Nearly a quarter of a million people emigrate from the UK every year to faraway destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada or closer-to-home favourites such as Spain and France. The decision to emigrate is a big one in anyone's life, yet many people take a blind leap of faith - selling up and moving on without knowing what it is really like to live as a local in these countries. Many will be tempted by their holiday experiences, but staying in tourist accommodation can leave the visitor with a misleading impression of what it is like to live in a community and renting a home for an extended period can be a costly affair.

Home exchange provides an affordable means of gaining first-hand experience of the life that awaits you. Many HomeLink members are retired or semi-retired, which means that they are often available for the 1-3 month stays that enable you to discover whether the reality lives up to your expectations.

Not only do you get to live in a comfortable home during your trial period, but your accommodation is free irrespective of whether you stay 1, 2, 3 months....or even longer. With a little extra planning, you can also arrange back-to-back home exchanges to find out how different locations compare. For instance, if you are thinking of Australia, you could stay in Sydney for 6 weeks and follow it with a similar period in Perth.

For the cost of an annual membership that tends to repay itself on the first night of your first exchange, HomeLink can enable you to make an emigration decision that you and your family can be confident in.

Emigration service provider websites are listed on our Useful Links page.

Please look around our website for further information on home exchange or email us at info@homelink.org.uk.