Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

New York on a budget - free holiday accommodation

New York City, a global centre for media, fashion, finance and trade, has one of the largest and most famous skylines on earth and attracts visitors from all around the world. New York, also known as The Big Apple, is home to many world-class museums, theatres and art galleries. But besides being among the world's most important and influential cities, New York is also one of the most expensive places to visit.

But with a vacation in the Big Apple you don't have to break the bank. With this tricks and tip you can visit New York City on a budget without sacrificing comfort and missing out on the great attractions.

Things to do

Take adventures of the free attractions in the city. Enjoy a long stroll in the iconic Central Park or even take a guided tour to learn more about its history – all for free. Visit the new public park, High Line, which is created from an old elevated rail line. You can walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, visit St. Patrick's Cathedral and view the famous Statue of Liberty without spending a penny. To avoid the touristy and pricey harbour cruises you can take a trip with the free Staten Island Ferry instead to enjoy for fantastic views of New York Harbour.

For all other tourist attractions that require entry fees you can purchase the New York Pass or the City Pass to enjoy not only huge savings but also line skipping privileges and even receive an insider guidebook. Visit the Empire State Building Observatory to enjoy breath-taking views or visit the insightful American Museum of Natural History.

Some museums offer free or reduced-price admission days, such as the Museum of Modern Art, which is free every Friday afternoon.

Save on Broadway tickets, such as The Lion King, Wicked or The Phantom of the Opera: very often theatres sell leftover tickets a couple of hours before the show starts, which can cost as little as $20. Great bargain!

Cheap accommodation

To stay in a Hotel in New York City can be very expensive, especially if you prefer being located close to most of the main sights and attractions the city has to offer. Backpacker hostels are a cheaper option, but definitely do not offer a similar comfort with shared dorms and bathrooms.

A great alternative to save on accommodation and even stay for free is a home swap in New York. With a home exchange, also known as home swapping, you agree with another person or family to swap homes for a set period of time. A home exchange in New York is a fantastic way to enjoy your stay like a local and have a truly authentic experience.

To find your home exchange in New York check out the Home Base Holidays website (www.homebase-hols.com). 

Transportation

Even though New York City is huge, most of Manhattan is very walkable and most attractions are easy to reach. If you plan on staying in New York for a longer period of time it is quite cost-efficient to purchase a MetroCard that gives you unlimited rides with the subway for a week or longer. Also you can consider renting a bike. It is a fun and inexpensive option to get around and there are some wonderful cycle routes, especially along the Hudson River.

Food

Enjoy delicious and authentic meals in areas like Chinatown, Little India or little Italy at affordable prices. Also you can purchase one of the discounted gift certificates for local eateries to dine out for less.

Areas like Chinatown, Little Italy and Little India are a great bet for authentic meals at affordable prices. One of our favourite dining experiences is to get up early on a Sunday and head to Chinatown for dim sum. Locals far outnumber tourists in the busy restaurants here, which offer small tapas-style plates for just a few dollars each.

________________________________________________________

Interested in home exchanges in New York? 

2 bed apartment in Manhattan

Located on a beautiful block on the upper east side of Manhattan in New York. The location is perfect for exploring the city - steps from the Met, Guggenheim, the Frick, Central Park. 

View this home swap in New York

Southern Thai islands & Home Exchange Vacations

Thailand is among Asia’s top travel destinations – and not without reason: the incredible diversity in landscapes, starting from the mountainous regions in the north towards the borders of the legendary and (in)famous ‘Golden Triangle’ with Burma and Laos, to the south where Thailand boasts some 3200 km pristine coastlines and dozens of beaches and islands to choose from.  Despite the huge influence of tourism over the past decades, Thailand’s culture remains largely untouched.

Have you ever had the picture in your mind of chilling in a hammock and sipping fresh coconut juice? Yes? Then let us dive into a heavenly part of the ‘Country of Smiles’: The southern islands of Thailand (island = ‘Koh’).

You can immerse into white sandy beaches and turquoise water, colourful city markets, picturesque tropical landscapes and sophisticated cuisine, blended with the heartfelt hospitality of Thai people. Weather-wise the best time to visit the islands is from November to February when the northeast monsoon is blowing cool and the dry air serves as temporary relief from the heat.

Thailand’s islands are by far not only about spa and wellness. In fact, you can choose what type of activities you want to experience. How about Muay Thai training in a jungle camp (http://www.diamondmuaythai.com/) on Koh Phangan? Oh, and there are spectacular diving and snorkelling sites as well, particular around the Andaman coast reefs of islands such as Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. Or just relax, sink your toes into the divine white sand of Koh Samui and go wherever your heart and soul takes you…

Think it’s going to be too expensive? Think again. Besides that Thailand offers accommodation for every budget, from a small bamboo hut to splurge ultra-luxury boutique resorts, the best affordable alternative is to arrange a Home Swap in Thailand!

A Home Swap won’t need you to give up on your comfort you know from home. Why? Because you are going to stay at someone’s house while he/she will stay at yours at the same time – for free! What better way do you know for staying free and to connect with the culture first hand? It’s easy as well: Just sign-up (e.g. www.homebase-hols.com), list your house, find somebody in Thailand who has listed their house, exchange emails and phone calls, book a flight ticket and –

Sawadi krap – jindi ton krap koh Thai (Welcome to the islands of Thailand)!

 

Insider Tip: Plan a trip during a festival; Thailand has a packed calendar of cultural celebrations – take for example the Chinese New Year which is welcomed in with parades of dragons and lion dancers in China Towns around the country but particular in Bangkok and Phuket.

_________________________________________________________

Interested in home swaps in Thailand? 

2 bed home swap offer on Koh Phangan

Very unusual style of living! Open planned house on the edge of the rain forest on Koh Phangan island, South Thailand . Surrounded with jungle/sea views and built totally out of wood. Extremely beautiful style of living for the right people! 

View this home swap in Thailand

Home exchange books - a good way to record a lovely home swap holiday

Maureen  and Gerry Poulton, who have the good fortune to live on Queensland's Gold Coast, are very experienced home swappers. With an attractive home (in photo) and pool overlooking a lake, it's not surprising that their home exchange offer is so popular (click here to see their latest home swap requests on Home Base Holidays).

The couple arranged three swaps to the UK in 2013 (two in England, one in Scotland). We have noticed a trend of more and more Home Base Holidays members using the service as much to spend time with family and friends in an area as for arranging a holiday somewhere different, and Maureen and Gerry certainly did that last year.

It's always fun to look back at photos taken on trips we enjoyed, especially if they involve family get-togethers or special occasions. Maureen has taken this a step further, using the Blurb site to compile books to record each of their three exchanges, and has kindly sent us the links to view her books. Hopefully these will inspire others to do the same!

To browse through Maureen's books, click the link beside the name of the location below; then click Preview. Enlarge and turn the pages in  the Blurb site:

Long Ashton, Somerset - view book (and view full exchange offer)

Park Langley  and High Halstow, Kent - view book (and view full exchange offer)

Loch Lomond, Scotland - view book (and view full exchange offer)

If you have been inspired by Maureen's home exchange stories, or would like to share your own home swap experiences, we'd love to hear from you - contact Home Base Holidays.

 

Visit London on a budget - find free accommodation!

London is an exciting city with so much diversity and some of the world's best sights and attractions to visit. It is not only capital but also largest city of both England and the United Kingdom and attracts visitors from all around the world. But despite being such a great place to explore it is also one of the most expensive places in the world.

But a vacation in London doesn’t have to be so expensive. This guide shows how to visit London on a budget without sacrificing comfort and missing out on the great attractions.

Things to do

London has plenty of things to offer which are absolutely free of charge or can be cheap if you know the right tricks.

Go on a sightseeing tour

Free guided city walks

A couple of companies offer free guided city walks: Sandeman’s New Europe runs a 2.5-hour tour twice a day at 11am and 1pm, starting at the Hyde Park Corner going all the way to Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. The second tour, Discover Walks, takes up to 1 hour and offers three different routes. The tours are free but tips for the guides are encouraged.

The London Pass

The best way to save on all attractions that require an entry fee is to purchase the London Pass. With the pass you can enjoy up to 50% savings on more than 60 attractions and tours, such as Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Ben Franklin House and so much more. You can purchase the London pass for up to 6 days and even enjoy unlimited free transportation with it.

Visit a museum or gallery

One of the best things about London is that a great number of museums are for free.

You can see paintings by world-famous artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Michelangelo, Van Gogh and a few more in the National gallery – without spending a single penny. You can even join a complimentary 60-minute guided tour of the collection.

Other museums such as the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Museum of London are also all free of charge and definitely worth a visit.

Recharge your batteries

Escape the big city hustle by visiting Hyde Park, one of the Royal Parks of London, or Kensington Gardens. Recharge your batteries without spending a penny.

Go shopping

With Portobello Road, Camden and Spitalfields it is easy to find great bargains and leave London with cool new fashion.

Enjoy the West End Theatre

West End Theatre doesn’t have to be expensive. Save money by booking in advance or line up for standby theatre tickets, which are discounted returns and unsold tickets for that evening's performance.

Cheap accommodation

Hotels in London are quite expensive, especially if you want to stay close to all amenities the city has to offer. Hostels are a cheap option, but are definitely not as comfortable: usually you share a room with more than 8 other people and nights tend to be pretty noisy.

A great way to save on accommodation and even stay for free is a home exchange in London. With a home exchange, also known as home swapping, you agree with another person or family to swap homes for a set period of time. A home swap in London is a fantastic way to enjoy your stay like a local and have a truly authentic experience. Besides saving money home swaps in London bring a lot more benefits: you can find a home exchange partner with similar interests to enjoy your favourite activities in a totally new setting, you can bring your whole family and still have enough space if you swap your home with a family the same size and you can even bring your pets on vacation as long as your house exchange partner agrees.

Home swaps in London became more and more popular in the last few years. It is now very easy to find a suitable exchange partners and to feel trusted and save. Visit Home Base Holidays (www.homebase-hols.com) to find free accommodation in London.

Transportation

If you purchase a London Pass you can enjoy free transportation during the time it is valid. For all the other days you can get an Oyster Card for unlimited use to save some extra money. But even though London is a huge city, most of the main attractions are in walking distance and a stroll along the Thames is a true pleasure. 

Two bus routes are very handy to enjoy a sightseeing tour for very little money. London Bus Route 4 passes Waterloo, the Houses of Parliament, Fleet Street, as well as St Paul's Cathedral and the Barbican. To get to big attractions such as Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben hop on London Bus Route 88.

Food

Dining out in London doesn’t have to be expensive if you know where to go. Enjoy traditional fish and chips. Or grab some well priced Chinese Food in Chinatown (nearest tube stop Leicester Square). Visit some of London's famous markets where you can pick up some nice quie reasonably priced eats - check out markets such as Borough Market, Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane Market on a Sunday (Brick Lane is also good place to find dozens of cheap Indian restaurants any day of the week!).

Also if you purchase the Taste Card, a diner’s club, you can enjoy 50% discounts on thousands of restaurants as well as “two for one” specials.

Home Swap Tip: Looking for a long term home exchange

Q: We live in Spain in a house that commands £2k per week in high season. We are looking for a long term swap, up to a year, in central London. do extended swaps ever come up? best Jonathan

A: Although long-term exchanges are not nearly as common as shorter holiday swaps, there are a good number of members who do want to swap for a few months or up to a year (sometimes even longer). To check for current offers in London that might be suitable, use advanced search (Show more options).

Choose England from the drop down country list, then London from the state/county list. Choose Long Term Exchange from the drop down list by ‘Type of Exchange’. Search.

When looking for a lengthy period, especially if the exchange needs to be for set dates and location, it is a good idea to join several months before the dates wanted so that your offer is in circulation for a good long time and you can contact new members as they join.

Spain is a popular destination with London members and it’s very possible you would find interest from retired members able to be flexible on length and dates of exchange and from freelance workers who can live/work anywhere.

 

Sample London long term home exchange offers:

Notting Hill: Situated 10 minutes from the bars and restaurants of Notting Hill and the markets of Portobello, this two bedroom flat is in one of the most sought after areas in London. It is the perfect location from which to visit London. 

 

 

 

Camden: A small house in Camden, central, yet with parreterre garden, balcony and roof terrace. Ship's stair to roof. Easy access. walking distance to The Roundhouse and key music venues. Direct bus/tube routes to theatres of West End, the City etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

 St John's Wood: Centrally located in London's prestigious St John's Wood (NW8) neighbourhood just blocks from the famous Lord's Cricket Ground. This bright and spacious two bedroom, two bath flat occupies the entire top floor of a small (seven units) block of flats in a Victorian building. Its expansive roof terrace is unusually private. Convenient to public transport (Zone 1) and within easy walking distance of three tube stops (St John's Wood, Edgware Road and Warwick Avenue). 

 

 Queens Park: My flat is a spacious, bright and very cosy one bedroom masionette, situated on a very leafy street in the heart of Queens Park; 7 min walk from Queens Park station on the Bakerloo line. The area is residential and safe. Well connected with over ground trains to east London and Euston station. Every Sunday there is a lovely farmers market where you can buy delicious food. Queens Park has lovely restaurants and pubs too. 30281

 

Home Swappers, the Home Exchange Newsletter, June 2014

The June issue of Home Swappers Newsletter is now available. Topics:

• Featured listing: home swap offer in the historic, unspoilt and picturesque Swiss alpine village of Grimentz
• Member report: Visiting London on a home swap? Tips for good eats
• Home Base Holidays 20% discount offer: see newsletter for code (ends 10th June)
• Exclusive promotion to members: join second site for free

Read articles in this issue in full and previous issues of Home Swappers Newsletter, in the Newsletter Archive. Subscribe to receive the newsletter as published.