Trading Mansions Sounds Like a Dream. It’s Also a More Sustainable Way to Travel.
4 min
For many, the idea of doing a home exchange is enticing: The thrill of a new destination, calling an inspired new space home away from home, living like a local for a little while. But what happens if you have a sprawling estate on the ocean to offer yet can’t find a property swap that comes close to the size and luxury of your own?
Enter: HomeExchange Collection, a division of Paris-based HomeExchange, a 30-year-old home-swapping company with over 100,000 residences across 133 countries and teams in Zagreb, Croatia, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The new division launched last year and focuses solely on luxury property trades.
“Some of our members were over flooded with requests from people who wanted to exchange homes, yet their houses just weren’t as nice,” the company’s co-founder Emmanuel Arnaud says. “That’s why we decided to launch HomeExchange Collection, to better cater to the needs of clients with super-luxurious homes. It’s a space where they can meet other like-minded travellers who want to exchange their little piece of paradise they’ve built all around the world,” Arnaud says.
THE ITEM
HomeExchange Collection is an uber-exclusive community of home (and yacht and farm and castle) owners. And the criteria for membership is stringent. Homes are required to be valued at US$1.5 million or more, though US$2 million to US$10 million is typical.
“Location is a big part of it as well as amenities,” Arnaud says. “For example, if your house doesn’t have a pool in a prime sunny location, it’s going to be harder to make the cut.”
The houses themselves are anything but ordinary. Many come with five-star amenities such as boats, tennis courts, gyms, notable artworks, pools, daily housekeeping, and private chefs. Some of the most luxurious offerings include a 6,700-square-foot mansion in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with a full-time gardener, chef, maid, and part-time massage therapist; a penthouse in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood with a 750-square-foot terrace; a coffee farm in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and a hillside villa in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with a60-foot solar-heated lap pool and hot tub on the terrace.
Courtesy of HomeExchange Collection
Exchanges needn’t be reciprocal or immediate, either. If a member lends their home without reciprocity, they get GuestPoints to bank for a stay somewhere else at another time.
Members of the HomeExchange Collection can lend their homes to each other for a weekend, week, or month—and all include the benefit of their host’s insider intel. Other perks include a 100% flexible cancellation policy for guests, up to US$2 million in property damage protection, and access to the member service team 24/7.
PRICE
If your home is selected, an annual membership to HomeExchange Collection costs US$1,000, which gives members the opportunity for unlimited exchanges during the calendar year.
DESCRIPTION
With over 4,000 luxury homes in over 70 countries across the globe, from France and Italy to Thailand, Australia, and the U.A.E., even the most affluent are reconsidering the way they vacation. “Covid has invited everyone to rethink being in shared, public spaces, and instead having a whole place to themselves,” Arnaud says.
It’s a shift happening, in part, Arnaud says, because of growing environmental awareness.
“People are rethinking their relationship to consumption,” he says. “The idea that you have this very, very nice home sitting idle while you’re paying to be at a hotel sounds a bit absurd. Why not use these homes which would otherwise be empty?”
WHAT’S THE GOOD?
As a certified B Corp, HomeExchange Collection meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability—and it’s the definition of responsible tourism. By nature, the concept of home exchanging is a more sustainable way to travel. By using pre-existing accommodations and encouraging people to live like locals, the local ecosystem remains undisturbed.
“We think our approach makes better use of the existing infrastructure, the existing homes, rather than building new homes and hotels,” Arnaud says.
The company takes its commitment to the environment one step further by calculating its carbon footprint every year, trying to reduce it, and contributing to global carbon neutrality by investing in social and environmental projects.
Meanwhile, members, through HomeExchange’s Solidarity group, can open their homes to relief workers or affected members in instances such as pandemics, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, or war.
“It started with Covid when we realized we had a lot of homes available and a lot of people who wanted to help. We launched the Solidarity program to help frontline workers in hospitals to be able to have a place where they could stay without having to commute back and forth,” Arnaud says. The program was then expanded to house Ukrainian refugees.
WHAT’S NEXT
Aside from continuing to grow membership and properties worldwide, Arnaud’s mission is for everyone to have the opportunity to go on vacation. The company has already partnered with an organisation in France, Le Secours Catholique, which helps low-income families travel.
“We want to be able to help people go on a vacation, no matter who they are, and we are looking for the right kind of partners and the right kind of ways to put that into place on a wider scale,” Arnaud says.
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From citrus oils to warming spices, the classic G&T is being reimagined at home as a more thoughtful, seasonal ritual for modern entertaining.
From the Caribbean to Australia’s east coast, Oyster’s latest world rally promises a bluewater voyage designed for owners seeking ultimate sailing experiences.
From citrus oils to warming spices, the classic G&T is being reimagined at home as a more thoughtful, seasonal ritual for modern entertaining.
5 minThere is a shift happening in the way we entertain. As more gatherings move back into the home, simple drinks are being elevated into considered rituals.
The classic G&T, once a default pour, is now being revisited with fresh attention to balance, aroma, and seasonal flavour.
As Never Never co-founder Sean Baxter says: “It’s about getting the fundamentals right: proportion, temperature and aroma. Once those are in place, you don’t need much else.”
For autumn gatherings, the focus is on structure and subtlety, from crisp citrus oils expressed over the glass to mineral-driven profiles that pair well with food.
Here, Kanebridge News sat down with Sean to explore the return of classic serves and the art of building a better gin and tonic.
Q: We’re seeing a return to classic drinks in 2026. Why do you think the gin and tonic is having a moment again?
A: I don’t think the G&T has necessarily gone anywhere; people have just been experimenting more and more when it comes to finding the style of drinks they enjoy.
G&T is the perfect apéritif; it fills that moment in the late afternoon or early evening before dinner and is easily customisable to fit a wide range of garnish styles and tonic varieties.
It’s also pretty resilient when it comes to current economic pressures because it’s a very affordable mixed drink that can be prepared at home very easily.
Q: What are the key differences between styles of gin? How do juniper-forward, citrus-driven or coastal styles differ in flavour and structure?
Juniper forward gins are the style of gin that has been around for hundreds of years.
They are built using juniper, which is a small, round ‘berry’, but it’s actually a type of cone (similar to a pinecone).
These are usually complemented by root-like flavours such as liquorice and angelica root, with citrus notes from coriander seeds.
These sorts of gins (think Gordons and Tanqueray) have dominated the landscape up until the last few decades.
Some slightly more contemporary gins have started driving a more citrus-forward approach all while delivering a juniper backbone (think Bombay, Tanqueray 10 and Beefeater).
The ultra-contemporary category was born of the popularity of brands like Hendricks, which began exploring completely non-traditional flavours. The vast majority of Australian gin sits in this section.
Q: How much does juniper still define a gin today? Has that shifted with modern distilling trends?
A: Juniper still defines gin. It’s the anchor point in terms of flavour from a traditional sense, and there should still be a representation of juniper in the flavour profile, even when making a contemporary style.
Without juniper, you’re really making a botanical spirit rather than gin, and there are certainly a fair few of those knocking about.
What has shifted is the dominance of juniper in the final blend of ingredients.
Traditionally, it was the loudest instrument in the orchestra, like the bass drum or tuba.
Ultra-contemporary gin styles tend to treat it more as a component rather than a lead, supported by citrus, spice, or floral flavours.
In a good example of gins out there, it’s more like the occasional ping of a triangle rather than anything booming in its presence.
Q: You’ve spoken about “proportion, temperature and aroma”. What are the most common mistakes people make when making a gin and tonic at home?
It usually comes down to those three things that are pretty easy to manage when making a drink.
Proportion: People often under-pour the gin and drown the drink in tonic or vice versa. A good G&T should taste clearly of both.
A great G&T should be a perfect balance and not overly bitter.
Measure your ingredients. I always aim for a 3-to-1 ratio of 3 parts tonic to 1 part gin (also using your fingers doesn’t count, buy a jigger). It’s also a good thing to know how many standard drinks you’ve consumed.
Temperature: Not enough ice or a warm tonic will flatten the drink. Fill the glass properly and start cold. Always try to use cold tonic water; it affects the size of the bubbles in the drink and is often the difference between an ok G&T and a spectacular one.
Aroma: Garnish isn’t just a decoration; it adds flavour and aroma. Your nose hits the glass before your palate.
A fresh citrus peel or herb can completely change the drink. Equally, a 3-day-old brown lime wedge can ruin a perfectly acceptable mixer. Fresh is best.
Get those three right and the drink improves immediately.
Q: How do seasonal ingredients influence gin? Are there certain flavour profiles better suited to autumn and winter entertaining?
Seasonality certainly influences how we enjoy gin (and how often we head out).
In the Aussie summer months, people gravitate toward bright citrus and fresh herbs as garnishes in drinks. Think bright thyme and zesty lemon or lime leaf and mint.
As the weather cools down, we tend to shift towards warming botanicals like cinnamon, cardamom, star anise or even roasted citrus.
Some players work the whole way through like orange. You can also consider how to add seasonal modifiers to your G&T to make it work better.
I like playing with certain types of soda (blood orange in particular), paired with warm spices and a classic Indian Tonic, to add a little more winter character to a G&T.
Q: For someone building a home bar, is it better to invest in one versatile gin or several different styles?
At Never Never, we’ve always prided ourselves on creating super versatile gins that hit every occasion.
My recommendation is to always feature a classic juniper style (like our Triple Juniper Gin) as it would certainly satisfy most ‘gin fans’ in the room if they are into classic juniper character.
That being said, with the rise of contemporary gins, it’s nice to include one or two other heavy hitters if it’s something you can afford (our Oyster Shell Gin is a great citrus-forward alternative to our classic styles).
Q: Finally, if someone thinks they “don’t like gin”, what are they likely reacting to, and what style would you suggest they try instead?
Try it again. One of the most common things we get at the distillery is “Sorry, I don’t like gin, it’s too bitter.”
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all this time you haven’t enjoyed gin; it’s actually the tonic you’ve been averse to.
Try it with a fresh citrus soda or spicy ginger beer and lime, and see if it’s more to your liking.
Also, if your first example is one your aunt made for you at Christmas time, it probably didn’t exactly adhere to everything covered in the 4th question, so it’s worth having another go.
If you still don’t like gin after all that, we make a pretty good vodka that is winning awards all over the world.
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