Travel the Home Exchange Way

Autolycus Blog: Thoughts on Things 'Undone' Before a Home Swap

As with most good things, I came across Autolycus blog (...a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles...) by chance. In this post, written at Easter before a home exchange to Paris, the author ponders what most home exchangers must - what will these people think of my home and will they look at those 'undone' things (that most homes surely have) with a critical eye?

'Not, I suspect, that many actually would bother most exchange partners. I don't go round their places running a finger along for dust (though there can be the odd pleasurable moment of working out how I might have chosen to organise and decorate it if I lived there), and I would hope they would mostly be out and about rather than rootling through my drawers (so to speak).'

And the follow-on sentence encapsulates the right attitude to be a good home exchanger:

'Though, to be fair, I did find on my return from Paris last August that what I had taken to be scratches in the enamel of my hob had been replaced by gleaming, pristine whiteness: and I was rather proud of having left their shower screen distinctly less limescaled than I found it.'

That's it then - no need for grumbles, just quietly fix a minor problem!

Home Swapping During a Career Break

The article, 'House-swapping for a Sabbatical', published recently on ACareerBreak (providing 'a unique reference point on making the most of your career break, sabbatical or extended leave'), begins:

'Many people dream of doing a holiday house swap, trading their two-up, two-down in Bognor Regis or Birmingham for a Manhattan penthouse or Sydney beachfront home. Few people realise, however, that house swaps don't have to be only for a week or two. If you're planning a career break for a few months or even a few years, a house swap may be just the answer.' Read the full article (link above).

Many Home Base Holidays do use home exchange in order to travel during a sabbatical. As such exchangers generally want to arrange lengthy swaps, you will often find them by searching for long-term exchanges (choose a country of interest, then Type of Exchange). One example, a couple from Brisbane, Australia:

'We are 2 adults in our 50's taking 12 months leave from work (April 09 - April 10) travelling overland via the trans siberian railway to spend about 6mths in the UK (June - Dec 09) and be near ageing family. We are keen to have a long term exchange home close to walking areas such as the Lake District, Yorkshire or Nth Wales and within 1.5hrs of family in Manchester. While in the UK we will take short breaks to walk and cycle in parts of Italy and southern Europe and would be interested in non-simultaneous short break exchanges in these areas.

We plan to travel back to Australia via Sth America from Jan 10 and would also be open to offers in this area.

Our home is a recently renovated 1.5 storey brick house on a 1000m2 sloping garden 5kms from Brisbane city centre. Our home backs onto a reserve and is 15 mins walk from Brisbane Forest Park providing extensive walking trails. 5min walk from the corner shop, butcher and bus stop. 10mins drive to the city and 1.5hrs to the beaches of Sunshine or Gold Coast.' See the full home exchange offer, HE21199

Home Exchange Travel: Weblog Reviews

Well, how are we doing so far? I only started this blog in early September 2004 but it seems like it has been part of my life forever! Blogging is great for people who enjoy writing (and, by the large number of weblogs out there, there are a lot of us about) but, with a blog like Travel the Home Exchange Way, it is important to know if it is serving it's purpose, i.e. addressing issues related to home exchange vacations in a clear and informative way.

I came across a website this week, The Weblog Review, which does exactly what it says - provides a very useful weblog review service, with a large number of volunteers writing reviews of new weblogs submitted every week.

When starting the home exchange weblog, I believed that most visitors would be Home Base Holidays members, Home Swappers subscribers and people aware of the idea of home swapping already but who wanted more information before trying it out themselves. The visitors I hadn't really anticipated are those that happen upon the weblog, perhaps when searching for something else, and who need a good, concise description of home exhange to be tempted to spend time reading the posts to find out more. This is what was especially useful in the feedback provided by the three reviewers from The Weblog Review who all took the time to give thoughtful comments; none of the three had heard of home exchange vacations before and, for this reason, their feedback is particularly valuable - I plan to address a couple of points they raised very soon!

The other reasons I was pleased to find this service is that, from having read quite a number of weblogs, I get the feeling that bloggers my age (i.e. well over 55) are in a small minority and that younger bloggers will often have much more experience both of designing/writing weblogs and regularly visiting others. It's nice to learn from the young! Here are quotes from each review (read full reviews of Travel the Home Exchange Way on The Weblog Review):

'I really enjoyed this site a lot. I learned a lot about home exchanging and it was really useful to hear about other people’s experiences. It gives insight to the issues that arise when exchanging homes and also all of the preparation that goes into it. It sounded like it would be a unique experience and great alternative to staying in a hotel. "Travel the Home Exchange Way" is very useful if you’re interested or are currently someone who does home exchanging. Great site.' - reviewed on 2005-01-21 by imelda

'A nice, clean, well-organized blog, Travel the Home Exchange Way is written by Lois Sealey and is an excellent source of all things "house swapping." This is a very short review for this site, but suffice it to say more informational blogs like this are needed for niche markets such as the home exchangers. What a great way to get information and be able to leave feedback on your experience. Well done, Lois.' - reviewed on 2005-01-21 by SJtheMom

'Now, I haven't really thought of Home Exchange but from the articles and entries that I have read, I am certainly interested in the idea of it. And I think that the blog itself is informative enough to hold the attention of someone who is even somewhat interested in Home Exchange. This site is a great one to visit especially if the idea of swapping houses is not one that makes you turn away with an unpleasant feeling. I recommend this blog to anyone interested in the idea. Of course, owning your home would be a plus.' - reviewed on 2005-01-21 by jade smith

Exchange Homes - Try Out a New Country Before Moving

Although the majority of Home Base Holidays members use home exchange for relatively short vacations, some members swap homes for lengthy periods (sometimes when on a sabbatical break from work or once retired) while a few use a home exchange home as a base to check out another country or area before moving there.

At this time of year, when the days are short and often dull and cool in Britain, many people here probably dream of making that big break and moving to a warmer, sunnier country. The grass is always greener ...

For those serious about making the big break, an initial home exchange does make sense, providing a rent-free place to stay in an area you are considering and giving you the chance to experience a neighbourhood from a resident's rather than a tourist's perspective, check out properties for sale or rent in the area and look for work opportunities (if you aren't retired).

There is now much information available for would be ex pats, from whatever country, on all the issues that need to be considered before moving to another country (tax implications, cost of living, schooling, healthcare, pensions, etc). One website/blog + newsletter on the subject is Shelter Offshore which has a large number of articles and useful links on these issues and on various countries you might be considering for a permanent or temporary move.

Travel Blog - Create Your Own (Home Swap?) Travel Journal

Travel Blog is a collection of travel journals, diaries, stories and photos from all around the world. The journals are added by real travellers, and recount real experiences and impressions from the places they visit. For travellers, the site includes lots of features that help keep family and friends back home up to date with the adventure. Learn more or start a free online travel journal. TravelBlog is FREE, free to use, free to view, and will remain so.

TravelPod - Create a Home Exchange Travelogue?

TravelPod is a free, fully non-profit travel journal hosting service. Although I haven't tried this one out myself as yet, it looks a simple and very good system. It's fun reading through some of the very large number of travelogues hosted on the site.

TravelPod empowers it's members to ...

1) Create your own free travelogues (basically an online travel journal with photos and all) without having to worry about programming.

2) Stay in touch with family and friends while traveling using the Internet. Forget about bulk emailing everyone, TravelPod will do that for you!

3) Have access to the Internet's largest compilation of Travelogues.

Let us know if you create a travelogue to help in your home exchange arrangements and/or to keep a record of your home swap experiences.