When you purchase a time-share, you buy a condo or apartment for a certain number of weeks per year, and share the property with other owners. One of the benefits of owning a time-share is the ability to exchange your time-share with other owners. There are large time-share networks, such as RCI, that allow you to exchange time-share locations with other owners. Even if you don't own a time-share, you can rent one of the time-share condominiums or villas for the length of time you want to be on vacation in Mexico. Sites like Moskito Playa del Carmen specialize in time-share rentals for Rosarito Beach in Baja California. Playa Paradise rents time-share properties in Akumal on the Riviera Maya. The benefits of either exchanging or renting time-share properties include convenience and cost. When you travel as a family or couple, you have privacy in your own condo, and you also have cooking facilities, which can save money.
Another way to participate in a home vacation in Mexico is to exchange your home with someone else. There are many expatriates who live in Los Cabos, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco and other tourist destinations who might want to exchange their homes for a week or two for a home in the U.S. or Canada. Sites like Home Exchange, Sabbatical Homes and Home Link International list homes in various parts of Mexico. They give you specifics on how many people plan to travel and where they want to exchange homes. These sites also offer the hospitality exchange, where you host the vacationers in your home, and they reciprocate in theirs.
House-sitting is another way to share a home on a Mexico vacation. When you house-sit, you care for someone's home in Mexico for a short period of time while the residents are away. The owners specify the time period. For expatriate home owners, contracting a house-sitter is convenient because they know someone reliable is staying in the home, feeding the cat or dog, and making sure the housekeeper and gardener arrive. Having someone in the home throughout the year helps prevent vandalism and theft. For the house-sitter it is convenient because it is a free home to stay in while the owners are away. Businesses that specialize in house-sitting arrangements are Mind My House, House Carers and Sabbatical Homes. You can also look for house-sitting opportunities in English language newspapers like the News and Atencion San Miguel.
