I live in Madrid and have been working remotely since 2019, which has allowed me to travel in ways that weren’t possible before.

In 2021, Silvia and I rented an apartment by the beach in southern Spain and moved there for two months. No holidays, just trying out a different lifestyle. Because it was off-season, we could afford it.

A year later, as we were getting ready for a long vacation to Vietnam, Barbara, a coworker from Barcelona, posted on Instagram that she was looking for a place to stay in Madrid. We offered our home and asked if she would like to pet sit our dog, and she accepted.

We also swapped our Madrid home with Miguel, a friend who lives in San Sebastián. Later that year, we spent over a week in Paris, staying at our old friends Esteban and Liz’s while they were away for the holidays. Although it wasn’t the original plan, as the date approached, they decided to come to Madrid, so they stayed at our home.

The list of swaps with friends goes on…

More recently, while planning a trip to New York, we posted on Instagram and ended up staying at the apartment of Clara, a friend of a friend who was out of town for a few weeks.

Each time someone visited our place, I loved hosting—getting everything ready, preparing instructions, and giving tips on how to enjoy Madrid like a local. As a bonus, I had my home cared for, my plants watered, and sometimes even Pepa (our dog) looked after.

I loved hosting—getting everything ready, preparing instructions, and giving tips on how to enjoy Madrid like a local. As a bonus, I had my home cared for, my plants watered, and sometimes even Pepa (our dog) looked after.

When I was the one traveling, I loved feeling like a local, and of course, saving some accommodation budget for other things.

It was home swapping with the trust of hosting one of your own.

That’s when I realized there was an opportunity—an opportunity for more people to travel better, make use of empty homes, take better care of pets, and broaden their world, all while spending less money.

But I noticed something missing in existing home exchange platforms. None of them had that vital trust-building component—the kind that comes from knowing a person directly or through a mutual friend. That’s when I set out to build something different.

And that’s how Lontano was born.

With remote work becoming more common, more people are traveling—not necessarily on vacation, but living and working in new places. These empty homes create an opportunity to travel in a way that feels personal and connected. By weaving in the social connections that link friends and friends of friends, Lontano creates a network of trust, allowing people to swap homes with confidence and ease.

It’s not just about the places you stay—it’s about who you’re swapping with and the sense of community you take with you.