How HomeExchange Helps Us Stay Bi-Local Between Palm Springs and Minneapolis
People often ask us why we return to Minneapolis so often.
The answer is simple.
Over the years, the Twin Cities have become much more than a destination. Between family, longtime friends, and the connections we’ve built there, it feels like a second home.
In many ways, we live a “bi-local” lifestyle—splitting our time between sunny Palm Springs and the lakes, parks, and neighborhoods of Minneapolis.
Why we keep coming back
Every visit gives us another reason to return.
Some trips are centered around family. Others are simply an opportunity to reconnect with a city we’ve grown to love.
The challenge, of course, is that frequent travel can become expensive.
Hotel costs add up quickly, especially when you’re staying for a week or longer several times a year.
That’s one of the biggest reasons we started relying on HomeExchange for many of our Twin Cities visits.
Making every visit longer
One of the biggest advantages of HomeExchange is that it allows us to stay longer without worrying about hotel costs.
Over the years, we’ve enjoyed wonderful exchanges with hosts like Brenda and Sarah in different Minneapolis neighborhoods.
Each home gave us a slightly different perspective on the city.
Some mornings began with coffee before walking around the neighborhood.
Other days started with a stroll along one of the lakes or an easy trip into downtown using the light rail or skyways.
Those are experiences that are much harder to find when staying in a typical hotel.
If a home exchange isn’t available for part of the trip, we usually compare Minneapolis hotels on Klook before booking.
What we look for in a Minneapolis home
Every traveler has different priorities.
For us, location usually comes first.
We look for neighborhoods that are walkable, close to public transportation, and within easy reach of the lakes, the Mississippi riverfront, or downtown.
Since we often work while traveling, we also appreciate homes with comfortable workspaces and enough room to invite family or friends over for dinner.
Those little details make a week-long stay feel much more like everyday life than a vacation.
When hosts become neighbors
One of the unexpected benefits of HomeExchange has been the relationships we’ve built with our hosts.
Returning to the same homes—or staying with hosts we’ve come to know—creates a sense of familiarity that’s hard to describe.
Instead of feeling like visitors checking into another property, we feel like we’re returning to our Twin Cities neighborhood.
That’s something hotels simply can’t offer.
Why HomeExchange works so well for us
Living between Palm Springs and Minneapolis would be much more expensive without HomeExchange.
The annual membership and GuestPoints allow us to spend more time where we want to be instead of worrying about accommodation costs.
More importantly, HomeExchange lets us experience each city as locals rather than tourists.
For us, that’s what being “bi-local” is all about.
Final thoughts
Every trip back to Minneapolis feels a little less like travel and a little more like coming home.
HomeExchange has made that possible by helping us stay longer, connect with great hosts, and experience the Twin Cities from the perspective of a local.
If you’ve been thinking about trying HomeExchange, we’d love to have you join the community. Use our referral code roderick-15918 when you sign up.