Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Slow Down in London - Swap Homes with a Londoner

It's still Slow Down London week. As a Londoner, I sometimes get annoyed when my way is blocked by a group of tourists taking their time (spread out across the whole pavement), probably not sure where they're going ... but, really, tourists often have the right idea. It's likely that they see things that residents miss or may not even be aware of.

It's the frenetic looking tourists who seem to be on some self driven schedule to pack as much into a day as possible ('Quick - it's 10 o'clock and we should be at St. Paul's already!') that I don't envy. Too busy consulting the guidebook with no time to stop and stare. So why not slow down, do a home exchange, claim 'your' local pub or cafe, talk to the neighbours and find out about the hidden gems that are unlikely to appear in many guidebooks. Then, take your time to do the well known tourist sights at a more leisurely pace. Slowing down is much easier when you aren't paying for accommodation.

Home Base Holidays, being a long established London based home exchange agency, has dozens of attractive home exchange offers - some in very central locations, others in the inner and outer suburbs. All have much to offer visitors and well served by public transport. Just a very small taster:

A smart town house in attractive private square. Located in the heart of Wimbledon Village, with its chic boutiques and restaurants. Excellent access to Central London (15 minutes by train). Close to the outstanding woods, lakes and heathland of Wimbledon Common. Tennis and golf nearby.

Ideal base for exploring London and further afield (eg Hampton Court, historic Winchester, the North Downs). This is a second home, well-maintained and uncluttered. Home exchange offer in full, HE22496

We live in a quiet, residential road in Hither Green, South East London, 10 mins walk from 3 stations with trains going into the city centre within 10-15 mins. We have also access to the DLR (the Docklands Light Railway).

Our house was built in 1928 and has some art-deco feel to it. We like decorating and gardening, hence the colourful & joyful environment we live in.

There are plenty of pubs and restaurants to go out to within short walking distance, a shopping centre & many parks within 5-15 mins walk with children play area and to walk dogs. We are only 15 mins from London and its attractions. You can even walk to Greenwich and Blackheath (20-30 mins) which are lovely villagey-type of neighborhoods great for going out and shopping. Home exchange offer in full, HE20763

Our home is a recently renovated spacious one-bed apartment in a Victorian mansion block, 100m from Tower Bridge and the River Thames. The flat is 5 tube stops from Saint Pancras Station and Eurostar; it is situated only a 20 minute bus ride from Liverpool St Station, with express services to Stansted Airport.

Our home is located in an incredible central London location, with excellent transport links to the West End and all of London's major attractions. There is also a fantastic range of bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants within 15 minutes walk, including those in the popular areas of Borough Market and Shad Thames. Parking is available, and we have two bikes you can use as well. Home exchange offer in full, HE19634

Explore London and return to some peace at night! We live in Kensal Green, NW London. Get to Camden and Portobello Markets, Hampstead, Richmond, Kew Gardens, Wembley and central London within 25 minutes by train. As well as all the delights of London we are near to the end of motorways going north and west. 5 minutes from lovely parks with cafes, local deli and pub, community cinema, indoor public swimming pool and sports centre 2 minutes walk.

Our house is a typical London terrace on a quiet street in a lively inner suburb. We have a kitchen dining room, living room with Sky TV and 2.5 bedrooms- one with a double bed, one kids room with a high bunk, and the third is an office, with a comfortable sofabed. The extra sofabed in living room is useful. In summer the garden is nice. Home exchange offer in full, HE22270

An elegant, spacious Edwardian garden apartment with many original features in a quiet suburban location with excellent transport links to Central London.

Two large bedrooms (one with computer and internet broadband), modern fitted kitchen with dishwasher. Large sitting room with marble fireplace, Sky TV, Sky+, and stereo. Lovely west-facing garden with fruit trees and patio.

Four mins walk from train station, (20 mins to City, 30 minutes to West End) or 10-15 minutes walk to Underground. Good selection of great restaurants, plus supermarket and Palmers Green high street with banks etc minutes walk away. The apartment is in leafy, sought after avenue opposite large park with lakes, crazy golf, play ground and tennis courts. Home exchange offer in full, HE20000

Browse all current exchange offers.

When You Can’t Do a Home Exchange, Consider a Vacation Rental

The following article is by guest author, Pauline Kenny:

It is not always possible to find the home exchange that works for you. There is another alternative – vacation rentals are a popular type of accommodations in Europe. Vacation rentals, also called villas, holiday cottages or self-catering, are fully furnished and equipped apartments or houses that you rent by the week. They may be someone’s vacation home that they rent out when they are not there or they may be set up for full time use by tourists.

You can rent a cottage on a farm, a house in the countryside or an apartment in a town. Most popular tourist destinations in Europe offer a wide variety of vacation rentals. Vacation rentals are available for one or two people, or for larger groups vacationing together. Quality and price range from budget to luxury.

Because vacation rentals are popular in Europe, there are many local vacation rental agencies. The people who run these agencies usually know the area and their properties well and can provide you with good advice for planning your trip. For non-English speaking countries, consider booking with an agency based in the US or the UK where they speak English and deal with the local owners. Owners also list their properties on popular Rent-by-Owner websites.

No Changing Your Mind At The Last Minute

The one downside of vacation rentals? Once you decide and book, you pay a hefty deposit, usually 25 – 50%. Most times this is non-refundable. Full payment is usually required 30 – 60 days before arrival. So there are no last minute changes. That one downside is countered by plenty of wonderful upsides.

Slow Europe Makes it Easy to Find a Vacation Rental

Slow Europe is not a vacation rental agency or a travel agent. It is a website created by travelers, for travelers. We have selected the best vacation rental resources for Europe (local agencies, large agencies, farms, apartments, rent-by-owner sites). We list them by country and region, so if you are looking for that perfect farmhouse in Tuscany, the best resources are listed for you in one place. We also collect reviews so you can see what other travelers have to say.

Pauline Kenny runs two travel websites: Slow Europe, a guide to vacation rentals in Europe, and Cotswolder, a travel guide for the Cotswolds in England. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband Steve Cohen and cat Buddy. Pauline and Steve travel to Europe as often as they can and are currently obsessed with traveling in England. They have never done a home exchange because their lives are too disorganized, but they always stay in vacation rentals.

'Slow Down London': Take Time to Smell the Roses

The following article is by guest author, Pauline Kenny:

The first "Slow Down London" festival runs from April 24 to May 4. "Slow Down London" is a new project to inspire Londoners to improve their lives by "slowing down to do things well, rather than as fast as possible."

We would like to inspire you to improve your travel life by slowing down. Don’t hop on a plane, check into a hotel, grab your guidebook and dash out to see the highlights. Instead pick one destination that you want to know better, find a home exchange or a vacation rental in the area, and settle in. Go to your favorite local café or tea room. Get groceries and supplies at the local shops. Talk to your neighbors, the people who live there. Read the local newspaper. Travel well, rather than as fast as possible.

Americans use the term "vacation" instead of "holiday". For us a vacation is the chance to "vacate" our regular life. It doesn’t mean that we are unhappy with our daily life, but a change can be as good as a rest, so we leave our regular life behind and try on a different lifestyle. Maybe we go to a beach and become a beach-bum. Or maybe we head to Europe and live like a European for a few weeks.

With a home exchange or a vacation rental you get to live in a neighborhood, not in a tourist zone. Your local shops and restaurants cater to locals, not to tourists looking for something fast and inexpensive. You don’t spend two nights trying to see everything; you spend a week or two. In my travel experience, the best way to really see a place is to stay for awhile. Slow it down so you have the time to find the roses, talk to the gardener who grows them and then smell the roses.

Pauline Kenny runs two travel websites: Slow Europe, a guide to vacation rentals in Europe, and Cotswolder, a travel guide for the Cotswolds in England. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband Steve Cohen and cat Buddy. Pauline and Steve travel to Europe as often as they can and are currently obsessed with traveling in England. They have never done a home exchange because their lives are too disorganized, but they always stay in vacation rentals.

Village Connect: 'Swap homes for a cheaper holiday'

I was delighted to hear from Louise, an old friend who lived nearby several years ago when we both belonged to OwnBase, a local home based business group. Louise left to start a new life with her new husband in rural Leicestershire (and become a mother) - a huge lifestyle change from single life in London!

Louise still uses her computer, design and writing skills as the editor of Village Connect, the free magazine for villages in North East Leicestershire. She asked me to write an article about home exchange for the April/May issue of the magazine (and tidied my copy up nicely, adding some local touches). Here is a taster (click here to read in full):

'People living in towns and cities often look to exchange with homes in rural areas; a pretty Leicestershire village might just fit the bill! Rutland Water, unspoilt countryside with plenty of walks and traditional pubs, Belvoir Castle, Burghley House - there’s lots you could entice them with if you feel like taking the plunge.

And in exchange? How do you fancy a weekend in a trendy London flat or a week near Truro in Cornwall. These and many more, both in the UK and across the world, are there for the taking. The world is your oyster!'

Autolycus Blog: Thoughts on Things 'Undone' Before a Home Swap

As with most good things, I came across Autolycus blog (...a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles...) by chance. In this post, written at Easter before a home exchange to Paris, the author ponders what most home exchangers must - what will these people think of my home and will they look at those 'undone' things (that most homes surely have) with a critical eye?

'Not, I suspect, that many actually would bother most exchange partners. I don't go round their places running a finger along for dust (though there can be the odd pleasurable moment of working out how I might have chosen to organise and decorate it if I lived there), and I would hope they would mostly be out and about rather than rootling through my drawers (so to speak).'

And the follow-on sentence encapsulates the right attitude to be a good home exchanger:

'Though, to be fair, I did find on my return from Paris last August that what I had taken to be scratches in the enamel of my hob had been replaced by gleaming, pristine whiteness: and I was rather proud of having left their shower screen distinctly less limescaled than I found it.'

That's it then - no need for grumbles, just quietly fix a minor problem!

Just Because I Like the Photo in this Home Exchange Offer

Some of the photos that Home Base Holidays members choose to illustrate their home exchange offers are fascinating. I'm sure someone will write a doctorate thesis on the psychological meanings behind members' photo choices before long!

I have written recently about experimenting with the choice and position of photos (noting that Picture 1 is the most important is this is the photo first seen in search results). Remember that charming Barcleona Football Club supporting guinea pig in a Spanish exchange offer?

The photo above might at first seem odd as, from the description, it's clear that the young family doesn't actually live in the windmill (I've been collating some of the more unusual homes members live in - but that's for another day). A lot of thought likely went into this choice as the windmill photo does a great job of encapsulating a feeling for the location of the home.

Curious? The home on offer for exchange is a five bedroom house located within 200 yards of Fairhaven Lake, seafront and Ribble estuary, a haven for natural wildlife, in the seaside town of Lytham in Lancashire, England. Read the full home exchange offer description and see more photos, HE22527.