During a recent visit to Brussels I found a home swap through the GuesttoGuest network. It could not have been in a better spot. Right in the center of all the sights of interest to tourists. The owner of the flat rents it out most of the time, presumably on Airbnb. But he also occasionally accepts home exchange guests. Perhaps traveling in the low season made me one of the lucky ones. This was particularly lucky since I couldn’t find very many house swap options in Brussels.
View from the balcony of the Brussels home exchange
The place was a large one bedroom apartment. When I booked the house swap I only needed one bed. But my plans changed and a friend ended up joining me for part of the trip. So I reached out to the host to see if we might use the couch as a second bed. He kindly offered to bring in a second bed for us. There was plenty of room to set up another bed.
large (and nicely coordinated) living room
My changed plans also extended the stay in Brussels, and again my host was super nice about my request to add another day. From his perspective that’s probably better anyway, assuming he didn’t have any paying guests booked. It’s no extra work for him, and more points to earn.
I found Brussels very beautiful, but a day and a half in the city was enough for me. We also spent a day in Bruges (an hour train ride away), and that was a great use of our extra day. Both cities are stunning. Though I did leave Belgium feeling like I hadn’t had a healthy meal in days. Chocolate, fries, waffles, and heavy meat dishes are the main offerings, and of course very good Belgian beers.
