Many people are familiar with the concept of renting out their homes in the form of Airbnb, but since then the idea has evolved in many ways. James Asquith, the Guiness World Record holder for being the youngest man to visit all 196 countries in the world, came up with the idea for people to create a platform that allows others to swap their homes. The idea gave birth to Holiday Swap which then went on to become an award-winning platform.
Holiday Swap is a home exchange platform that was designed to allow travelers to securely swap and host their homes, charging at a mere dollar per person a night. The concept was immediately received by people, bringing over half a million users from 185 countries in the world. Holiday Swap’s success results from their subscription plans, giving travelers the chance to spend less and use their money for flights and tours.
Users on the platform can message unmatched users, bringing one guest free of charge. Holiday Swap was designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for people to match with other users and chat using their preferred language. People can decide whether they want to swap homes simultaneously, host travelers, or crash as a guest. Holiday Swap makes social connections worldwide for future tips, exchange local travel tips, discover new destinations, or visit old favorite locations.
“We are a true sharing economy platform that, in 2020, was voted one of the top 20 companies for social good’ in Forbes and ‘The Best Home Sharing Platform’ by LUX Life Magazine,” said James Asquith, founder and CEO of Holiday Swap, “This is a clear demonstration of the problem we are trying to solve, which is allowing all of us to use our bed as our ticket to travel around the world.”
Holiday Swap’s success can be attributed to the unique nature of its business, which has attracted the attention of the traveling millennials. Apart from its services, the platform provides users with an affordable price that has quickly drawn people from everywhere, creating a worldwide community and network. “Holiday Swap is more than just a home exchange platform, but an experience for every traveler,” said Asquith.
Recently, the Holiday Swap app received an update in September with several new features. Included in the update is its new and improved search rankings and results and its chat interface, making communication flow smoother among the users. Additionally, Holiday Swap gives them the ability to link their profiles to multiple spaces. The app also developed an intuitive and interactive map for users to get by in their travels. To celebrate the update of the app, Holiday Swap is also doing a $10,000 giveaway. Details on the giveaway are on their Instagram.
James Asquith’s journey around the world played a significant role in conceptualizing Holiday Swap. His stay in London was a topic that often arose and eventually laid the foundation for his brand. Holiday Swap’s massive growth has been beneficial to other travelers, saving them from financial woes and freeing them to enjoy their trips.
While it has enjoyed immediate success, Asquith projects Holiday Swap reaching a valuation of $2 billion. He foresees the brand becoming leaders in the space and widening the gap annually. “We want to have over 50 million users by then in every country we possibly can,” he said, “We want to disrupt the travel industry and change the way young people travel.”
Learn more about Holiday Swap by visiting their official website.
