How You Can Travel Long Term By Using Your Home

If you have dreams of traveling, one of the most difficult parts of making those dreams a reality is deciding how you’ll finance your trip and what you should do with your home in the meantime. Your home is a sacred place, and of course one of your primary concerns will be ensuring it’s in good condition while you’re away. Fortunately, you can combine your financial needs with your needs for home caretaking. There are ways you can use your home to your advantage while you’re on the road. Your home can easily be the key to fulfilling your travel goals, if executed correctly. So get ready to pack your suitcases. Here are three easy and awesome ways that you can travel long-term by using your home:

Do a Home Exchange

A home exchange is a great way to explore another culture and have an authentic travel experience. The premise for a home exchange is simple: you list your home on one of the many home exchange websites, and search for a home in a place you’d like to visit. Then, you’ll exchange homes with someone you interact with. At first, this can be nerve-wracking: after all, you’re trading homes with a complete stranger. But this is no different than listing your home on Airbnb. Through many home exchange platforms, home insurance is included, and users are vetted through background checks.

On the plus side, you won’t have to pay for accommodation when you’re away, which is easily one of the biggest costs associated with travel. And rather than stay in a hotel, you’ll live in the footsteps of someone else, and become fully immersed in their world for a genuine, local experience.

List Your Home On Airbnb

While you’re away, why not list your home on Airbnb to help curb some of those mortgage costs? This rental platform is an ideal way to earn some money while you’re on the road. Depending on your location, you may even have some money left over after you’ve paid your mortgage. In an economic report published by Airbnb, the company revealed that 87% of its listers listed their primary homes for rent.

There are several things to keep in mind when you’re listing on Airbnb while you’re away. First of all, you have to think about the check-in process. How will your guests get inside the apartment? A self-check in process would be ideal. You might use a master lock with combination that contains the key, or you might live in a condo building that will handle the check-in process for you. Alternatively, you could enlist the help of a trusted friend or family member, and pay them for their services.

Lastly, you have to think about how your home will be cleaned when your guests leave in preparation for future guests. Before you leave, it’s crucial that you have your home deep cleaned and double checked for maintenance.

“The last thing you want is to have to deal with a home maintenance issue while you’re away and it’s more difficult to manage,” says Summit Gutter, a gutter contractor in Denver CO. “It’s important to take a preventative approach to getting your home ready before you leave, rather than a reactive approach.”

Sublet Your Home

If you plan to be away for a few months, it may best to sublet your home. This is especially true if you don’t want to deal with the hands-on guest services that comes with listing on Airbnb. When you sublet your home, you can focus on your travel adventures and not have to worry about each guest that comes in and out, although chances are you won’t make a profit through subletting. Yet, for many, the unseen benefits are peace of mind.

You can list your home for sublet on sites like Craigslist and Sublet.com. At this point, you should get into landlord mode. You’ll need to handle a deposit, compose a lease, and take pictures of the property. You should also invest in a storage facility to put away all your current belongings and personal items. Of course, your sublet should be offered as furnished, ensuring you don’t have to clear out the entire home to accommodate your subletter.

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