Retired teachers exploring Europe for free through...

A couple have been making the most of their retirement with HomeExchangeThey've travelled to Italy, Spain and Portugal through the house-swapping site READ MORE: The world's top 100 hotel suites for 2024 revealedVisit MailOnline Travel for more 2024 holiday tips, tricks and advice 

A couple in their fifties have traded hotels for holiday house swaps and are making the most of their retirement by swapping with other keen travellers, visiting three countries in 2023 free of charge.

One fellow house swapper even named their baby after the pair’s daughter.

Sinead McWalters, 56, a retired teacher, discovered HomeExchange, a house-swapping site, in January 2023 and, after listing her house for just 24 hours, she received her first request.

Since then Sinead has gone to Turin in Italy and travelled across Portugal, and most recently is visiting Spain, staying in homes along the way while offering her own home to holidaymakers.

The mother-of-three says that staying in local homes allows her family to ‘fully experience’ the countries they visit and the community atmosphere on the site gives her ‘faith in humanity’.

Sinead and Ronan have traded hotels for holiday house swaps after discovering HomeExchange, a house-swapping site, in January 2023

The couple, who live in south-east Ireland, listed their house on HomeExchange and received a request within 24 hours

Sinead, who lives in south-east Ireland with her husband Ronan, 55, also a retired teacher, and has three grown-up daughters, told PA Real Life: ‘The hosts of places we’ve stayed at have been so friendly – they give us restaurant recommendations and one place they even gave us their museum passes and their bikes to use.

‘It’s such a different experience than staying in hotels.

‘You’re not in a touristy area so you really get to appreciate the local culture and we get a really deep insight into their way of life.’

Sinead came across the concept of home swapping after reading a newspaper article.

The pair have visited Spain, Portugal and Italy and have stayed in accommodation free of charge by offering their home to fellow travellers. Sinead is pictured above in the Algarve

Used to camping or staying in hotels, Sinead recalled wanting to give it a try after her husband Ronan had recently retired – freeing up their time to see more of the world.

After telling him about the website, they decided to list their house and, within 24 hours, they received their first request, from a couple in Turin, Italy.

They firmed up an exchange with them by February and chose to do a swap in June 2023.

Sinead said: ‘We’ve always travelled an awful lot but we tend to stay in hotel rooms and missed the comforts of home while we were away.

Sinead said staying in local homes allows her family to ‘fully experience’ the countries they visit

Sinead and Ronan particularly bonded with a couple they home-swapped with in Turin, Italy

‘Discovering HomeExchange, we knew it was worth exploring and we couldn’t be happier. It’s just a fantastic system and we’ve met some wonderful people.’

Since their first swap the couple have toured Europe, staying in eight houses around Portugal and, most recently, exploring Malaga, Spain.

Sinead and Ronan are often abroad but say they are not interested in making money from their home swaps.

Sinead said: ‘It’s not a financial thing. I don’t like asking people for money because I think it takes the whole feeling out of it and goes against the ethos of it.’

Sometimes the couple stay at home while people visit, calling it a hospitality stay, where they are on hand for tips or help.

Sinead added: ‘We never rent out our bedroom during home exchanges so we use the spare rooms for guests.

‘When we’re also home, we give them their privacy and have a separate sitting room that they can relax in. And they have their own private bathroom.

The couple are now often away from their home in south-east Ireland

‘Often though, we find that people who come to visit want to talk to us about their plans and share their experiences. They’re always so positive and it’s lovely.

‘We’re also on hand if they need a babysitter and they want to go out for a date night, which we’re happy to do.

‘We’ve always been massive travellers and I still love camping, but it’s a summer activity, and now that we’ve retired we want to be able to go away all year round.

‘We’ve found that home exchanges are far more comfortable than other travel alternatives.

‘Our experiences have been lovely through home swapping, it’s so welcoming and caring and just gives you a lot of hope in humanity.’

Sinead revealed that they bonded so well with the couple from Turin that the Italians named their baby after their daughter.

Sinead is pictured above currently escaping the January blues in Malaga, Spain

She said: ‘They really wanted to call their baby after me but their friends and family made them realise that it would be unpronounceable in Italian.

‘So instead they named their little girl after my daughter Meabh, but are spelling her name the English way – Maeve.’

Sinead added: ‘At a hotel or an Airbnb, you’re usually in the centre, in a really touristy area, but through HomeExchange we’ve been able to stay in local neighbourhoods and it’s given us a deep insight to the local culture and way of life.

‘It’s an experience you would just never get otherwise and we love being able to connect with other people.

‘HomeExchange has given me so much hope for humanity. The trust, transparency, welcome, and generosity is far greater than I would ever have imagined.’