Travel the Home Exchange Way

Christmas Home Exchange Offer - North Carolina for Sussex or London

2009-11-10T12:25:14+00:00

Last week we published Cathy's post, Reasons to Plan a Home Exchange Well in Advance. Cathy gave very sound advice on why it’s always wise to start making plans, especially for international home exchanges, several months before the period wanted (more opportunities for finding a suitable exchange, time to get to know exchange partners and time for both parties to find the best flight deals); but there will always be people who need to arrange exchanges at short notice for a variety of reasons.

Most people who move far away from home (often, like I did, when young and carefree) at some point face the worries of frequent long trips back home to visit elderly relatives as their health deteriorates or, sadly, they are left bereaved. This is just the situation a new Home Base Holidays member from North Carolina finds herself in. Sarah wrote before joining:

‘I have been back three times to England already this year, due to tragic circumstances, and now am looking to return for Christmas so that my husband and I and our 3 adult children can spend Christmas with my recently, unexpectedly widowed sister in law.’

Although Sarah has a very desirable home/location to offer, it would have been unfair to give her an overly optimistic view on her chances of arranging an exchange to England (Sussex or London) over the Christmas period. However, as Home Base Holidays (and our partner site, Guardian home exchange) have many current, active members in both locations, Sarah (who wisely joined the same day and started contacting members to suggest an exchange) should still have a good chance of finding a last minute Christmas swap and, as she is also interested in exchanges later on next year, it was well worth her joining now. Her exchange offer:

Burnsville, North Carolina - Beautiful newly constructed wood home in nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on 6 acres of wooded land. 3 bedrooms with 4th in open loft with spectacular views: rural retreat with golf, fishing and hiking. South Toe river area is known internationally for its arts & crafts. Close to Penland School of the Arts, Blue Ridge Parkway and an easy one hour drive to Asheville and the Biltmore Estate.

Possibility of use of Asheville townhouse as well for longer stay.

Asheville area known for mountain biking, kayaking and rafting. The film "Last of the Mohicans" filmed in the area. Unexpected family circumstances mean we are looking last minute for an exchange for the 2009/10 Christmas period, but also open to longer swap in summer of 2010.

See the full home exchange offer and more photos, HE23483

Home Base Holidays members: log on to contact Sarah (HE23483). Non-members: Join now.

Look out for Tips for Last Minute Home Exchanges on Friday.

Home Exchange Offers: Dates, Dates, Dates – Confused?

2009-11-04T15:53:41+00:00

It’s been a couple of years since I last addressed the very important topic of dates to look out for when browsing home exchange offers. As this still, understandably, causes confusion, it’s time to look again at this crucial issue.

There can be so many types of dates to keep straight - and it doesn't help that the format for showing dates (day, month, year) varies in different countries. I hope this helps:

Dates Available - these are the dates that a member wants to arrange an exchange and are generally shown as ranges of dates, e.g. Mar 10 - June 10 would indicate that the member wants an exchange sometime between March and June 2010 (the length of exchange is shown separately). A listing may show more than one range of dates as members can often consider exchanges at different times during the year. When a member can be flexible on dates, Dates Available will be shown as 'Open to Offers'.

What to look out for: Dates Available, when shown as a range of dates, should always include the year. If only months are shown, there's no way of knowing if the member wants an exchange this year, next year or had wanted an exchange last year – or even in 2006. *Important: if you see a blank space rather than a range of dates or ‘open to offers’, this generally means that the dates the member wanted to exchange are now past. This doesn’t necessarily mean that such a member won’t be interested in future exchanges (often members forget to update dates) but, too many listings showing no dates is likely to mean that many listings are very old and are there to ‘bulk out’ the numbers. Don’t be fooled by this old trick!

Join or Registration Date - this is the date a member joined or renewed and is important as it clearly shows how long the listing has already been in circulation. You should be able to see this date in all listings.

Expiry Date - this is the date a membership will expire and, if not renewed on or before this date, should no longer be displayed. This is a very important date as, in conjunction with the Join date, it enables you to see at a glance how long any listing is in circulation.

What to look out for: no listings with expired membership dates should be shown. Members are generally most active in looking for exchanges during the first few weeks of their membership and very long membership periods can mean that many listings in circulation are no longer available. It is for this reason that the longest Home Base Holidays membership period is two years.

Note: join and expiry dates are details that you should be able to see in all listings before joining. Without this basic information, you have no means of telling how up-to-date listings are, and, if this is the case, total numbers quoted are next to useless.

Listing Updated - Home Base Holidays members can update their listings whenever needed. The last date a listing was updated is not included in listings to reduce confusion. Some members will need to update offers often while others won’t and so this date is not crucial like Join and Expiry dates.

What to look out for: don't confuse Listing Updated with the Join/Registration date. ‘Listing Updated’ merely means that the member (or site owner) has changed the listing in some way on that date.

Most Recent Listings - these are listings of members who have joined or renewed recently (the time frame, e.g. ‘in the last month’ should be clearly indicated). To be fair to all members, it’s best if search results are organised showing the newest listings first (far better than alphabetically by city – great if you live in Bath, not so good if you live in York!) You should be able to re-organise search results in a number of ways according to your needs.

What to look out for: listings, described as new, should not be a mixture of new and older listings that have merely been updated unless this is clearly indicated. The separate New Listings on Home Base Holidays are members who have joined or renewed in the last 30 days, listed in order of joining with the newest listings at the top of search results.

Last Minute Offers/Hot List: members who are looking for exchanges soon, usually within the next three months.

Reasons to Plan a Home Exchange Well in Advance

2009-10-30T14:34:21+00:00

'home exchangers are a fraternity which involves trust'

Cathy, very experienced home exchanger from Auckland (and also the Home Base Holidays representative in New Zealand), offers sound advice:

“We have been getting offers of exchange only a couple of months out from the planned exchange. I penned the following in response to the latest one which is only one month out i.e. I received it on the weekend and they already have their flights etc and want to exchange in December…

"Thank you for your contact regarding exchange in December. Unfortunately the timing does not suit us.

For your information we, along with most exchangers (particularly for long haul exchanges), arrange an exchange 6 – 12 months in advance, in fact we have had a couple where we have confirmed 18 months in advance. The reason behind this is;

· For long haul travel it gives us time to book flights well in advance to get the best price

· gives us time to get to know the people we are exchanging with via email

· we never book our flights until we have a confirmed exchange

· takes away the urgency of finding an exchange in a short period of time and/or you are wanting to exchange in 2 or 3 towns/countries

We are experienced exchangers having exchanged all over the world and they have been marvelous experiences and also we have made lifelong friends with our exchangers. As one of our exchangers succinctly puts it – ‘home exchangers are a fraternity which involves trust…’

This trust needs time to develop - when one is having strangers come and live in one’s home, with everything that goes to make a home, whilst one is not there you are placing a lot of faith and trust in those people. It is quite different from a holiday home/apartment when they don’t normally have the treasures that go to make a home.”

See Cathy’s full home exchange offer in Mission Bay, Auckland, HE12437. Note: Cathy’s home will be available during, and conveniently located for, the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Don’t leave it too long to contact her with your exchange offer if you want to exchange homes at this time!

Keep Accommodation Costs in Europe Down – with a Home Exchange

2009-10-26T15:56:40+00:00

In a recent post on Arthur Frommer’s blog, ‘The U.S. Dollar Has Dropped Sharply in Value Against European Currencies, So Seek Cheaper Lodgings’, he suggested looking at alternatives to hotels to keep accommodation costs down:

‘..... seriously consider the use of alternative, cheaper lodgings for your next trip to Europe. You should think about lengthening your stay in each European city to a week so that you can rent an apartment at a considerable savings. Even more effectively, you should consider the use of hostel accommodations....’

There are other alternatives to hotels including camping, couch surfing and, for those who prefer the comforts of home, home exchange of course!

Although the primary reason for some who choose to swap homes may be for cost savings, there are many more advantages, some of which can also save money. For example, your kitchen in a ‘real’ home is likely to be much better equipped than in a holiday property and so you more apt to prepare more meals at home (shopping for food in local shops and markets is a lot more fun than routine grocery shopping at home). It’s easy to have a substantial breakfast at home before setting out for the day, perhaps also preparing a picnic lunch to save on buying snacks that are usually expensive, and not always very healthy, at popular tourist attractions.

Families with young children often like to swap homes with other families with similar aged children, giving reassurance that the homes will be child friendly and there will be baby equipment, toys, books and games available to save packing so much; and not forgetting the likelihood of local playmates and a trusted babysitter as well as friends and neighbours to answer questions and help you make the most of your holiday.

Hate Flying? Arrange a Home Exchange Closer to Home

2009-10-23T04:00:00+01:00

When Home Base Holidays started in 1985, most of our UK members especially used home exchange as a means of having a holiday abroad. Although international swaps are certainly still very popular (a great way to reduce costs when the pound sterling is so low against many major currencies), there has been a definite trend this year for swaps, both for weekends and longer holidays, closer to home. Domestic home swaps do have advantages, especially if no flights are involved, and are generally easier to arrange.

We may be seeing a growing trend for more local exchanges in the last few months mainly for economic reasons. However, some members are also likely to be reducing air travel not only to save money but also as a part of a conscious effort to cut down on energy consumption generally.

Older readers will remember when air travel was considered glamorous. Now, for most travellers, being squashed in a small seat for many hours seems more like being in a cattle truck than anything remotely glamorous! The following quotes are samples of how some Home Base Holidays members are limiting their exchange offer destinations:

Orna – ‘I hate flying. Short or even long breaks which only involve my throwing a suitcase into the car and going off, would be absolutely great’.

Orna’s flat in London is in a particularly attractive central location so it’s not surprising that she has received large numbers of exchange offers from other countries over her many years of membership. I suggested that she give her reasons (as above + her age) for no longer feeling able to take up such offers however attractive. This will limit the offers she receives to areas in the UK that will more likely be of interest to her, and deter members from other countries from contacting her and being disappointed. See Orna’s full exchange offer, HE18785.

And, a quote from the Richards’ family who offer their home in the little town of Dursley, Gloucestershire for exchange -

‘We are hoping to make exchanges for weekends and school holidays, mainly within the UK, or western Europe. Wales, West Country or London for short breaks, but in school holidays for up to two weeks anywhere we can get to without flying.’

Those swapping homes with the Richards’ will enjoy a break in the Cotswolds (in photo). See their full exchange offer, HE20210.

Home Exchange During Major Sporting Events Worldwide

2009-10-20T04:00:00+01:00

Technology has made business global and sports are no different. Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup, Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, and Rugby World Cup, four of the 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live, attract fans in attendance from all over the world. Everyone wants to see their country contend for an international title and also see the best athletes in the world compete.

Some locals, however, are not thrilled with the global exposure of their cities and towns when hosting an international sports event. Instead of renting their homes, local residents now consider home exchanges. In 2010, the Canadian city of Vancouver and other areas in British Columbia will be overtaken by avid Winter Olympic fans. Accommodations will be hard to come by. A home exchange is the perfect way to get right into the snow sports action without inflated hotel and apartment rental costs.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa and the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, fans have the chance to not only attend an international sports match, but also get to the chance to visit and explore a new, beautiful country. Just imagine the remarkable experience a die-hard rugby fan from the U.S. would have taking part in a home exchange in New Zealand or a British soccer fan enjoying World Cup soccer and the South African coast. A home exchange is a great way to get to any of the 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live.

Guest Post by Robert Tuchman, author of The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live. Robert writes the series “The Show Must Go On” for ESPN.com, a monthly column for Entrepreneur.com called “Young, Fearless, and Fed Up as well as a column called “On-Site” for Incentive Magazine.

Sample Home Exchange Offers Near Sporting Events:

Canada – Winter Olympics 2010

White Rock/Surrey, British Columbia, Canada - Bright modern 1100sf.condo, 2nd floor. 40 minutes from many 2010 Winter Olympics venues. Excellent public transit.

South Africa – 2010 Fifa World Cup

Franschoek, Western Cape, South Africa - Beautiful 4-bedroom house on the exclusive Pearl Valley Golf Estate. The estate has all the amenities of a world class golf estate (club house, restaurant, pool, spa and an equestrian centre. Situated in the heart of the wine growing region yet a mere 40 minutes drive (50km) from the centre of Cape Town. Excellent accommodation for 2010 Fifa World Cup.

New Zealand – 2011 Rugby World Cup

Auckland Mission Bay, Auckland, New Zealand - "Mission Bay: Auckland's best urban beach" (Pacific Wave Magazine). Mission Bay is a 10 minute scenic drive along the waterfront from centre of Auckland City of Sails.This two bedroom home will be available during the Rugby World Cup and convenient (close to Eden Park where the final will be played as well as close to Auckland inner city).

England – 2012 Olympics

London, England - Four double-bed, 3 bath Victorian terrace in West Hampstead, a busy, friendly neighbourhood close to town but only one mile from Hampstead Heath, the largest and highest open space in London. We are interested in swapping for the whole of the London Olympics in 2012!

A Novel Way to Increase Location Choices for Home Exchange Guests

2009-10-17T04:00:00+01:00

Some Home Base Holidays members can offer non-simultaneous exchanges or offer exchange guests use of either a main home or holiday home in another location. Others, without such options, can still widen their exchange offer appeal by being as flexible as possible on dates and destinations.

A member from Lyme Regis, England, has found a way to help friends in Australia (also Home Base Holidays members) find an exchange in London by offering one of her own holiday apartments as another option to the Australians’ Gold Coast home. In this way, Londoners who aren’t able to consider a long haul trip to Australia, will still be able to consider the exchange offer, and enjoy a break closer to home in the lovely town of Lyme Regis in Dorset.

Here is a summary of the exchange request:

Special request from Australian members, (HE20951): We would like an exchange to London (or nearby, near good public transportation) for a large enough two bathroom home to accommodate five adults and one baby. Open dates.

And the choice of homes available in exchange:

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia - Spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom beachfront unit with 180 degree sea views from all rooms. Located on the southern end of the Gold Coast, famous for its good weather and white sandy beaches. See the full exchange offer and more photos, HE20951.

Lyme Regis, Dorset, England - This property is set on the famous Jurassic Coast, well known for its many fossils. We have a choice of a large ground, or a penthouse apartment (with wonderful coastal views). The property is situated very close to the harbour in Lyme Regis. There is a level walk to the shops, wine bars and many restaurants. The sandy or pebble beach are a few yards away; it is easy to join the coastal foot path which runs in front of us or walk out on the cobb where the French Lieutenants Woman was filmed. See the full exchange offer and more photos, HE17121.

If you live in London or nearby, feel your home would be suitable and are interested in exchanging with the Australian family, please log on, access their listing, HE20951, and let them know which home you are interested in. Not yet a member? Join Home Base Holidays today!

Blog Action Day 09 Climate Change: What Can a Home Exchanger Do?

2009-10-15T04:00:00+01:00

This is the third year we have participated in Blog Action Day and this year’s cause, climate change, is such an urgent issue that no one or any government in the world can afford to ignore it one day longer. Climate change affects us all but the world’s poorest and most vulnerable are already suffering most.

This home exchange blog is all about travel and, in the light of the effects on climate from air travel in particular, it seems very wrong to encourage further travel. However, to be realistic, people who can afford to will continue to travel and it seems far better to promote a responsible attitude than to discourage travel altogether. After all, travel does have many benefits and, when undertaken sensitively (swapping to homes that would otherwise be empty rather than contributing to the destruction of natural resources to build more hotels in tourist ghettos) increases tolerance and understanding of other cultures.

It may be more a direct result of the downturn in the economy worldwide for many rather than a conscious decision to cut down on air travel (although I do believe home exchangers are particularly responsible people), but there has been a definite trend for more Home Base Holidays members to seek home swaps closer to home this year. Long haul destinations may not be quite so much in demand as a few years ago but many home exchangers do still want to travel to far off countries (some to visit family), only now more are planning longer exchanges rather than zipping halfway across the world for a week at a time several times a year. Not everyone can take the time off of course but, for retired members and the many now who can combine work with a holiday wherever there is an Internet connection, this is a practical and sensible choice. With no accommodation costs (and often no car hire or pet care expenses), making the most of a lengthy exchange holiday makes sense both financially and for the environment.

In the run-up to an exchange, think of any improvements you can make to your home to cut down on energy use and general wastage. Do drafty windows or inadequate insulation make you crank up the heat in winter? If you are exchanging with someone from a warmer climate who may feel the cold more than you do, this is a particularly good time to do those jobs to make your home cosier without the need for the central heating to be up high.

When compiling an information folder for your exchange guests, include details of anything that will both keep your bills down and save energy and thus be climate friendly; a few examples:

how to set the heating to come on for short periods twice a day when they plan to be out all day
encourage the use of public transport whenever possible even if you agree to swap cars
leave instructions on how to recycle as much as possible
give details of markets that sell locally produced food
offer to lend heavy outdoor clothing and boots to save your guests buying and bringing items they won’t otherwise need

This is a ‘starter’ list. Do you have suggestions for more ways home exchangers can still enjoy travel while minimising damage to our fragile climate? Do leave a comment below.

When last checked, 6000+ bloggers had signed up to Blog Action Day. All will be writing on climate change today, from many different perspectives. See ideas for taking action on climate change issues beyond Blog Action Day.

Home Swappers: the Home Exchange Newsletter, Oct/Nov09

2009-10-07T15:34:18+01:00

The new issue of Home Swappers Newsletter is now available. Topics:

Regular home swaps (and the dogs come too)
Watch a BBC1 film of a summer home exchange
Home exchange partners are guests!
Home swaps during holidays and special events
Competition winner - three homes in unusual buildings

Read articles in this issue in full and previous issues of Home Swappers Newsletter, in the Newsletter Archive. Subscribe to receive the newsletter as published.

Top Money Saving Tips for Visiting London with Children

2009-09-27T19:20:08+01:00

One of the best ways to save money when visiting London with children is to arrange a home exchange with a London family. And there's no better place to find a great choice of home swap offers than on Home Base Holidays - a London based service! Browse over 300 current exchange offers in London.

Once settled in, there are many ways to cut down on expenses (for a start, you will have a fully equipped kitchen and can prepare some meals and packed lunches 'at home'). I am now delighted to introduce guest author and Londoner, Janis Curry, who provides valuable tips on making the most of our great city:

Visiting London? There are some experiences and attractions you really shouldn’t miss, but there is no reason to pay full price. If you plan on visiting The London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Tower of London, London Zoo, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Legoland and other major attractions, we’d highly recommend buying tickets in advance from Attractiontix – they guarantee the lowest prices and they’ll send you an e-ticket right away so you don’t need to worry about your tickets getting lost along the way.

You can buy tickets to individual attractions, but we’d recommend getting a pass (1, 2, 3 or 6 day passes are available) – you’ll save money, even if you only visit one or two attractions per day. With the passes, you also get some extra discounts for London restaurants, free movies, free bowling and skating, and a glossy visitor's guide. Better still, you won't be wasting time standing in a neverending queue when you could be out enjoying yourself - with a pass you just skip straight to the front of the queue. They also have some fantastic discounts on dozens of hit West End Theatre shows like the Lion King, Les Miserables, Billy Elliot and other must-see performances.

Click here to visit the Attractiontix website.

Get an Oystercard and enjoy cheap bus and tube journeys
Walking is a great way to see London, and you’ll find that Central London is actually pretty easy on foot, with lots of points of interest and places to stop for a bite to eat. You could even take some guided walks with London Walks - there is a brilliant Harry Potter walk every Sunday afternoon that your children will love. If you want to go somewhere a bit further afield, by far the easiest and cheapest way to get around is using public transport. If you’re planning to do quite a bit of travel by bus and tube, you should consider getting an Oyster card for each adult in your group and just adding enough credit to get you through the holiday – these smart little cards cost about £2 each (plus your fare) but will not only save you a lot of time and hassle, but they automatically recalculate your fare to make sure it’s the cheapest possible, so you save a lot of money. The £2 isn’t wasted either - you can also keep the card for your next visit to London. Kids under 10 usually travel free on public transport – there are a few odd exceptions which you can read about here.

For those with impaired mobility, baby buggies or lots of suitcases, click here for an accessibility guide showing which stations have step-free access. Planning in advance will make your journey much easier!

There is also an excellent tube map showing all of the public toilets and baby changing facilities on the underground – click here.

Visit some free museums, galleries and attractions
London has some of the most remarkable museums and galleries in the world, and many of them have hands-on exhibits and family activities as well as baby changing facilities and buggy access. Some also have lovely soft play areas for the really little ones. For the most part they are absolutely free, and even have picnic areas for you to enjoy your packed lunch.Click here to read about family friendly museums and attractions.

And finally…
We can pretty much guarantee that you’ll be rained on while in London. It’s part of the charm, really. Luckily, there are plenty of things to do indoors without feeling cooped up – click here for over 100 rainy days out. You’ll thank us!

This guestblog was brought to you by Janis Curry (a.k.a. MumVersusKids), Director & Founder of ReallyKidFriendly.com, the guide to great places for your family.