Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Home Exchange - a Useful Literary Device?

You know that home exchange has come of age when even the latest Philip Roth novel includes it in the plot!

I read a review of 'Exit Ghost' on the blog, A Year of Reading. Here's a short quote:

'When Zuckerman answers an ad in the paper placed by young writers who wish to house swap with someone outside of the city, he finds himself falling for Jamie, the young Harvard grad whose sexuality arouses him in a way he'd abandoned as plausible. And, her attraction enables Zuckerman to write again.'

Sounds like an interesting home swap! Read the full review (also see link to 'Exit Ghost' on Amazon.com under Books, right hand column)

Home Exchange: When Pet Care is Very Important

Often, when browsing exchange offers, the most important criteria for the home exchange is made very clear in the description And so it is in the following exchange offer in Loxwood, West Sussex, England:

'We are Tony, Sharon and George (11). Our plans this year mean that WE NEED DOGSITTERS FOR 1 to 2 WEEKS THIS AUGUST, 2008 for our black Lab / Flatcoat retriever and our Fox / Jack Russell cross terrier. Affectionate and very lively, but reliably trained, they would need daily walks.'

The family's attractive exchange offer:

Comfortable family home in large private garden. Double room, twin room and twin with bunks, 2 reception rooms, separate office. Comfy sofabed in family room. 42" plasma TV, DVD, playstation and boardgames!

Heated, 32outdoor pool with 8deep end. BBQ, outdoor furniture & garden games.

Nearby: pretty villages with gastro pubs, antiques shops and beautiful countryside. 100s of miles of country walks and cycling, golf courses, open parkland, canal trips, stately homes and National Trust properties. Tennis, horse riding, fishing and shooting nearby.

London 45 miles by road but quicker by train. 45 mins to South coast beaches and resorts. 40 minutes from Gatwick airport. See the full exchange offer and more photos, HE17619

If you also need home exchange partners willing to look after your pets, restrict your search results by ticking the box beside Pet care offered (along with choosing any other important criteria) before searching current Home Base Holidays exchange offers. Note: you will also see a 'dog' symbol beside some listings in the search results, indicating homes where you would be welcome to bring your pet with you on exchange if this is a possibility.

Bytte, bytte bolig: Home Exchange in Denmark

If you read Danish, see the article on home exchange in Ekstra Bladet:

Bytte, bytte bolig

Spar kassen på drømmeferien: Lån dit hjem ud til en anden familie - og hold selv ferie i deres hus

www.homebase-hols.com: Home Base Holidays er en forening fra 1985 med base i London. Årsafgift: 29 pund.

Kidscantravel.com: 'A House Swap Affords the Comforts of Home'

Some time ago I wrote an article, A House Swap Affords the Comforts of Home, for kidscantravel.com. The article focussed on the particular benefits of taking part in a home exchange when travelling with children. As the site has recently changed some page links, this is another chance to mention the article with it's new address. And, another chance to mention kidscantravel.com, a site with many useful articles under the main headings of Family Travel Guides and Family Travel Tips.

'Traveler Reviews' a recent addition to kidscantravel.com, should be a good place for parents to share views and experiences on family attractions, destinations, services, etc and read contributions from other family travellers. At present, as you can't browse through the reviews but must pick a category and then be specific within that category, e.g. choose the category, Destination, and then enter the country or city you are interested in, there is a limited chance of finding a review. Hopefully this will improve as more contributors write reviews. So, if you like the convenience of having a real home from home when on vacation by arranging a home exchange with another family with children, why not share your experiences on kidscantravel.com?

Do check out the large number of child friendly homes available for exchange at Home Base Holidays. Tick the box beside 'Children Welcome' before doing a search to limit your results to the most suitable homes.

Thoughtful Gestures from 'Grandma' on a Home Exchange

In an article, Who Will be Sleeping in My Bed?, published in the Feb/Mar issue of Home Swappers Newsletter, I looked at ways that could help reassure children who are a little apprehensive about having exchange guests using their rooms and belongings. This question was first raised by Catherine, a new home exchanger from Toronto, and is commented on by Sharon, an experienced home exchanger:

'We recently successfully exchanged with several generations of the same family from Cape Town. The exchange was extremely positive partly due to both parties really wanting it to work. One very nice gesture from our exchange family was that each person left a note (and some sweets) on the pillow of our children's bed. The notes thanked them for allowing "grandma" to sleep in their bed and commented on the room. It made the person not so much a stranger and the little letters were really appreciated by the children.'

Sharon's home exchange offer in Chens sur Leman, Rhone Alpes, France:

We have a large detached house in a small village very near Geneva. It is 10 minutes walk to Lake Geneva and has views of the Jura mountains. It was recently renovated so is light, airy and ideal for family living. Geneva is 20 mins away by car. Major ski resorts (Morzine, Avoriaz, Flaine) within an hour's drive. Also convenient for visiting Annecy, Montreux, Evian and exploring the villages along Lake Geneva such as Yvoire.

We are a family of five. Children aged 10, 7 and 5 (2 girls, 1 boy) all well house-trained. We are non-smokers. We would take good care of your property, as we do our own home. We have already successfully done a house exchange, it was a very good experience. See more photos and information, HE19649.

50 Home Swappers, 50 Home Exchange Stories

The Feb/March 2008 issue of Home Swappers Newsletter was the 50th edition (and before the ezine format was introduced, a print version was sent to members who, at that time, all received directories of exchange offers three times a year - seems a long time ago now!) Publishing a newsletter focussed on home exchange for so many years has built into a large resource in the newsletter archives. One day I will start going through all past issues and indexing the articles under topic headings to make the information more accessible (Would you like to take on this interesting project? Please contact me).

From the very start, I have included a Home Base Holidays member's report of their home exchange experiences as the main feature article in each issue of Home Swappers. It is interesting looking back through past issues and reading members' stories - such a wide variety of experiences all based around home exchanges (and such talented writers amongst our members). Short quotes from just a sample of recent feature stories:

The Kindness of Strangers: a Home (Non) Swap Story - Different generations, creeds, cultures and a world away. We could never have paid for such an experience that has left us also a little kinder, a little more trusting and more willing to go out on a limb for others. After all, what goes around, comes around. Full article.

House Swap Heaven! Massachusetts to Ireland - We swapped my 70 year old brick colonial for a new 5 bedroom 5 bath house in the Kerry Hills, oh, and we fed a lovely sheep dog named Molly, who kept the girls happy all day! Full article.

Lasting Friendships: and the 'Boy Swap' - And, as for Half Moon Lake! Well, we called it 'our little piece of paradise'. It was a beautiful part of the world, not far from the White Mountains, nestled in glorious woodland which opened out onto a sparkling blue lake. We were equipped with our own beach and Indian canoe which we took out almost every day. The house was spacious and had everything we needed. A blueberry farm just a stone’s throw away made an ideal walk from the house through the woods. Full article.

Long Haul Home Exchange with a Toddler - The entire summer was fabulous! I would highly recommend doing a home swap to anyone looking to travel with a family affordably. It made travelling easy and we made great friends. Full article.

Holà Espagne! Our Family's Home Exchange Adventure - When we joined the Home Base Holidays home exchange website a year ago, we had no idea that we would be spending our summer vacation relaxing on the beach in Spain, eating tapas at a beach bar every evening, or trying to hablar espagñol each day...in short, having the adventure of a lifetime! Full article.

A Life Changing Home Exchange: England to France - Well, the reason we are now here and not in Devon is as a result of a home exchange 18 months ago! You have been warned. Full article.

A Series of Non-Simultaneous Home Swaps: UK - Australia/New Zealand - My wife and I have recently returned from our fourth winter of house exchanges in Australia and New Zealand. This time our three-month trip was planned as a series of seven short stays in people's homes (the only hotel night being in Singapore on the way out). Full article.

Check out the newsletter archives to read all past issues of Home Swappers (and 43 more home swap stories).