Travel the Home Exchange Way

Discovering new destinations: home swap experiences

Home swap: Pheonix, Arizona (USA) to Mersea Island, Essex (England) "We returned to the USA in November after a wonderful home exchange to Mersea Island, England. It wasn’t a destination we had ever considered until communicating with experienced home exchangers, Kathy and Steve. Their home is lovely, comfortable and filled with unique original artwork. Mersea Island and the surrounding areas are beautiful and full of historic significance. There are fantastic walks, delicious pubs, restaurants and coffee shop/cafes all easily accessible. However, the most outstanding thing about our visit was the care taken by Kathy and Steve which assured that we had such a terrific visit. As a bonus, it turns out that some of the friendliest and most helpful people we’ve ever encountered live on Mersea Island. To our delight we were invited to walk and dine with some of their engaging, knowledgeable and resourceful neighbors. This was truly a marvelous home exchange!" - Jill & Leland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home swap: Mersea Island, Essex (England) to Pheonix, Arizona (USA) We are still adjusting to our 3 months in USA, a wonderful kaleidoscope of scenes and adventures. After travelling 3,500 miles and an air flight we arrived at this wonderful desert house. Just loved the 'feel' of the house. Our loves, art, books, family, relaxed, safe, and within striking distance of so much. The home exchange was arranged over a long period of communication, through the Home Base Holidays website, emails, Facetime and so on sorting out dates times and generally getting a feel of exchange partners and houses. All excellent. The house was in a very safe up-market area close to the Biltmore, good for a walk and evening tipple. All amenities such as food shops, restaurants, museums, downtown and light rail/public transport were just around the corner. We became brave not just using our exchange car (we'd agreed to exchange cars but neither of us really used each others cars during the swap) but exploring the wider area by foot and public transport was so much fun. We met so many lovely people and visited great art galleries, museums, festivals, ballroom & country dancing and we even made a baseball game! Phoenix was not a destination we had originally thought of but the photographs and description on the Home Base Holidays website drew us in. Do not hesitate to swap with Jill & Leland - you will have a magic experience with the most likeable, easy going people! Sunshine, a swimming pool and fab house - who could ask for more? We hope to remain in touch and catch up again in the future. Our neighbours in the UK loved Jill & Leland ...a sure recommendation! - Kathy & Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Meet the members:   Check out Jill and Leland's beautiful desert retreat home exchange offer in Pheonix, Arizona.  View Kathy and Steve's (in photo) fabulous home swap offer on Mersea Island, Essex

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Arrange free holiday accommodation

Rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home exchange through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation. 

• Search thousands of home exchange offers

Visit Sydney on a budget (free days out, cheap transport + free home swap accommodation)

Reaching “Down Under”, the red continent Australia, became pleasantly easy and with the right tricks even an inexpensive trip. Especially Sydney, Australia’s largest city, with its famous Harbour and Opera House attracts visitors from all around the world. It is Australia’s most exciting and cosmopolitan city but also the most expensive one to live in. With a great mix of pristine beaches, fascinating sights and natural highlights, tourists just as locals just love Sydney.

To enjoy a budget friendly vacation in “the Harbour City” without sacrificing comfort and missing out on the great attractions, read our guide to visit Sydney on a budget.

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Things to do:

Sydney has an incredible variety of attractions and sights to see and some of them will not even cost you a cent.

Experience Circular Quay. Along Sydney’s harbour, Circular Quay, you can soak in two of the city’s great icons, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Walk around and enjoy the unique Sydney atmosphere without spending a cent and get entertained by didgeridoo players and other street performers.

Stroll the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Enjoy great views along the pedestrian pathway at the Sydney Harbour Bridge completely free and almost as spectacular as the popular and expensive Bridge climb.

Escape the big city hustle at the Royal Botanic Gardens. It is the best place to enjoy fantastic views over Sydney’s harbour, to have a picnic with your friends and to recharge your batteries in a green environment. And all that without paying any admission fee.

Surf at Bondi Beach. Sydney’s most iconic beach, Bondi beach, offers stunning coastline views in a laidback atmosphere. You can rent surfing or paddle boards for a small fee or take the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk with some of the best lookouts.

Take the ferry. Enjoy the most scenic route between Circular Quay and Manly with fantastic views over the Sydney Harbour. In Manly you visit its gorgeous beach as well as cool cafes. An inexpensive trip no one should miss.

Enjoy Indigenous art. The premier Art Gallery of New South Wales is free of charge and has plenty of things to discover.

Enjoy Sydney’s best attractions with the Sydney Attraction Combo Pass and save almost $400. Enjoy a visit at Sydney Tower Eye, Madame Tussauds, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, Wild Life Sydney and Manly Sea life Sanctuary.

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Cheap (free!) accommodation:

Most of the hotels in Sydney are quite expensive, especially if you don’t book in advance. If you want to stay close to all attractions it gets even more expensive. Hostels are a budget friendly option, but with bed bugs, partying backpackers and shared dorm rooms your stay can end up pretty unpleasant.

An excellent way to stay in Sydney but without the costs of hotels or rentals is to arrange home swap accommodation. By home swapping, you agree with another person or family (your home swap hosts) to swap homes for a set period of time (anything from a weekend break even up to a six-month swap). When home swapping there are no costs (other that the small fee to join a home swap site such as Home Base Holidays) therefore making swapping an incredibly budget friendly way to travel; in fact, by swapping homes you can cut the costs of your getaways by 80%. More than just the cost savings, a home swap is a fantastic way to get to truly get to know the city as you'll be staying in a real home - you'll get a sense of what it's like to live like a local and enjoying a truly authentic experience. You can also get tips and advice on what to see and do in Sydney from your home swap hosts - insider tips from real locals! 

• Search home swap offers and find your ideal home swap accommodation in Sydney.

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Transportation

Most of the attractions in Sydney are in walking distance. You can join one of the free walking tours organised by “I’m free”, which take about three hours and are guided by informative and friendly staff. There is also a free shuttle bus number 555, which operates on a loop around the main CBD and takes in all the major sights. To enjoy unlimited use of public transport (train, bus and ferry) you can purchase a MyMulti DayPass for just a few Dollars.

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Food

In Sydney you can find inexpensive food in almost every pub or club. They offer delicious cheap burgers and sandwiches and usually have special deals every day. Try Paddy’s Markets for fresh fruits and vegetables and delicious takeaway food.

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Interested in home exchanges in Sydney? 

4 bed home swap in central Sydney

Fantastic home exchange offer - central and convenient, with a great view of the Harbour Bridge and Sydney skyline. Transport here is excellent. Neutral Bay village is a short walk away and has great cafes, restaurants, wine bars and supermarkets. 

View this home swap in Sydney

Home Swappers newsletter: home swaps in 2019

 

Start planning your home swap holidays for 2019. Cut the cost of your next getaway. Check out the latest issue of our home exchange newsletter for home swap tips, offers and member stories. 

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In this issue of the newsletter:

• Featured home swap offers: beautiful holiday home on Mykonos Island, Greece | converted farmhouse in Groslier, France | stunning sea view apartment in Gulluk, Turkey | fabulous cottage in the Lake District, England | ski lodge in Chamonix, France | sea view home in Ibiza, Spain | townhouse in central London, England | stylish apartment in central Melbourne, Australia
• Swap stories: our amazing home swap in Noss Mayo, Devon
• Five benefits: of home exchanging

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>>> View this issue of the Home Swappers newsletter

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Swap homes for free holiday accommodation Arrange anything from a weekend getaway exchange or even a long term six+ month exchange. Browse thousands of home exchange vacation offers Sign up today: add your home to Home Base Holidays so that you can start contacting other members to arrange your home exchange. Join Home Base Holidays

Q&A: maximum length of a home swap vacation?

Q: I live in London and am looking to visit Melbourne for an extended stay. I'm quite flexible but would like to stay from anywhere between 6 - 9 months. Home swapping looks like it could potentially be an ideal option but is there any limits to the length of a home exchange? - Jason (London)

A: Hi Jason! Thanks for getting in touch. Home swapping can be a great way to try a new location for an extended period of time - we've even seen a number of members arrange a home swap to try living in a new location 'as a local' before deciding whether to move abroad permanently. It can be ideal as you'll enjoy free accommodation and, as you'll be swapping, you'll not need to think about sorting out a rental on your own property (being tied down to a rental contract and potentially having to change your mortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage).

Although the majority of home swaps are for shorter vacation periods of 1 – 4 weeks, there is no limit to the length and many members arrange swaps of anything from 3 months to 1+ years, it totally depends on the length agreed between the two members taking part.

It can of course be a bit more difficult finding longer term exchanges and so it's important to give yourself plenty of time; Join Home Base Holidays several months before your planned travel dates and be as proactive as possible (contact a number of members to suggest a swap). You might even look into arranging more than one exchange or arranging one swap and using rental accommodation for any period not covered. This will give you the chance to move around and get a feel for more than one area.

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To browse current long term exchange offers, go to the home swap search page and select ‘Long term exchange’ from the ‘Type of exchange’ options.

'The beautiful South Downs' - my home swap in Sussex

The beautiful South Downs, West Sussex

"Vaughan and Sally's home is a pebble's throw from the beach in one direction, and a couple of miles from the southern edge of the South Downs in the other. It's also convenient (walking distance) for shops, restaurants and pubs (we particularly recommend the Georgi Fin micropub).

The vibrant city of Brighton, with its charismatic and quirky shopping areas, restaurants and pubs (the Lord Nelson on Trafalgar St near the railway station is especially good) is easily accessible by train from West Worthing railway station, which is only 15-20 minutes` walk away, and Worthing Pier is also just a short walk away on the very pleasant promenade (which incidentally also boasts an excellent children`s playground at its closest point to their home).

Sally and Vaughan were excellent exchangers - great communication, left our house lovely, clean and tidy, etc. Thanks for a very enjoyable exchange!"

- Evelyn

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Highlights of our home swap in West Sussex:

1. Walking the beautiful South Downs
2. Excellent communication with Sally and Vaughan
3. A day out in Brighton

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Meet the members:   Check out Sally and Vaughan's beautiful home swap offer in West Worthing.  Also check out Evelyn's (pictured in photo) home swap offer in Yorkshire, a lovely stone Victorian home in the market town of Penistone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Arrange free holiday accommodation

Rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home exchange through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation. 

• Search thousands of home exchange 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.

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)

 

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