Travel the Home Exchange Way blog:

Short and sweet home exchange offer messages

When sending an initial home exchange offer message, it does not need to be long or with great detail but it should always be friendly and warm. It's a good idea to draw attention to your location in the first sentence so that the member will read this and be encouraged to view your full listing. Remember to personlise your enquiry message and so, mention their home and location (a little flattery never goes amiss!). Members all have their own styles so write in a way that's comfortable for you but here's an example:

"Hi, Are you interested in an exchange to our stone cottage on the edge of Snowdonia National Park in Wales? Your home looks lovely and is in a location we'd love to visit (or know well – whatever fits). We are a retired couple, flexible on dates we could exchange (again, what fits your circumstances). We'd be happy to answer any questions you have and look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Joyce and Mike"

Interested in arranging a home swap vacation? Sign up to Home Base Holidays

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Tall? Need a king-size bed in a home swap home?

If you have special needs to ensure a home will be suitable for a home swap, include details within your home exchange offer description and also in messages when contacting Home Base Holidays members to suggest a swap.

You can limit the results of a search for suitable homes in a number of ways; search home swap offers (see particularly the tick box choices under ‘Additional options’); but, if your needs aren’t covered (perhaps you are very tall and need a king-size bed*, or a family member has an allergy to cat hair and can’t stay in a home even if the usual resident cat is being looked after elsewhere).

As long as you don’t overly restrict your exchange offer (as you might come across as a ‘difficult’ person and put off members from suggesting a swap!), it is very useful to include vital requirements in your offer as this will help avoid sending/receiving exchange offers that won’t be suitable.

*This photo, from an apartment overlooking the widest canal in Amsterdam, is labelled, 'master bedroom with king size bed - can become two singles' (very useful information for tall people looking for a home swap!). View this home swap offer in Amsterdam.

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Spring is in the air: time to plan a home swap

It may be too early to say Spring has arrived but in London today the sun is shining and the first spring flowers are peeping through; now is an ideal time to plan a UK April/May home swap when spring is at its peak.

If you're looking for a Spring getaway, start by searching through the thousands of tempting home swap offers available through Home Base Holidays.

Latest home swap offers: www.homebase-hols.com/search

Shown below are a few samples of home swap offers available for a Spring swap (click location to view home exchange offer):

Market Harborough, Leicestershire home swap: Longbridge Hall is a lovely, old, Grade-2 listed Victorian school, built in 1873. It was converted to a stylish, spacious, comfortable home in 2006, combining the original character of the Victorian school with contemporary design. It is located in Church Langton, a picturesque village in South Leicestershire, in the middle of England. It is four miles from Market Harborough (rated by The Sunday Times at 34 in the top 50 towns to live in, in England). The village is surrounded by typical 'shire-county' countryside. Locally there are excellent village pubs, country- and canal-side walks, and a fine cricket pitch — you can experience life in a typical English village.

Wimborne, Dorset home swap: Leonis is a 1930s chalet-style four bedroom house one mile from Wimborne town centre and 10 miles from Poole and Bournemouth; located in a quiet road next to country lanes and local country pubs.

Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire home swap: The house is part of a converted Baptist Chapel. Hebden Bridge is a small market town in the Pennines. Dubbed 'the 4th funkiest town in the world (honestly,)' and 'the Hampstead of the north', it has a relaxed, easy going attitude with great bars, shops and eateries.

London home swap: A stylish Victorian house located in a trendy part of London and within easy reach of key parts of central, north and east London; one minute walk from the big market on Walthamstow High Street.

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire home swap: A four-hundred year old thatched cottage which retains its cosy character - lots of beams and two fireplaces with cast iron stoves. Cheltenham is the gateway to the Cotswolds, a lovely town with excellent shops, restaurants and a lively cultural scene including several international festivals (Literature, Music, Jazz, Science) as well as the famous Cheltenham Gold Cup Horse Racing Festival.

Looking for a Spring getaway? Sign up to Home Base Holidays using the SPRINGSWAP promotional code to save 20% on your home swap membership (offer ends 27th February 2017)

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No need to SHOUT - polite replies to home swap enquiries

Several years ago, we published a post on the difficulty of reading home exchange offers that had been entered all in capital letters. So that home swap offers always looked attractive, we edited any where the description had been enter all in capital letters. Thankfully this is now rarely needed (everyone has discovered how to unlock the caps lock key!) but, although very rare (Home Base Holidays members are ever so very polite) we occasionally notice that a member has responded to an offer they aren’t interested in in a blunt way (involving capitals): ‘NO’

Although it’s much better to send a blunt response than none at all (at least the member sending the offer will be in no doubt that his/her offer isn’t of interest), it hardly takes any time to be courteous: ‘Thank you for your offer but we can’t consider it. Good luck in your search.’ Or, use the template replies available in your member area, adapting if needed, for a quick way to reply to offer messages.

Sometimes, a member living in a very popular location may receive many home exchange offers. If this is the case, edit your listing to ensure it is very clear if you are only interested in specific destinations (ensure the ‘open to offers’ option is unticked). Also, if you have arranged a swap and are unable to consider further offers at present, tick the ‘exchange request fulfilled’ box (don’t forget to untick it when you are ready to consider offers again).

Interested in home swapping? Sign up to Home Base Holidays and start contact our (very polite!) members: www.homebase-hols.com

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Leaving a welcome pack for home swap guests

Very recently a member contacted Home Base Holidays to request that her home exchange offer be put on hold for a few months (see post on temporarily pausing a home swap membership). This member has had many wonderful home swaps via our service but did suggest that we might remind members of how thoughtful it is to find a welcome pack of goodies on arrival:

"If only all home swappers remembered the welcome gift / snack idea. For the past few years, we have often arrived to find nothing but a welcome note. Conversely, visitors to our house would always find a bottle of wine or a pack of beers, and some crisps or choccy biscuits if I know kids are coming. ‘It’s the thought that counts’, as Granny used to say."

Long-time Home Base Holidays members, John and Marilyn, who started home exchanging over 40 years ago (they've now had more than 100 swaps, a record that must take some beating!), also suggested some time ago in a post listing their top 10 tips for a successful home swap:

Prepare a "Home Book" containing practical information on your home and appliances. Include such details as where to find the fusebox, stopcock, operate the TV, when the dustbins are emptied, etc; useful telephone numbers....doctor, dentist, plumber, electrician, your own mobile numbers and those of helpful neighbours can be included too. (Before swapping send your own and neighbours numbers plus location of a spare key, so that your guests can keep a copy with them in case of emergency). Leave up to date tourist leaflets, maps, guide books, train and bus timetables.
Meet your guests if possible so you can get to know them a little and exchange keys. If not possible, leave them a welcome letter and perhaps a bottle of wine. Why not agree beforehand to leave milk, bread, etc for each other? When leaving their home ensure you have agreed where to leave keys & what to do with used linen. Last but not least, leave a "thank you" letter.

John and Marilyn offer their 17th century sandstone cottage in a tiny village near Appleby, Cumbria, England for exchange. See their full home swap in Cumbria

Interested in home exchanging? Listing your home on Home Base Holidays choose from home swap vacation offers in over 90 countries www.homebase-hols.com

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Home Swappers newsletter: your home from home

Home exchanging is much more than just free accommodation; it allows you to really get a feel for the places you visit and enjoy the comforts of staying in a home from home. Choose from thousands of tempting home swap offers in 90+ countries.

View the February Home Swappers Newsletter

In this issue of Home Swappers newsletter:

Featured home swaps: Beautiful home in Tuscany, Italy | Stylish family home swap in London, England
Trip report: Lovely home exchange in the Algarve
Home swaps just in: Cottage on the Isle of Barra, Scotland | Family home with pool on Grand Canaria, The Canary Islands | Stylish home swap in Sydney, Australia
Home swap tip: New to home swapping? Try a weekend exchange!

Find your perfect home swap vacation: join Home Base Holidays