If you live in another country but like to go 'home' to visit friends and family, you know the problem of what to do about accommodation. Even with your closest friends, you (and they!) may feel you can never totally relax, i.e. you have to be on best guest behaviour, not slobbing out in front of the TV after a busy day out. But, if you book a hotel, will your friends be offended? The answer is 'probably not' as hosts have the added pressure of entertaining guests which can be tiring if the stay is for more than a few days, especially if they aren't on holiday themselves. Couch surfing is fun for the young singles but not for families with children or couples who are getting on a bit and used to comfortable beds. The perfect alternative is to arrange a home exchange close to the friends and family you want to spend time with. You still get free accommodation but with the added benefit of having your own 'home' to return to, to make some of your own meals and generally relax however you wish.
As Home Base Holidays is based in London, there is a very large choice of home exchange offers throughout the UK so most British ex-pats visiting home should have no problem finding homes within a short distance of the villages, towns or cities where they want to be based. As over the years many Brits have emigrated to Australia, it's not surprising that many such ex-pats use the service to arrange swaps when travelling back home. Here is a recent example:
'By the time of the swap (probably from May 2010 onwards) Judith and I will both be retired (currently 61 and 56) and we wish to spend between 2 and 12 months (flexible dependent upon swap) in the UK (where I was born) and be able to spend time in visiting family and friends without the usual 4 week lounge room to lounge room frenetic tour. Judith in particular would like to try and spend 4 seasons in the UK (I might skip out on winter!!)'.
Their home near Fremantle in Western Australia:
'Welcome to friendly, sunny and warm (hot in summer) Western Australia. We have a detached single story 4 bedroom 2 bathroom home with a secure car-port located in Rockingham, a major suburban area 28Km south of Fremantle, 40 Km south of the Perth CBD. Train and bus tranport close by; train to Perth is a 34 minute trip and the bus to Fremantle (if you don't want to drive) takes 40 minutes. We are 10 minutes by car from both ocean beach and the calm water beaches of Cockburn Sound; 25 minutes drive north of the holiday town of Mandurah, 3 hours from the Southwest Winery area and 1 hour from the Swan Valley wineries. Rockingham itself is a tourist and holiday destination for many West Australians, interstate and overseas visitors.' Read the full home exchange offer and see more photos, HE19952
The photo at the top is from Big Dog Beds.
Do you have any thoughts on upcoming exchanges now that swine flu appears to be approaching epidemic proportions in the UK? I'm starting to wonder if we should warn our exchange partners although we do not live in a part of the country that is a "hotspot" at present.
Posted by: hobiej | July 13, 2009 at 05:43 PM
That's a v. good question that deserves a little thought (I'll do some research and write a Q & A post shortly), although there's no easy answer. If there seemed to be a large no. of swine flu cases being reported nearby, it seems right to relay this information to exchange partners but without unduly alarming them.
Posted by: Lois | July 13, 2009 at 06:12 PM
Couchsurfing is not as bad as you paint! There are lots of CS'ers that offer a 'proper bed' and it works really well when you only want one or two nights at a location. The big plus over homeswapping in these circumstances are that your host genuinely 'hosts' you - i.e. taking you out, sharing their family meal etc. It's all part of 'connecting' with other people and cultures and making the world a smaller place.
Posted by: Kathie | July 13, 2009 at 07:42 PM
Sorry - I certainly didn't intend to denigrate couchsurfing in the least. However, swapping homes seems a much better choice for people like the couple whose home exchange request is featured in this post who, from their description, plan to stay some time in a location (not one or two nights only) when they spend several months in the UK visiting friends and family.
I agree that couchsurfing or hospitality exchanges enable travellers to connect with other cultures and people. But again, in this example, the ex-pat and his wife are already familiar with the UK and are using home exchange as a way of visiting without imposing on family and friends.
Posted by: Lois | July 13, 2009 at 07:58 PM