As much as you may love your vacation home, you don’t love the hassle of renting it out—the logistics, the risks, the unknown renters, etc. Now there’s a great solution: A luxury home exchange that lets you swap your vacation property for others around the world, run by a private club called 3rd Home. You first need to apply for a membership (your second home must be worth a minimum of $500,000). After you’re approved, you pay a $495 membership fee (good for two years). Then you list your property on the site and deposit a certain amount of weeks. Each time you opt to stay in someone else’s home, you pay a $495 fee to 3rd Home; besides travel and food, that’s the only fee you pay.
The properties available range from a villa with a private beach in Koh Samui, Thailand to a 19th century chateau in Quimper, France. Click here to launch the gallery to check out six of our favorites.