Want to know about house swapping? Here's how it saved us thousands on holidays

The homes I stayed in in Panama were amazing villas, one had a pool. They were the kind of houses I wouldn’t have been able to afford if I were paying for the accommodation.

A growing number of Irish people are using home exchange platforms like HomeExchange.com.

It’s that dreary time of year, when we all start to daydream about our summer holidays. We’ve all been there - picturing ourselves staying in a beach-side villa in the Caribbean, a top floor loft in Brooklyn, or a city centre apartment in Milan. Then we think of how much that would cost and come down to earth with a bang, and for most of us, we book that campsite in Spain we stayed in last year.

But for a growing number of Irish people using home exchange platforms like HomeExchange.com, these fantasy holidays are becoming reality. Dublin-based Patsy Winters has been home swapping for nine years and has done 45 house exchanges.