I recently wrote a post about how living on the beach year-round has spoiled me, making beach vacations less appealing, even though I now live by a lake. Places like Belize and Honduras, despite having the world’s second largest reef barrier, and Cancún’s Riviera Maya with its beautiful white sand, don’t offer the type of holiday I’m looking for anymore.

At the end of my post, I humorously mentioned the idea of house swapping with someone in the US, since my dream vacation has shifted to an interesting city break. Initially, I didn’t think much of it, but the idea has since grown on me. I’m pretty flexible about the destination and dates, so maybe someone would enjoy spending a week or two in Northern Guatemala?

Last year, I had an Airbnb guest who rented my house for a whole month, which covered our flights and efficiency rental in Miami. But house swapping sounds like a great idea too, as I love to barter, so I’m excited to give it a try.

I’ll test this concept on my blog first to see what kind of offers my property can attract. You can check it out on my Guatemala page or my Bed and Breakfast page. It’s a charming little house with three bedrooms.

To summarize:
– The house sleeps 6 people in two double rooms and one twin room. There’s a fourth double room that will stay locked unless you need to sleep 8 people, though I’d prefer it not to be used.
– One bedroom has a private bath, while the other two share a bathroom.
– There’s a full kitchen and a smaller summer kitchen on a panoramic terrace.
– The property includes an open-air living room and a second panoramic bar terrace.
– It has a private beach and a private deck.
– You can hire a cleaner for $8 for half a day.
– If you don’t want to take care of our animals (hens and ducks), a handyman will come daily to do so, and we cover his pay.
– If you include your car, we will include ours. Otherwise, we can discuss car rental options, or you can rent one from Hertz, which is 20 miles away.
– The house is located in Northern Guatemala, near the Tikal and Yaxhá ruins, Flores island, jungle parks, a zoo, and more.

What I’m looking for:
– A city center or close suburb accessible via public transportation, or a convenient location between several interesting cities (e.g., 2 hours from NYC, 2 hours from Boston).
– Preferably on the East Coast, from Miami to Montreal, but open to West Coast, Chicago, New Orleans, or areas near National Parks like in Colorado or Las Vegas.
– A car if your house isn’t in a walkable area.
– At least one bedroom or an efficiency if in the city center, no house shares or roommates.
– I’m happy to feed your pets and water your plants.
– A one-week minimum stay to make it worthwhile for both sides, with the possibility of up to 2 months if your place is really cool.
– I’m very flexible on dates but would like to visit your city when the weather is nice, so unless you’re in Miami or San Diego, that probably means from April to October. The swap doesn’t have to be on the same dates; for example, I can take July, and you can take December while I’m elsewhere.

If you’re interested in a house swap with a place in Guatemala, please get in touch through the comments or email me at tdmpauline@gmail.com!