Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Travel with a Challenge: 'Exchange a Home and See the World'

I was delighted when the editor of Travel with a Challenge got in touch two years ago to ask me to write an article about home exchange especially for older travellers, and pleased when recently asked to check the article and make any changes needed to update it. The newly updated article, 'Exchange a Home and See the World', is now available on the website. It is very impressive when the editor of such an information rich site takes the time to ensure that all previously published articles are still fresh and up-to-date. A quote from Travel with a Challenge sums up the site's purpose:

'While showcasing both well-established and freshly-minted alternative travel opportunities throughout the world, this website and its Web magazine promise its readers practical advice and plenty of nuts-and-bolts information to encourage active, educational, value-added vacationing suitable for men and women over 50. The one thing you won’t find is an excuse to stay home!'

And a brief quote from my article, 'Exchange a Home and See the World':

'The over 50s, often with more flexibility on dates and length of exchange than families tied by school or work holiday periods, have the broadest choice of exchange possibilities. Many prefer to exchange with others in similar circumstances, that is, avoiding families with young children if their homes are not geared to their needs. Others like to travel with grown children and grandchildren and a larger home with plenty of space invariably appeals more than cramped hotel rooms or basic vacation rental apartments.'

The photo shown is of a current Home Base Holidays member's Tudor style home outside of Oliver, BC, Canada, near the best of the southern Okanagan Valley's wineries, golf courses and orchards. See the full home exchange offer, HE18776.

Read the updated article in full and do check out all the other great information that Travel with a Challenge has to offer.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

'Find a holiday home from home': Home Exchange Article in 'Locations'

The Summer 2007 issue of 'New Home Locations Scotland' published by The Scotsman included an article on home exchange, 'Find a holiday home from home'.

As 'Locations' focuses entirely on homes in Scotland (and is available free there), the journalist interviewed two Scottish Home Base Holidays members about their home exchange experiences - Kim from Bishopbriggs and Laura from Roslin. Both members have children and some of their quotes included in the article reflect the benefits of home exchange they've found when travelling with their families:

Laura - 'I always travelled a lot before having children and wanted to continue this with my family. Home swapping enables us to afford to go on multiple holidays each year and to visit unusual, interesting destinations.'

Kim - 'We've always swapped with families who have children, so there are always loads of toys and games, and you get a fully equipped home, rather than a basic holiday home. We also have pets, so we swap with people who also have animals.'

The photo above left is of Laura's family in front of their house in Roslin, Midlothian. See their home exchange offer and more photos, HE16682.

The photo on the right is of Kim's living room in her home in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow. See Kim's exchange offer and photos, HE14803.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

Special Reduced Home Exchange Membership Offer Ends 31 August

***Special Offer***

During August 2007 Home Base Holidays has been offering home exchange membership at the reduced rate of £21 (pounds sterling) for one year or £31 for two years.

This is a special, one month only, discount offer (a saving of £8 on the regular rates) which will end on 31 August.

Late summer is a great time to list your home if you are considering a home swap over the Christmas/New Year period or are looking ahead to exchanges next spring or summer. The longer your listing is in circulation before your exchange dates, the greater your choice of offers. Don't delay - join Home Base Holidays today!

To check the current rate of exchange between pounds sterling and any other currency, use the Quick Converter at the top of the OANDA Currency Converter site.

Invite Potential Home Swap Partners' Local Friends to Visit Your Home

Recent new Home Base Holidays home exchange members in London wrote:

'We are both professionals, Robin is 30 and works for a Housing Association in their development team and is also studying for a Masters degree. Robert is 29 and is a director at a law school in London. We have a clean, tidy, non smoking home and would treat yours the same way. This will be our first exchange but we have rented a private flat from the owner in New York before (including his 2 cats!) and think it is the best way to experience a new country. If you have friends or family in London who want to have a look first we would be more than happy to show them around.'

It is an excellent idea to suggest to members interested in your offer to invite any of their friends, family or colleagues who live in your city or town to come and see your home. Friends who visit will be able to report back on their impressions of your home, and this is bound to be extra reassuring to potential exchange partners, especially first time exchangers who may be a little nervous.

These members are looking for a home exchange to Sydney in October 2007, and are open to offers for 2008:

'We live in a newly built mews house in South West London. There are excellent transport links by bus, rail, road or tube. These provide easy access to all parts of central London but our location means it is easy to explore the rest of the UK should you wish to. There are beautiful park and river walks near us and you can walk to either Barnes or Putney for a fabulous selection of bars and restaurants.

The house is quite modern, comfortably furnished with all the extras you would expect e.g. internet. We have a 1995 convertible Peugeot if you wish to use it and a bike. We have two lovely cats that we would prefer stayed here, but we can arrange other accomodation for them, or ask people to feed them if you are using this as a base.'

See the full home exchange offer and more photos, HE20071.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

'Playing Swapsies - Home Exchanges are Back in Fashion'

This is the title of an article on home exchange that was published recently in thelondonpaper. Funny, I never knew that home exchange had gone out of fashion! But, there is a ring of truth to the reasoning behind the author's comments:

'There has been a recent upsurge in house swapping, fuelled by the internet and the growing appetite for independent travel.'

The internet has certainly made it much quicker and cheaper to view home exchange listings before joining, then join and immediately be able to start contacting other members with your exchange offer. Email is definitely a great improvement over the pricey packages of exchange offer information that used to be sent by mail. One downside of the internet, of course, is the plethora of often confusing information now available - it does, ironically, take increasingly more time to sift through this to find reliable and trustworthy sites.

Home swappers have always tended to be independent travellers but it is the case that the internet has made it easier for more travellers to feel confident about putting together their own travel packages, from flights to accommodation and car hire, and thus, many who may have been daunted by the idea of making their own home exchange arrangements in the past, are no longer put off by this. In fact, the pre-exchange arrangements, when home exchangers are getting to know each other, are often part of the fun of a trip.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).

Allowing Use of a Computer/Internet Access by Home Exchange Partners: Any Potential Problems?

Q: I notice that many Home Base Holidays members are now offering internet access through computers based in their properties available for home exchange. Have any members reported problems doing this? I'm not sure what the legal situation would be if anyone (for example) downloaded illegal material using a member's computer. Regards, Ian, Chichester, UK (listing HE19124).

A: You have raised an interesting and important issue which, to be honest, is one I hadn't thought of before. We have never had any reports from members of problems arising as a result of allowing use of their computers by home exchange guests. Some members, especially those using home computers for private business, won't allow use of their computers but, as most exchangers probably now expect to have at least limited use of a computer with internet access, this is increasingly offered as part of an exchange as you noted.

Without looking into this further, I don't know what the legal position would be (and this is likely to vary depending on the country) if it was discovered that a home exchanger's computer had been used to download illegal material. Although the computer owner must ultimately be responsible for how it is used, it would seem easy enough to prove (through flight tickets, etc) that any illegal material found on a computer would have been downloaded during a period when the owner/their family was not at home. Although by the time an exchange takes place, most members will feel very comfortable with having their exchange partners stay in their homes, and use all their household equipment, this is still an important issue to consider.

If you have had a home swap that included use of a computer for internet access in your home, have you addressed this issue that Ian has raised? Or have you limited the use of your computer in any way? Your experiences and feedback are welcomed, either by email or by leaving a comment on this post.

©Lois Sealey: This blog, and all content, is copyright. If quoting from this post, please acknowledge Travel the Home Exchange Way (http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com) as the source and include a direct link to the full post (see Permalink below).