Best location: Julia and David's home is in central London's Marylebone
"We had such a wonderful home exchange in Julia and David's central London apartment. We absolutely loved the flat and the location, it really was the best location ever - smack bang in Marylebone ...it really would be hard to find a better place to stay!
Julia was in touch throughout and gave tons of local tips and great advice. Her flat was immaculate and so was ours when she and her hubby left it.
Our neighbours fell in love with them, as did our cats, who were very well cared for.
Staying in such a lovely central London location for free meant that we had lots of spare money to spend on theatre shows, river boat trips, etc - and we made full use of this!
We are very lucky people to have had this opportunity. Thank you so much to Julia and David for a wonderful swap in London!"
Our home swap partners, Julie and David, were extremely lovely
Unbeatable location and such a stylish clean, quiet and comfortable apartment
London ...of course!
Meet the members:
Diana & Alexander:
We are a tech teacher and mental health counsellor from Scotland. Our kids are all grown up and we are ready to explore the world. We are open to suggestions and can be spontaneous but will aim towards travelling during the Scottish school holidays. We have two lovely cats.
We are a British (English & Scottish) married couple. For UK and European city short trips/weekends we often travel as a couple although it would be ideal if we could arrange an occasional swap that accommodated the in-laws and both kids, particularly to Sydney where we have family.
Spanish swap: Irene's home swap offer in Bedar, Andalucia, Spain
Guest post by Home Base Holidays member and experienced home swapper, Irene Bews:
Little did I think when we dropped the first letter into the post box offering our house for exchange that this was a process I was destined to repeat many times over the next thirty years.
As time has gone by, the means of communication have become more sophisticated - letters and phone calls being superseded by faxes, and these in turn by e mail - making the entire process simpler and quicker. What has not changed though is that thrill of anticipation when a communication arrives offering a house swap with details of their home and themselves.
Our first exchange was to the Swiss town of Luzerne. Keys were exchanged over an Indian meal in Canterbury as we hurried towards the Channel and onwards towards the continent of Europe.
It was a good start; spectacular scenery, a flat situated in the old part of town and easy access to the surrounding countryside.
This exchange also introduced us to the more idiosyncratic and unexpected side of house swapping where odd requests can come out of the blue. On this occasion we had to babysit a harpsichord, where its room had to maintained at a constant temperature and humidity for the duration of our stay. It was our baby and we managed to nurse it through our stay.
It was onto a different form of nursing thereafter when our own sons arrived on the scene. Home exchanges continued but now it was onto more humdrum considerations such as a washing machine, toys and outdoor play areas galore.
Children bring with them their own share of issues but thankfully, this phase went off without anything amiss occurring, apart from an incident in Coutance (Normandy) when we woke one morning to find our eldest son had undressed over a hundred Sylvanian family characters and the discarded clothing formed a small mountain on the floor beside him… enough said!
Soon, our travels took wings. As the boys grew our horizons widened as our sights became set on going further afield. Australia was unforgettable, Colorado full of light and space and Mexico hot and dusty - each was visited, and many revisited, over the years. New York was everything it was claimed to be. Fond memories abound but few linger as much as a conversation in the shade of the World Trade Centre reflecting on how the US had been fortunate in its lack of terrorist attacks; six weeks later they were smoke and ash.
On a brighter side, exchanges continued to mount up. Inheriting another house allowed us to arrange non-simultaneous swaps. As a result, travels were no longer limited to the summer months. Ski trips to the Dolomites, Idaho and Utah amongst others were combined with Christmas and New Year abroad, while celebrating festivities on a beach in New Zealand put a completely new twist on celebrations.
Many exchanges were shorter in length and nearer to home. City breaks in Scotland, Portugal and France filled many Easters and Autumns. The fact that car exchanges were also negotiated allowing greater freedom and mobility without the complications and pitfalls of car hire.
Suddenly, we have reached a milestone; fifty home exchanges in thirty years, and counting. Home exchanging has allowed us to travel further and more frequently without the pain of accommodation costs usually associated with holidays, where a real sense of community can be experienced that is far removed from traditional tourist sites and which can be a common feature of time spent abroad.
Unexpected and unusual offers have allowed us to visit places we would otherwise never have considered. A generation on, our boys too have the travel bug; this story still has a way to run – who knows when, or where, we will reach our century!
- Irene Bews
Meet the member:
Irene and her husband have completed 75 home exchanges all over the world since 1987. They are lucky enough to have four fabulous homes available for exchange (shown below).
Bedar, Andalucia, Spain(HE39067)
This is a superb village home in one of the white villages 15 minutes from the sea in Andalucia - sleeps 7 and close to fabulous beaches, Cabo de Gato National Park, diving, golfing etc etc...
The idyllic Orkney Isles lie to the north of Scotland a scenic hour and a half sail away from Scotland. Our home is on the 'mainland' - biggest island.
Embo is a tiny Scottish Highlands village clinging to the coast with a beautiful long, sandy beach, and backdrop of fabulous Scottish mountains. Adjacent to World famous Royal Dornoch Golf Course.
One question that many first time home swappers have is how do they exchange keys with their home swap partners. Many home swappers choose to simply send the keys by mail. However, if you do choose to mail your keys, make sure to give plenty of time and use a trackable signed delivery or courier service so that there is a notification that the keys have been delivered. Also, if your swap partner mails you their keys, send them a message as soon as you receive the keys.
When the home exchange is non-simultaneous, involve a second home, or if there are a few days cross over between the exchanges, many members prefer to deliver the keys in person. If this includes you, make sure that you know exactly when your exchange guests will be arriving and allow in your schedule some flexi-time in case your guests are delayed.
Additional ways to exchange keys:
Neighbours, family and friends. It’s always recommended to leave 1 or 2 local numbers that your home swap guests can call if they have any questions – this might be the number of a family member, a friend or a trusted neighbour. Some members also arrange to pick up the house keys on arrival from an agreed contact. This can work very well but if you choose this option make sure that your family, friend or neighbour understands the importance of being there for your guests arrival and is also contactable by phone.
Outdoor code lock box. If you plan on taking part in regular home swaps it can be worth installing a lockbox and then provide the code to your home swap guests so that they can access the key on arrival. This is a very good option for people listing second homes / holiday homes.
Secret hiding spot. Some members choose a secret hiding spot to place their key. If you choose this option, then make sure the hiding spot isn’t so hidden that your guests can’t find the key!
Key exchange service. With the rise of home sharing/rentals has also seen a rise in third party service, including key exchange services. These vary from courier services that drop off the keys on arrival to services where you can choose a collection destination near your exchange property. One example of a key exchange service is Keycafe
Vancouver Island: photographer in front of Olympic mountain range
"We had a wonderful 2 month long home exchange with Carolyn & Mick staying in their lovely home in Victoria (Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada).
We borrowed their camping gear and travelled 'up island' and 'across island' as we explored and travelled all around beautiful Vancouver Island.
We explored many of the gardens in and around Victoria and followed many of Carolyn's excellent 'visiting gardens' suggestions. We explored a large number of museums and heritage centres (around 40+) and we travelled across to Vancouver City. We wish we had allowed extra time to explore Seattle (Washington) and Portland (Oregon) and even Alaska via the Inside Passage but we simply never had enough time to see it all ...there's always next time! Thank you so much to Carolyn and Mick for a wonderful swap."
Exploring a great deal of beautiful Vancouver Island
Expanded our travels using Carolyn & Mick's car
Expanded our travels using Carolyn & Mick's camping gear
Meet the members:
Philip & Amanda:
Members Philip & Amanda have a two bedroom central London apartment. Their home is on the 15th floor and has sensational views across Central and East London.
Home swap tip: clear space in your wardrobe for your guests
Q: I recently joined Home Base Holidays and am currently discussing an exchange in 2020 with a member in France. I'm new to home swapping (this will be my first swap!) and am not quite sure what will be expected by the guests staying in my home. Of course I will make sure my home is clean, tidy and with fresh bedding and towels ready for their stay but, should I also clear out my wardrobe? Also, what about personal belongings, is it okay to leave them out? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
A: Most members just clear a section of a wardrobe and a drawer or two for their exchange partners to store their clothes (as most exchange periods are fairly short, your guests are unlikely to need a lot of space for their belongings).
As well as leaving some storage space in bedrooms, leave kitchen equipment, etc for their use but tidy your fridge and a kitchen cupboard so that your guests have space to store their food.
Leave basic provisions: you don't have to go grocery shopping, but it's nice to have staples like tea, coffee, sugar, milk, bread, butter, cereal, toilet rolls and washing up liquid on hand to help your guests settle in while they figure out the lay of the land.
Your guests will be looking forward to staying in a real home rather than a showroom or hotel and so, it's completely fine to leave most of your personal belongings in place. However, for peace of mind, some members do choose to store or lock away anything of value or sentimental value.
Remember to ask the other member any questions that come to mind; they will understand that it is your first time exchanging and will appreciate the fact that you are being thorough.
Do make sure to contact us again if you need any help with your home swap arrangements.
Highlands home swap: Cathy's traditional fishermans / crofters cottage
"We enjoyed a two weeks home swap in Cathy's fabulous Scottish Highland cottage. Cathy's home is such a lovely charming sea view cottage in a fabulous location very near to the sea. It was very well equipped and we felt really at home in the cottage. Every day of our home swap we explored more of the beautiful Scottish surroundings. After a day exploring, it was always great to come back to the cottage to relax. We also enjoyed really good meals in the lovely local pub.
Cathy was very helpful during our stay, thank you so much for letting us stay and have the most beautiful holiday!"
Home Base Holidays We're here to answers any questions on swapping homes, specific topics related to home exchange vacations plus share Home Base Holidays members' home swap stories and exchange offers.
