Holiday Home Exchange

Grace Gagnon

You know the iconic holiday movie, The Holiday, where Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet swap homes for the holidays? Well...I lived out The Holiday last Christmas.

I posted a TikTok video of my apartment, asking if anyone in England wanted to swap homes during the holiday season. Much to my surprise, it went viral with almost 4 million views and thousands of offers from people all over the globe willing to exchange homes. I assumed no one would see it. It was a joke...until I realized it could actually happen.

My family expressed some concerns, mainly about my fear of getting hurt or taken advantage of. I mean, who would go to a stranger's home and live there for 2 weeks and let this stranger stay in my home unattended?! What if they stole something? What if I got catfished?! What if...

But what if it went well? What if I made a lifelong friendship out of the exchange? What if I didn't let those fears dictate whether I would go through with the exchange. I just took extra caution in selecting my co-swapper.

Renee Belina

I LOVE this story, @Grace Gagnon Sooooooo unique. And fun. And brave. Thanks for sharing!