The Secret to My Dream Trip to New York: HomeExchange

At HomeExchange, we love to give the floor to those best placed to talk about it: our members. This testimony comes to us from Sergio, a photographer, photo trip organizer, and HomeExchange member, who tells us how he discovered the world thanks to HomeExchange.

Home Exchange as a Means of Travel

My name is Sergio Arias, I'm a pro photographer, and I specialize in organizing photo trips. I actually started hitting the road and traveling the world thanks to one simple thing: home exchange. It allowed me to discover incredible places like a local, which is absolutely essential for properly planning my trips.

Speaking of which, do you know where the biggest part of the budget goes when you travel? Meals? Nope. Flights? That depends on the destination, but usually not. So, what is it? Accommodation!

That's right, lodging: hotel, cottage, apartment, hostel, RV, whatever—the longer you stay, the higher the bill, and it's practically exponential.

At the same time, who hasn't dreamed of spending three weeks in New York? But seriously, do you have any idea how much a hotel costs there? Unsurprisingly, it's expensive, very expensive; you could leave a kidney there, and even one or two salaries on top of that!

That's why, when I decided to travel to do photography, a long time ago now, I quickly realized I needed more than just a few days to soak up a place and take amazing shots. I didn't just want to stay for a week; I wanted time. And that's when I found the miracle solution: HomeExchange.

Trusting Others and Multiplying Exchanges

My very first exchange was in 2012. Back then, I was just a photography enthusiast who wanted to make up for lost time by traveling. The concept wasn't at all established in Spain. My friends kept saying: "Seriously, you're going to leave a stranger all alone in your house?" And I replied: "Yes, just like they leave me alone in theirs!"

It's crazy how mistrustful we are by nature. Yet, we don't hesitate to ask others to trust us.

From 2012 to 2023, I kept lining up exchanges: Venice, the Dolomites, Canada, Normandy, Paris, Rome, Prague (twice), and many more... And of course, New York!

Home exchange: Manhattan - Enrique’s home - New York County/United States - HomeExchange

My apartment is located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It consists of one small bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living area

HomeExchange

A Waking Dream in New York

I spent three whole weeks there. A true waking dream. Be careful, though, it wasn't easy! I'm not talking about the price, but the hassle of finding a house. Or rather, houses. Because New York is the most requested city in the world for exchanges.

I had insane luck for this: I managed to string together two accommodations and stay there for three weeks, and thus enjoy the city like a true New Yorker.

And not just anywhere, please! Right next to Central Park.

Imagine: you're at home, you look out the window, and there's Central Park. The grand avenues, the famous yellow taxis, the dizzying skyscrapers, the steam escaping from the manholes... Wow!

With so much time, you experience things so differently. I went without pressure, at my own pace, I often returned to my favorite spots, I discovered new ones, I did my grocery shopping, and I even achieved the dream of seeing a live baseball game. The apartments were great: sufficient for me, well-located, with everything necessary.

What I love about home exchange is that funny little moment when you go to the corner supermarket and bump into "your neighbors."

An Unforgettable Stay in New York

All that time spent in New York allowed me to take great photos, and some are even among the best in my portfolio. I'm only showing you two, but I took thousands.

Can you imagine doing a two-hour long exposure to capture the moon's movement over Manhattan? (Yes, that streak you see is the path the moon traveled during two hours of exposure.)

Or, managing to catch a helicopter passing right in front of the moon? You have to arm yourself with patience—that is the quality of great photographers.

I was lucky. Can you imagine being there and thinking: "It would be great if a helicopter flew right in front of the moon," and it happens? The only catch is that I thought of it before setting up my gear. I felt a bit silly; my wish had come true, but I didn't have time to shoot! So, I told myself: "Well, maybe it'll pass by again". And that's how I managed to get this shot.

This is how, by exchanging my home, I was able to deeply explore destinations where I now organize photo trips.

Living Your Passion Thanks to HomeExchange

As I told you at the beginning, my job is to travel, but not just any way. I travel the world to teach photography to those who come with me. How so?

Basically, I organize photographic tours all over the world. The idea is for people to discover the most beautiful corners of the planet, all while learning how to take photos.

Among the destinations where I've done exchanges and now organize photo trips: Iceland, Canada, Normandy and Brittany, New York, the Dolomites, Slovenia, Rome, Venice, Prague, Amsterdam, etc.

But specifically, what is a photo trip?

It's super simple. Imagine a photography course in your city, where you go out to practice while being coached. Now, imagine doing the same thing while exploring the Big Apple. Or, in Iceland, being in the heart of nature and learning to immortalize the Northern Lights. Even if you have little knowledge, in one week (that's roughly the duration), you learn a ton of stuff.

Thanks to home exchange, I was truly able to launch my career. It saved me a lot of cash, because, I repeat, accommodation is by far the most expensive thing; in New York alone, I saved over €5,000!

If you want to travel without breaking the bank, home exchange is the solution. If you want to travel, live incredible experiences, all while soaking up the local culture.