood rather than a rental block built for tourists, and the company frames the model as a lower-impact alternative to mass tourism since it uses housing stock that already exists rather than adding new hotel capacity.
Members also swap more than square footage. Many pass along neighborhood tips, restaurant recommendations and local know-how, and HomeLink said some of these connections turn into lasting friendships between families who keep swapping over the years.
Doubling the safety net for cancelled swaps
HomeLink said outright cancellations are rare, but they do happen -- most often because of serious illness or a death in a partner family. When that occurs, HomeLink first tries to line up a replacement swap somewhere in its international network. If no replacement can be found, the organization now pays out up to 1,800 euros in support, funded by a guarantee pool that has grown from 2,000 to 5,000 euros overall.
Daniela Gocker of HomeLink Deutschland said the network is built on trust, reliability and connection between people, and that members should know they won't be left on their own if something unforeseen happens.
Each swap is guided by a dedicated HomeLink contact person who stays involved from the first message between members through the signing of a written swap agreement, which spells out the terms both households agree to before anyone packs a bag. HomeLink International is registered as a nonprofit organization in Brussels, while HomeLink Deutschland operates as a registered nonprofit association.