Home Away from Home: an Exchange in Spain

“Me llamo Kathryn. Mi esposo se llama Scott.”

This prompted a stream of high speed Spanish from the neighbour who had let us into the building. Her name was Maria, but I had no idea what else she was saying. I wish I’d started with “No hablo Español,” instead of practicing my rudimentary language skills!

We’d arranged our stay in Northern Spain through Home Exchange. Since my last exchange, 25 years before, the program had changed and it was no longer necessary to do mutual, concurrent exchanges. I’d used my points to book 6 nights at Rony’s apartment in the Old Town of San Sebastián-Donostia.

After a week in hotels in Barcelona and Bilbao, it was a wonderful change to be in someone’s home. We could make coffee and breakfast, buy cheese and vegetables to snack on, do our laundry! Our host gave us tips on restaurants and stores in the area, and was available by text when we had questions.

There was a full selection of spices and other staples, and Ronny had left a bottle of Basque cider in the fridge for us to try. Scott didn’t need to sit on a bed to practice his guitar, and I could hang clothes outside the window to dry. I was surprised to see that the book I’d been reading before we left home (and hadn’t finished) was on the bookshelf, along with others interesting reads.

Of course, there were challenges as well. Thanks to the internet we could get directions for the coffee machine and translate the settings on the washer, but we never did figure out how to use the microwave/toaster oven, nor what to do when the intercom rang.

The most important part, however, was our taste of what it might be like to live there. Our favourite bar was right downstairs, and we explored the variety of pintxos (Basque tapas.) We shopped at local markets and took out the garbage and recycling.

The town was a wonderful base for exploring. We hiked up hills and along some of the Camino del Norte. We explored old forts and surfed on a nearby beach. We ate amazing food.

If you have a chance, consider doing a home exchange. It’s more personal than an AirBnB and cosier than a hotel. If you’re willing to host people in your own home it becomes a very inexpensive way to travel.

Having rediscovered home exchange, I will certainly be doing it again!