‘I’ve saved £50k with a clever hack and visited 20 cities, resorts and islands – I basically travel the world for free’

A flight attendant who has saved £50,000 with a “clever” hack and visited around 20 cities, resorts and islands has said he basically “travels the world for free”.

Andre Hellstrom, 56, who lives near Westbourne Park station in London, has been using the home-swapping platform HomeExchange for more than a decade and has completed 42 exchanges to date.

The platform allows users to exchange their homes over dates of mutual choosing, or if a member lends their home without reciprocity, their guest can offer GuestPoints to thank them for their hospitality.

Andre often chooses long-term exchanges, lasting around three to five months, and has travelled to numerous countries, including Australia, Italy, Mexico, Indonesia, Spain and France.

Working as a flight attendant, Andre has the flexibility and opportunity to travel cheaply and still works during the exchanges, and he said home-swapping “literally opens doors around the world”.

“HomeExchange definitely is a clever way to travel,” Andre told PA Real Life.

“Since I fly cheaply, I have lots of flexibility with my schedule, so if I get an offer from Bucharest in Romania – somewhere that’s maybe not top of my list – I’ll think, ‘OK, why not?’

“Then I’ll move around my days and I’ll go for a short weekend or something, so it’s quite exciting sometimes.”

Andre explained that travelling is his “big passion” and, being a flight attendant, he is able to explore the world “all the time”.

He said he enjoys documenting his various trips with photography and believes he “must have been an explorer in (his) previous life”.

Recalling one of his earliest travel memories, he said: “My parents took me on a holiday to Madeira in Portugal and I just knew, then and there, that I wanted to travel.”

Andre now lives in a one-bedroom flat in London, which boasts “hard to beat” views overlooking the canal.

The father-of-two said he heard about HomeExchange from a friend while in San Francisco years ago, but he initially thought the concept was “strange”.

“I met him in San Francisco and they checked into this home, and I just thought, ‘Oh my God, this is strange to live in someone else’s home’,” Andre said.

“But then I started thinking and it makes a lot of sense… it’s all built on trust.

“It’s quite extraordinary because everybody on the site is very respectful and you feel like you’re part of a secret community.”

Andre joined the platform in around 2010 and has since completed 42 exchanges, visiting places such as Stockholm, Paris, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Maui, Bali and Sydney.

From staying at The Westin Maui resort for two weeks, to spending a month in Chamonix skiing, Andre believes he has saved around £50,000 to date.

“I basically travel for free and exchanges are almost free too,” he said.

“It just requires a lot of planning and a wish to be a good host to your guest.

“I’m surprised that not more people do it.”

Andre said one of his first exchanges was in Barcelona and he had “the best summer of (his) life”.

On other trips, he has experienced “drag shows and parties” but said he cannot reveal too much about these events.

In his own home, he has welcomed a journalist and an author, and he will soon be hosting two film producers who live in “mansions in LA”.

Recalling one of his most memorable stays, he said: “There are so many different ones, but the one in Rio, I have to say, that flat is amazing.

“I mean, you just wake up and you have amazing views of the Christ the Redeemer statue, and I love Rio.

“That flat, if it was on Airbnb, for a whole month it would probably cost £8,000.”

Along with visiting new places, Andre said he has made many new friends on HomeExchange and he continues to stay in touch with them.

One of the members who lives in Bali – where Andre had an “amazing experience” in a property with a pool – even helped him ship juju feather hats to his London home.

“That was a really good exchange because she was an interior designer, and I’m really into interior design,” he explained.

“I wanted to buy a juju hat – it’s something with feathers – and she helped me find people to make them and she shipped them to the UK.

“It was a bit of a nightmare… so she did me a huge favour.”

On another occasion, Andre was staying in Paris and had to look after a cat – but this did not quite go to plan.

“The cat hated me,” he said.

“I really love cats… and I thought she would love me after a while, but she never loved me.”

This August, Andre is planning to go back to Madrid for three months and said he will continue using HomeExchange for the foreseeable future, with hopes of going skiing in Switzerland or Austria.

He said he has never had any negative experiences using the platform and he would encourage others to try it, particularly if they enjoy solo travelling.

He would advise others wanting to join HomeExchange to pay for a “good cleaner” and ensure they have a “passion for hosting people”.

To those who may be hesitant, Andre said: “You have someone sleeping in your bed, but think of the money that you’re saving and you’ll forget about that.

“I feel so lucky, it literally opens doors around the world and that’s why it’s a no-brainer.

“For me, it’s just perfect. I love it.”

Jessica Poillucci, PR manager of HomeExchange, said: “HomeExchange advises people considering home-swapping to check the legalities of working remotely from your intended destination.

“Some countries may require specific visas or permits if you’re planning to work, even if it’s just remotely for your home company.

“It’s also worth noting working from a different jurisdiction can also have tax implications.

“With regards to both visas or permits and tax, it’s important to bear in mind the length of your stay as this can have an impact on both of these areas.”