Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

'Maybe it's Because I'm a Londoner ...'

... 'that I love London so' (as the song goes) but I know our city is an expensive place to visit for many people these days. As the cost of accommodation (especially for a room in a nice hotel in central London) is high, arranging a home exchange can really save a lot on the cost of a vacation in London. If on a tight budget, you can also save money by cooking at least some meals in your exchange home (food shopping in local stores and markets when away from home can be part of the fun). Although it's easier to travel in London by public transport, arranging to swap cars as part of your home exchange agreement will give you the freedom to travel further afield too.

Fortunately, many Londoners offer their homes for exchange and you should find no shortage of possible home swaps amongst the Home Base Holidays listings. Here are a few samples of recent London exchange offers:

APARTMENT in LONDON WC1 - An attractive and comfortable 3rd floor apartment in a bustling little street in Bloomsbury, one of London's smartest areas. Five minutes walk to the British Museum, 20 minutes to Covent Garden, Theatreland and the West End. View full description, HE16182

HOUSE in LONDON W12 - Large, family house with garden in central London. Close to transport to the West End: tube and bus. Good shopping 15 mins walk. Large park nearby. View full description, HE14970

HOUSE in LONDON NW5 - We have a tall, skinny house built in 1890 in North London, close to trendy Camden Market and beautiful Hampstead Heath. The house is on three levels with stripped wooden flooring throughout and is very light and airy. View full description, HE16530

HOUSE in LONDON E3 - A modern townhouse in a private, gated development in East London. Based in the heart of the vibrant East End, the house is next door to a large park and canal and within 10 minutes walk of a number of well established bars and restaurants. View full description, HE17013

APARTMENT in LONDON SW15 - We are the happy owners of a secluded garden flat of an attractive Victorian block just off the bustling Putney High Street in west London. The property is conveniently located to Putney train station (only 12 mins ride to the heart of London and a further 2.5 hrs to Paris via Eurostar). View full description, HE16798

HOUSE in LONDON N16 - Family house in North London 'village' of Stoke Newington. Great local shops, restaurants, bookshops, park. Easy access to West End/City of London. View full description, HE2400

To browse all current London listings, choose England from the country list and then London from the state/county list (this will show homes within easy reach of London as well as those right in the city).

Lost Friends Reunited: Not Quite Home Exchange!

I try to keep this blog very focussed on issues directly related to swapping homes for vacations. However, once in awhile I receive a message that has little to do with home exchange but is just too intriguing to not spend some time on. That happened one day last week when I received the following message (names replaced by initials only as it's early days and I don't want to jinx a possible happy ending :-)

'Hi, My name is J., and about 10 years ago I fell in love with a French girl named L. while we were both living in Berlin. Just for kicks, I googled her name and was led to your site. She would be about 31-32 years old right now.

If, by any chance, the L. associated with you somehow -- I still can't figure out how -- is the same one, I would LOVE to contact her or you could give her my info instead. It would mean the world to me to know how she is doing. Thank you.' - J.

I had to do some searching to track down L. as she wasn't a Home Base Holidays member but someone who had written an article about us several months prior. As it happened, I had her work email address and forwarded J's message to her, knowing that, although her name was unusual, she might not necessarily be the right girl. But she was! She called me the next day to say how pleased she was to be back in touch with J. They're both single, he (an American) is planning to come to London, where she now lives, to visit her. And J's response:

'Lois, You are so great! Thank you very much. I will definitely invite you to the wedding! :-)'. - J.

Ah!! What a nice little diversion. Let's hope it works out well for this young couple, even if only as re-united friends. Wouldn't it be fun though to think they might get married, buy a house, then plan a home exchange to one of the many places they have lived? But I may be getting a little ahead here ...

Summer 2005 House Swaps: Last Minute Offers in Britain

Although the majority of Home Base Holidays members planning home swaps during the school holidays in the UK, late July to the end of August, will have already made their arrangements and be looking forward to their exchanges, there are always a few still looking for exchanges close to the dates wanted. Members can add their offers to the separate Last Minute Offers list for a month to draw extra attention to their exchange requests. Here are a few current last minute offers in Britain:

LEWES, EAST SUSSEX, ENGLAND - Spacious, detached property on the outskirts of Lewes, county town of Sussex boasting a Norman castle, very individual shops, pubs and restaurants. View offer HE16890

SEDBERGH, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND - 100 year old stone-built house just 2 mins walk from the quiet centre of Sedbergh in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. From our house you have views from every window of the wonderful unspoilt Howgill range of hills, and can be walking over them in 5 mins from our front door. View offer HE16192

RICHMOND, SURREY, ENGLAND - Three storey, ornate, Victorian four bedroom house with balcony and peaceful garden in Richmond, probably the most beautiful suburb of London, only 20 minutes away from the centre by train or underground. View offer HE16823

LEEDS, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND - Detached 4 bedroom house with a lovely garden and neighbours. We live close enough to Leeds to get into the city within 20 mins by car or close to great scenic walking areas. View offer HE16952

IPSWICH, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND - Comfortable, spacious, detached family home set in large gardens in a quiet residential area on the eastern edge of Ipswich, in the rural County of Suffolk. Suffolk's heritage coast, mile after mile of remote coastline with nature reserves and unspoilt beaches, lies to the north east of Ipswich. View offer HE14618

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - Comfortable 3 bedroom house in residential area; 5 minutes walk away from the open countryside, about 10 minutes drive from the city centre and the sea. View offer HE15942

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - Excellent location, quiet but minutes away from all that Edinburgh has to offer: castle, museums, art galleries, parks, shopping, zoo, sports facilities. View offer HE16598

Tempted by any of these home swap offers for the summer? If you are already a Home Base Holidays member log on to your member area to view full listings by the User IDs given. Send your exchange offers without delay! Not a member? Join now and, provided you are fairly flexible on exact destinations you will consider, you should still have time to arrange an exchange this summer (and, of course, use your membership for other exchange possibilities later on this year and in 2006).

Money Saving Expert: Travel Insurance Advice

Questions on travel insurance crop up fairly regularly from Home Base Holidays home exchange members, especially from those over 65 who are arranging lengthy house swaps in long haul destinations. As most such enquiries are from UK members, one of the latest money saving articles on the Money Saving Expert website, 'Travel Insurance - cheap or even free' should provide very useful information and suggested companies/policies to best suit individual circumstances (and save money).

MoneySavingExpert.com is described as 'Ad free, Free to use, Consumer Revenge: it's about saving money on anything and everything – finding the best deals and beating the system.' Do visit MoneySavingExpert.com and, for regular up to the minute information, subscribe to the free Martin's Money Tips E-mail newsletter.

Non-Simultaneous Home Exchanges: Self Contained Units and Second Homes

Q: We are considering joining Home Base Holidays. Our 4 year old house in South Africa was designed with an attached, fully equipped, self contained cottage. So, we do not have to do simultaneous home swops should we be able to find a similar set-up in the UK. This would have the great advantage that owners may be present when the other swoppers are visiting. Could you help? - Johan

A: Although you may not find many members with exactly your set-up, a self contained unit right next to the primary home (there are a few!), you will find a good number of members able to consider non-simultaneous exchanges. Often such members are offering a second home for exchange. When you browse the listings, you will see a small symbol beside the brief listings to indicate those that are second homes - this will give you an idea of the members most likely to be able to consider your offer of a non-simultaneous home swap.

You are certainly at an advantage if able to exchange homes at times to best suit both parties. And, you are in an ideal situation in being able to meet your exchange partners and help with any questions they have while staying in your self contained unit. You should find much interest in your offer. There are many Home Base Holidays members in the UK, and South Africa is an increasingly popular destination request for home exchanges.

Home Exchange - Much More Than a Cheap Vacation? Feedback on Article

The following is a response from Home Base Holidays member, Henry Grant, to an article, 'Home Exchange: Much More Than a Cheap Vacation?' published in the current issue of Home Swappers Newsletter (any other comments on the subject are welcome!):

Hi there Lois,

I would totally agree that the main advantage of home exchanging is not so much to save money, but to "fit in" with an area and get to know it, without having to spend your entire time in hotels with other tourists, and avoiding the hassle of arranging bookings.

I too have had an offer of an exchange with someone who I felt was purely in it to save money, and I turned her down. It took a few emails back and forth for me to get the vibe, and I then decided to pursue the link no further.

It’s nice to feel someone wants to come to your home to enjoy the area      and find out about it, and you want them to be the sort of people who will appreciate it.

I also agree that most of the exchangers I have had correspondence with are able to afford accommodation – but just prefer not to. Certainly that is the case for us, and for the three hugely successful UK exchange families we’ve been lucky enough to have been involved with.

Keep up the good work, it’s a great site. Cheers, Henry Grant

The photos are of Lake Okareka and Henry's home (HE15599) there, North Island, New Zealand.