Travel the Home Exchange Way

Travel Trends For 2020: home swapping is always 'on trend'

Have you heard of undertourism (if it's even a word) or bleisure trips? No? Me neither!

There are always predictions of trends in travel, whether it be that particular countries or areas grow in popularity or, now that we are more environmentally conscious of the impact on the climate of long-haul flights and wasteful hotels, with rail travel and holidays closer to home becoming more popular. I came across the puzzling terms (and others) in a recent article, 'Travel Trends For 2020', on Entrepreneur Media. The definitions:

• 'Undertourism is a trend wherein travellers opt for a holiday to similar, yet less popular holiday destinations compared to the conventional, mainstream and overly crowded popular destinations.'
• 'Bleisure Trips is a trend that will become increasingly popular amongst the professional segment in mixing Business trips with Leisure trips.'

Our experienced home swap members will probably think this is hardly news - many have been deliberately choosing to exchange with others whose homes are off-the-beaten tourist trail or, even if in a popular location, say London, in a spacious suburban home or outside the city that’s a welcome retreat from the crowds of tourists in central London.

Combining work and leisure has grown in popularity too, and swapping homes is a very cost effective way for members who can work anywhere they have a good internet connection. Bleisure appears to refer more to those who work in offices and still need to go on business trips, rather than 'digital nomads' but, if business trips are known well in advance, there's no reason that a home swap can't be arranged close by at the end of the trip.

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Los Angeles: as well as a lovely garden, this home swap has an office

Many homes offered for home exchange have home offices (and sometimes even dedicated office 'sheds' in the garden). The is an example of a home with an office 'well- appointed for anyone working remotely', a cosy place to combine work and leisure in Los Angeles. View exchange offer

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Georgian House: enjoy the English countryside but just 30 mins from London

And for an undertourism base, how about this best of both home swap: 30 minutes to London and Buckinghamshire countryside on the doorstep. Beautiful Georgian village house built in 1805 is alleged to be a formal Naval college and was an annex to the vicar’s home next door. View exchange offer

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Digital nomad? This home swap offer in London has a dedicated garden office

And our final example, this exchange offer in Harlesden, a vibrant, colourful area of London with good transport links to the centre, could incorporate both undertourism and bleisure: a bright, spacious flat with a home office in the garden (beautiful dog optional on a home exchange!). View exchange offer 

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Interested in home swapping? Visit Home Base Holidays and check out all the latest home swap offers. Keep an open mind on destinations and you will find many lovely surprises.

Swap stories: our fabulous winter home exchange

Sheringham swap: Marguerite's December home exchange on the Norfolk coast

This home swap experience was sent in by Home Base Holidays member and very experienced home exchanger, Marguerite.

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"This is the second year in a row we've arranged a Christmas holiday home swap. I'd usually think about home swapping in the spring or summer, but a couple of years ago we received a very tempting home exchange offer in Suffolk for a couple of weeks before Christmas - we took up the offer and enjoyed it so much that we arranged another Christmas exchange in 2019!

One of our favourite places is Norfolk, thanks to the beauty of the coast and the wildlife. We were very lucky that Sue and her husband from Sheringham were happy to exchange in December. Their home was so warm, comfy, full of character and right next to the sea. Sheringham itself was a delight with its Christmas lights and lovely little shops and such friendly locals.

We'll definitely be looking for another Christmas home swap this year. In the meantime we have so much lined up, next week we have a home exchange in Ulverston (Lake District) thanks to Steve and Jean, followed by home exchanges in France, East coast, and the Peak District ...and hopefully still time to pack lots more in! Thanks to Home Base Holidays for making this possible."

- Marguerite

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Marguerite's Christmas Sheringham swap

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Meet the members:   Marguerite (in photo) is a retired Teacher and avid traveller. Having lived in France many years, she speaks fluent French. - View Marguerite's home swap offer in Harrogate - View Sue's home swap offer in Sheringham

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Arrange your 2020 home swaps Sign up to Home Base Holidays and cut the cost of your 2020 getaways. By swapping homes you'll enjoy free accommodation plus all the space and convenience of a home from home. Search home swap travel offers

Q&A: I rent my home, can I still arrange a home swap?

Can I still arrange a home exchange when I rent my home?

Q: I am very interested in home swapping as it seems like such an excellent idea. I live in a two bedroom apartment in Crouch End, North London which I think would be a great location for someone wanting to visit London. However, I do not own the apartment but rent it and so am not sure if I can still take part in a home swap. Do you have any advice?   Kathy (Crouch End, London)

A: Thanks for getting in touch and great to hear that you're interested in home swapping! Many people that rent their homes do take part in home swaps. However, it is very important that you first get your landlord’s permission before searching and agreeing an exchange. Many landlords will understand that their property is more secure when occupied that left empty for a period. If your landlord agrees then you're good to go! However, it is important before agreeing an exchange to check that your / your landlord's home and contents insurance will cover the period when your home swap guests will be staying in your home. 

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Arrange your 2020 home swaps Sign up to Home Base Holidays and cut the cost of your 2020 getaways. By swapping homes you'll enjoy free accommodation plus all the space and convenience of a home from home. Search home swap travel offers

Q&A: Arranging a long term home swap?

Thinking of moving overseas? First try a long term home swap

Q: I was looking at the Home Base Holidays website and really like the idea of home swapping. My wife and I are now retired and are hoping to spend several months in Australia visiting our son in Melbourne and also with the thought of moving there at some point in the not so distant future. Do members arrange longer duration home swaps of say three to four months or is it more for people looking to arrange shorter holidays? Look forward to hearing from you.

- Tom & Ann (Cornwall)

A: Thanks for getting in touch and great to hear that home swapping appeals to you! The majority of home swaps do tend to be either short breaks such as long weekend getaways or holiday swaps of one to three weeks. However, there are many members that arrange long term home exchanges that can be anything from one month to one plus years. Arranging longer term home exchanges can be a great way to visit family or friends living overseas such as in your case, or, if you yourself are an expat living overseas, a great way to visit your native country while still enjoying your own space. Longer term exchanges can also be an exciting option for digital nomads, writers or any other location independent workers whose only work restrictions is a good internet connection.

You mentioned that you were thinking of possibly moving to Australia at a later date; longer term home swaps can be an excellent way to test out the expat life before fully committing to a permanent move. You'll be staying in a real home and be able to take advantage of tips and advice from a real local in your exchange partners.

When arranging a long term home swap, you need to give yourself plenty of time to find a suitable match and then discuss with them all details of the exchange so that you're both happy with the arrangements. As you'll be staying in each other’s homes for a lengthy period, you'll need to agree on how to pay for utility bills during your stay.

It is always important to be as proactive as possible when arranging a home swap and this even more the case when arranging a long term home swap. Join Home Base Holidays several months prior to your travel dates and spend time searching and contacting members so that you find a suitable match.

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Finding a long term home swap:

1. Go to the home exchange search page
2. Select the location you wish to visit
3. Under the 'Type of exchange' heading, tick the "Long term exchange" option

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Arrange your 2020 home swaps Sign up to Home Base Holidays and cut the cost of your 2020 getaways. By swapping homes you'll enjoy free accommodation plus all the space and convenience of a home from home. Search home swap travel offers

Trip report: home exchange in beautiful Vermont

Vermont home swap: beautiful sunset on Lake champlain

"We had a wonderful 3 week home swap in Sarah and Peter's home in South Burlington, Vermont. As the home exchange agreement was made well in advance we had plenty of time to get to know each other via messages and Skype. Sarah is an absolute perfectionist to detail and arranged everything for our trip to go as smoothly as possible. The house is really spacious and very comfortable. There's a lovely garden and deck to enjoy the lovely sunny days and the raspberries and tomatoes (delicious!). The neighborhood is extremely quiet even though it is situated a few minutes walk from a busy highway. We really appreciated the loan of the two cars especially the hybrid and the two bikes at our disposal which we used every day along the very safe cycle routes that took us into lovely wooded areas or countryside. Burlington is situated on Lake Champlain which is spectacular especially at sun set. We were surprised at the diversity of all the activities and places of interest in and around Burlington, there was so much to see from art galleries to apple orchards, museums, national parks, boat trips, dinner trains, restaurants, shops and of course the magnificent fall colors which we managed to see the beginning of. Sarah left us an excellent guide with advice and remarks of the best places/activities to see and do. We can highly recommend an exchange with Sarah and Peter who are excellent hosts and looked after our house in Belgium with great care. - Helena & Mike (Profondeville, Belgium)

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Highlight from the home exchange:

1. Very comfortable home and excellent hosts
2. Beautiful area on Lake Champlain
3. Lots of places to visit for all interests

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Photos from the home swap:

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Meet the members:

Peter & Sarah:  Peter and Sarah are happily retired. They have a lovely home in Burlington, Vermont, USA. Burlington is rated as one of the most livable cities in the USA. Its location on the shores of Lake Champlain near both the Adirondack Mountains and the Green Mountains means there is hiking, biking, skiing and boating nearby.  View their home swap offer in Burlington

 

Helena & Mike:  Helena and Mike are retired English teachers. They have a 200 year old cottage in the beautiful area of Profondeville between Namur and Dinant. Profondeville is situated on the river Meuse an area which is renowned for it’s beauty with the possibility to cycle or walk along the river for many hours. View their home swap offer in Profondeville

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Arrange your 2020 home swaps Sign up to Home Base Holidays and cut the cost of your 2020 getaways. By swapping homes you'll enjoy free accommodation plus all the space and convenience of a home from home. Search home swap travel offers

Family travel: benefits of a home swap vacation

Arranging a family getaway can typically be quite an expense what with transport, activities and accommodation costs. However, by choosing to swap homes rather than booking a hotel, you can dramatically cut the cost of your family getaway as your accommodation will be free. Being able to enjoy the space and comforts of home rather than being cramped in a hotel room can be big plus when travelling with children.

Obviously, some homes are not suitable for young children (e.g. certain features such as balconies, swimming pools, etc can cause a hazard) and so when searching home swap offers avoid any where the member has marked their home with the "Not suitable for small children" icon. However, do keep an eye out for homes displaying the "Suitable for small children" icon as these homes will usually be an ideal as a base for your family vacation.

Check out the Home swapping: is your home suitable for young kids? blog post.

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Home swap tip: if travelling with your young children, you may want to arrange a home swap with another young family as their homes may be ideally suited for your needs (e.g. toys, changing facilities, child car seats, etc)

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An excellent bonus of home swapping is that, as you are arranging a stay in a locals home, they are in an excellent position to offer advice and tips for budget-friendly family day trips and activities. Another big plus is that on a home swap you will have a kitchen where you can prepare a few meals and snacks before you head out on your adventures.   

Child-friendly home swap in Stockholm

Similarly, when adding your own home swap offer, it's useful to include information on your home's facilities/activities that may be useful to other families looking for a swap. Also, you can include some ideas for local outings. You will, of course, be able to expand on this, asking and answering questions, once in correspondence with potential home swap partners. It's also a great idea to put together a welcome folder for your home swap partners with information about your home (e.g. how to turn on the heating), emergency numbers, transport details, maps of the area and leaflets and recommendations or local activities and day trips.  

The beautiful home swap offer in central Stockholm (HE37376) is a lovely two-bedroom child friendly apartment. The apartment is also fully accessible for wheelchairs. The member has given excellent information (plus more photos) in their listing, both on the family's home and the local area.

'Plenty of toys, Wii U console and books (half English/half Swedish) for the kids. Other children’s accessories such as car seats, rain coats, boots, bikes etc are also available for our home swap guests.' - Jon (Stockholm, Sweden)

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View this family friendly home swap offer in Stockholm