Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Wishing You Many Happy Home Exchanges in 2010!

We would like to wish all Home Base Holidays members and blog readers a very happy new year filled with exciting home exchange opportunities. 2010 marks our 25th anniversary year so look out for new developments over the next few months to celebrate 25 years providing a home exchange service!   Cheers   Lois and Mark, Home Base Holidays

20% Discount Offer on Home Exchange Membership Ends 31 December

Save 20%

20% Discount on Home Base Holidays Membership! As December is generally an expensive month for many of us, in order to make (our already very modest!) membership fees even better value, until 31 December 2009, new members can join at a 20% discount, making a one year membership a bargain at only £23.20. To take up this offer, join Home Base Holidays any time during December, entering the code, Dec20 in the Promotional Code box near the top of the form. You will automatically receive the 20% discount on either the one or two year membership option when you proceed to the secure payment site. As soon as you complete payment, your listing will be added to the website and you will be able to log on to your own private member area. If you aren't already a member, this is a good time to join to start looking for exchanges in 2010.

Join Home Base Holidays Now  (promotion code: Dec20) Offer Expires: 31st Dec 2009

‘The Holiday’ – Light Entertainment with a Home Exchange Theme on ITV1

A few weeks ago I quoted  a reader’s comment on  ‘The Holiday’ – Bad for the Home Exchange Community? (she felt that the movie had contributed to a deterioration in the quality of home exchangers and that more people were now looking on home exchange as just a cheap way to have a vacation). Although I don’t agree that this is a general trend, or that the film has had a great influence, it was interesting to read comments  from experienced exchangers about the film, ‘The Holiday’.

 

This is the season for many of us to enjoy not only pigging out on lots of rich food we’d feel guilty about eating at other times but also to indulge in some guilt-free lightweight entertainment on TV. So, if you haven’t seen it already , or maybe even if you have – and like to dream about Jude Law turning up on your doorstep when you’ve just settled in to your exchange home, a cute English cottage in the (suspiciously snow covered) Surrey countryside, do look out for ‘The Holiday’ on ITV1, Sunday 27 December, 9 pm. See a trailer for the movie.

 

A quote from Andrew Collins’ review in the Christmas issue of the RadioTimes:

 

‘...this should not be viewed at any other time of year.’

 

And from Joe of CHECtravel

 

‘.... As to The Holiday, as a seasoned home exchanger I can testify that the movie is pure fantasy! God help all exchangers if we had our properties and email addresses listed on Google as portrayed in the story line! However pleasant the film was to view, it really did present a distorted picture of the process of home exchanging.’

Location Maps in Home Exchange Listings

We are pleased to announce the addition of location maps to Home Base Holidays home exchange listings. As you can see in this sample listing in New Zealand, it is easy to use the Photos and Map links (above the photos) to toggle back and forth so that you can still read the full exchange offer description while the map (or photos) are shown above it.

 

Home Exchange Articles in 2009 by Experienced Home Swappers

One of the great bonuses of editing Home Swappers newsletter is the interaction with many Home Base Holidays members and subscribers. Most issues of the newsletter (six a year) include a feature article written by a member on their personal home swap experiences. If you’re thinking that might be the equivalent of ‘Would you like to look at my holiday snaps?’, it’s not at all! Each article is unique, covering different aspects of swapping homes and its benefits. This provides a range of perspectives on home swapping by experienced exchangers  of varying ages, nationalities and lifestyles.

 

Home exchange feature stories published in Home Swappers in 2009:

Top Ten Tips from Very Experienced Home Exchangers  - '60+ Exchanges.....as you see we are completely captivated by home exchange holidays and constantly remind friends what a wonderful concept this is.’ Read in full.

Helping 'Virgin-swappers', Insurance Issues and Tips –‘ Because we have enjoyed such wonderful swaps to Perth, Sydney and the Sunshine Coast, and as our couple are "virgin-swappers", I want to make this a happy experience for them. Read in full.

Expat Living in Amsterdam: House-swap that Delivered the Goods – ‘Slowly the email enquiries started trickling in. A couple from London suggested a week-long swap. Their apartment was within a stone's throw of London Bridge. Nursing first-timers' butterflies my better half, Frank, and I rolled our wheelie suitcases towards our swap address.’ The photo is of Angela and Frank while on an exchange holiday in France in 2009. Read in full

Unique Homes Available for Exchange –  Maybe you know the expression, 'Were you born in a barn?', used to scold a child for leaving the house door open. From looking through several Home Base Holidays listings, quite a few members might have been born in a barn - or in a pub, a church ...! Here's a few samples of unique homes available for exchange. Read in full.

Regular Home Swaps... and the Dogs Came Too - ‘Imagine our surprise when he turned up with just a very small grip which could only have held a couple of shirts and change of underwear for a 2 week visit! Our car was crammed as if we were going to Siberia!’ Read in full.

What's really Involved in Home Exchange – ‘House exchange, on the face of it, sounds both exotic and practical. However initially my husband disagreed. He thought it a thoroughly bad idea, akin to leaving your front door ajar or buying second-hand shoes.’ Read in full.

 

No Cats Please! Allergies and Other Vital Information for Your Home Exchange Offer

It may seem obvious but, when compiling information about your own home and area for your descriptive listing, it’s easy to forget to mention some of the vital details in a home that can make some exchange offers impossible to consider, e.g. you have a severe allergy to cats (and no help that the cat won’t be in residence at the time of the exchange), you have a very active toddler and so need a home that’s as safe as possible, you don’t drive and need to be near good public transport, a family member can’t manage stairs or needs wheelchair accessibility.

Although no one wants to make a whole load of demands in an exchange offer (and look much too fussy), it’s much better to be upfront within your descriptive listing about anything that could make or break an exchange deal, to avoid wasting both your time and that of other exchangers who aren’t so likely to send you an offer if it’s clear their home is not going to suit your cruciall needs.   I know I’ve covered this topic in the past but was reminded of it when reading the description in a Home Base Holidays member’s recent renewal listing (including this seasonal image):  

San Francisco area, California – ‘Come relax in sunny California! We can offer our lovely two story family-friendly detached home (2200 sq ft) on a quiet private road. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area (Castro Valley)..... We are allergic to cats so unfortunately homes with cats won't work.’  

See the very detailed home exchange offer and more photos, He14552