Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Will you look after Missy? Cat sitter or home swap wanted

Brenda and Brian are offering their home in Dudley, Northumberland, England for either a home exchange or to a cat lover willing to live in their home and look after Missy.

Home swap offer: 'We arrive in Auckland on 25 Sept, and will then be in Wellington from 26 Sept until 9 Oct (visiting our son). If you live in Wellington, we're happy to house swap for this week (our home will be available 19 Sept to 19 Oct and we need someone who can be here the whole period to cat sit)'.

Or, house sitter wanted: for the period of 19 Sept to 19 Oct to 'keep an eye on the cat?!!' Please get in touch if you might be interested in looking after our house and Missy in return for a free month's stay.

The couple's home is in a great location for day trips, for example, Alnwick Castle (where Harry Potter was filmed) and 'Barter Books', developed on the old Railway Station site. The bookshop has thousands of second hand books, plus coffee shop, coal fires etc. I can vouch that it is well worth a visit!

See the full offer and contact Brenda if you are interested. Not yet a member of Home Base Holidays? Join now!

Dual country home exchange offers

Q: I am looking to join Home Base Holidays to arrange an exchange in Sydney. As an added incentive I want to offer a dual stay for the people from Sydney. We stay in their home in Sydney, they stay in our home in Sussex, England with the option to then go and stay in our apartment in Portugal whilst on the same trip. Is this possible?

A: Members with two homes do often offer them either singly or for a dual location home exchange, giving potential exchange partners more choice. Once you join, listing your first home, you will be able to list your apartment in Portugal at minimal extra cost. The best way to get across what you are offering is to describe what you are offering in each listing. Members can then view both offers in full.

Also include your dual home/country offer in all messages you send to members (it's always best to be proactive and contact members whose offers are of interest rather than wait to be contacted). You might consider offering non-simultaneous exchange as an option too, especially if your apartment in Portugal could be made available at times to suit exchange partners if suitable dates for a simultaneous exchange cannot be found.

Having two homes will give you more flexibility on dates and will be especially attractive to members able to take up your offer of a dual country stay.

 

 

 

Is it ok to bring friends on a home swap?

Q: My son and his wife are expecting their first baby shortly. They have very good friends in a similar situation. Would it be acceptable for the two young families to holiday together on a home exchange?

A: Home exchange parties sometimes do vary so there would be no problem in your son and wife including their friends in their swap party. Home Base Holidays members often include information in their home exchange offers on who will be in their party and, if this varies, the details of family members or friends (with ages of any children) who may sometimes accompany them. When contacting members with an exchange offer it is important to say who would be in the exchange party.

If travelling with friends who are also willing to offer their home for exchange, this can increase the options as, if two homes closeby are available, they could accommodate a larger group if needed or, if the homes are in different areas, offer a two centre exchange.

Can my son use my cottage to swap for a home exchange holiday?

Q: I have just bought a cottage in Wales which I think would be a good for a home exchange. Would it be acceptable for my son, wife and new baby to use your service for a holiday on the basis of a swap with my cottage rather than their flat?

A: It would be absolutely fine for your son and his family to do a home swap offering your cottage rather than their own home. Either you or your son could list your cottage on Home Base Holidays and then contact other members to arrange a home swap. You might want to add in the description that it's a family cottage. As your son and daughter-in-law may prefer to exchange with another family with a baby or young child to ensure the home will be geared up for the baby's needs, you will need to equip your cottage with cot, highchair, etc and is safe if toddlers come to stay.

Swiss home exchange member shares her first home swap experience

Joining Home Base Holidays: one of the best things we've ever done!

'We completed our first exchange last August and are thrilled with the whole experience. We now know where the Welsh Marches are and have explored an area we would probably never have gone to if it hadn't been for this exchange opportunity. The couple we exchanged with are the nicest people and we hope we'll remain long-term friends - in fact, our first exchange has been such a pleasure we're almost worried that we're spoilt for future exchanges!

Living in someone else's home is an amazing thing really, such a token of trust probably hugely increases the likelihood of meeting particularly open, friendly people with an interest in new places and lifestyles. We thoroughly enjoyed everyday things like meeting the neighbours, exploring the local shops for food, and finding out how mundane things like rubbish disposal work. Being able to explore the local area, visiting a wonderful range of towns and buildings, and then come home to "our" place - nonchalantly unlocking the door of our beautiful historic house while being eyed by envious tourists (we're quite sure they were envious!) - made this a really special holiday.

 Our home is very modern, our exchange home was very, very old - the contrast was fascinating! This certainly won't be our last exchange; we seem to have lost interest in hotels and can't wait for our next swap! We feel that signing up with Home Base Holidays has been one of the best things we've ever done.' - Bea F, Niederuzwil, St. Gallen, Switzerland  

See Bea's lovely home swap offer in Switzerland.

Home exchange - tips and advice

Here are some basic tips and pointers on arranging your home swap. A more detailed list along with a home exchange agreement template can be found on the Home Base Holidays How it Works section.

Finding your perfect home swap:

• Be proactive! contact a good number of members with 'feeler' messages regarding a potential swap. Keep an eye out for new offers and contact any that look of interest. Please also respond to all messages you receive - even if just to say that you are not interested in the exchange offer at this time.   

• Add photos: listings with photos always attract more interest than those without.

• Last Minute Offers: Looking for a home swap within the next month? Add your home to the Last Minute Offers section. Also keep an eye out for new Last Minute Offers. 

Preparing for your home swap:

• Clean, clean, clean: it should be taken as said that both homes will be clean and tidy for guests and left in the same condition at the end of the swap.

• Create a reference folder: Create a welcome folder for your exchange guest with useful information e.g. local attractions, useful phone numbers, transport info, household how-to's, pet care, etc. This can be kept for reference by future guests.

• Insurance: Inform your home insurance and, if agreeing a car swap, car insurance company well before your departure date.

• Smokers / Non smokers: If you are a non-smoker exchanging with a smoker you may want to include a condition in the agreement that your exchange partners smoke only outside your home.

• Children: If you have agreed to swap homes with a family with a toddler, try to make sure your home is a safe environment (you may agree to child-proof your home as far as possible). See also a recent post, Home exchange with young children: choosing compatible home swap partners.

• Pets and plants: If you have agreed to accept pets as part of the exchange make sure to clarify any do's and don'ts with your guests. If you have agreed to provide pet or plant care make sure you know exactly what is expected before you arrive.

• Vegetarian? If you are a vegetarian and don't want your pans used to cook meat - add this to your exchange agreement.

Do send us your tips and suggestions: anything you would have found useful before you had your first exchange. We'll add the most useful tips to the guidelines and address particular issues in future newsletters and on the blog. Send us your suggestions...

 

View 1000's of home swap offers worldwide at: www.homebase-hols.com