Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Small world: home swap in La Rochelle, France

Home swap: beautiful view of La Rochelle Harbour, France

"Myself and my travel companions recently returned from a wonderful home exchange near La Rochelle in Southwest France. This was a non-simultaneous home exchange, and so I really look forward to welcoming Robin and Marie to North Yorkshire in the future.

We met our hosts, Robin and Marie, on arrival as they had been staying in their holiday home and wanted to welcome us and show us round before their return journey. They have a beautiful home and a paradise of a garden! Never have I seen so many butterflies, including a stunning swallowtail!

We had a day trip to La Rochelle where we visited one shop that specialised in brandy and cognac... well, we're in the right area! The owner asked us where we were from and then told us that he often visited Yorkshire. We asked him why Yorkshire, to which he explained that he had worked there as a young man, and had lived in East Yorkshire....  lo and behold in the same village as my partner, John! Oh and like John, he also was working with young people; he thought he recognised John's name and, on showing John his photo, the recognition was mutual - drinking and work buddies from 40 years ago! What an incredibly small world. I am sure back then it was a pint of bitter though rather than an aged cognac!

We had all too short but really lovely week in France. Should you wish to visit, don't miss Saintes and the stonemasons (all amateurs) workshop, and lovely Pons. 

I shall wave you goodbye - next stop/swap, Lostwithiel in Cornwall!"

- Marguerite Abbott  (Harrogate, Yorkshire, England)

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Photos from Marguerite's home swap in La Rochelle:

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Meet the member:   Marguerite is a retired Teacher and avid traveller. Having lived in France many years, she speaks fluent French. View Marguerite's home swap offer in Harrogate, Yorkshire

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Swap homes: enjoy free vacation accommodation

Slash the cost of your next getaway by arranging a home swap through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation. 

• Search thousands of home exchange vacation offers

Home swapping: an example of the real sharing economy

Guest post by William Azaroff, azaroff.com

For the last few years, when my family takes vacations we have been swapping homes with people in the cities we visit. We did our first home swap a few years ago in San Francisco, last year we swapped with a couple in Paris, and this summer we’re swapping with families in Hamburg and Bergen, Norway.

It’s an amazing way to travel. Free accommodations mean that we can stay in expensive cities for longer. Being in a home means more space for us to enjoy than a hotel room affords, and we enjoy neighborhoods in cities we would not otherwise spend time in. We feel more like locals when we’re far from home.

Home-swapping makes me think of my early enthusiasm for the Sharing Economy. I still love the idea of sharing the idle capacity of things you own with other people, and owning things collectively through a co-op-like structure. This form of sharing creates reciprocal relationships and community, and reduces the need for so much stuff to be produced and consumed.

In the early days of the Sharing Economy, I was a major proponent of what this could mean for communities, for greater equity and environmental sustainability. I was surprised by how quickly the sharing economy gave way to value-extracting businesses like Uber and AirBnB.

I spend a lot of my working hours trying to ensure that we have a more equitable and sustainable local economy. I think about the velocity of money within a local economy so money recirculates and has a multiplier effect, creating more equitable distribution. Companies like Uber do provide work, but it is contract work, lacking the benefits that allow people a higher quality of life. In addition, profits are extracted out of local economies and into maximizing shareholder of people well outside where the work takes place.

I don’t use AirBnB anymore because I see the devastating effect it has on cities like Vancouver which have a housing crunch and near zero rental vacancy rates. I see in my own neighbourhood of Strathcona in Vancouver the rental units that used to provide stable, long-term rental to individuals and families get permanently taken off the market and turned into more profitable AirBnB accommodation. This isn’t having a healthy effect on the livability and viability of our city. (Vancouver has a vacancy rate near zero and 6.2% average annual rental rate increases.) That isn’t a form of sharing I recognize as ethical or desirable.

I sit on the board of Modo Co-operative, which allows 20,000 drivers to share over 600 cars. As a co-operative, there is no private ownership, those cars are a community asset. If Modo were to dissolve, the assets would be bequeathed to another community-owned organization like a not-for-profit. I work for Vancity, where half a million member-owners pool their money for local reinvestment. It is now a $26.4 Billion pool owned by the community, not private ownership. No one profits inequitably from those community resources. That is more in line with what I originally loved about the sharing economy.

So we have discovered home-swapping as a way of truly living out the early (and unfortunately false) promise of the sharing economy. No money changes hands, trust is required and reciprocity is created. I recommend it highly if you need your faith in humanity restored.

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William Azaroff – a modern co-operator, recovering filmmaker, happy Vancouverite and all-around digital fella.

William is an executive at Vancity, a values-based financial co-operative serving the needs of its half-million member-owners and their communities. William is the board chair of Modo, a car-sharing co-operative offering 600 vehicles to a growing membership of 19,000 across Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. He is a recovering filmmaker, longtime blogger, seasoned speaker and dialogue facilitator. Most recently, he’s become an amateur music producer, proudly producing his son’s eight albums (and counting).

Check out William's excellent blog: http://azaroff.com

Aussie home swap: excellent two and half week home exchange holiday in Western Australia

Western Australia home swap: Jenny enjoying the sights of Mandurah

"We recently enjoyed a two and a half week home exchange in Mandurah, Western Australia staying in Ray and Lyn's very comfortable and conveniently located home. The location was ideal as it offered a quiet location in an excellent suburb of Mandurah.

We enjoyed relaxing and exploring the beautiful estuaries, beaches, and easily accessible islands with their many excellent cafes and restaurants. The extensive wine country district of Margaret River is less than two hours away and this nearby district also offers a variety of scenery and activities.

An excellent choice for a relaxing, comfortable and interesting home exchange. Highly recommended. Big thank you to Ray and Lyn for a wonderful swap!"

- Robert & Jenny (Auckland, New Zealand)

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Highlights of our home swap in Western Australia:

1. Ray and Lyn's home is in a lovely peaceful location in a very nice area
2. Easy access to many interesting coastal and inland scenic spots.
3. Accessible to Perth and all that it offers by a rapid and regular train service.

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Meet the members:   Robert & Jenny's home swap in Auckland, New Zealand Ray & Lyn's home swap in Western Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Arrange free holiday accommodation

Rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home exchange through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation. 

• Search thousands of home exchange offers

Looking well ahead for a special home swap vacation

Beautiful rolling hills of Novato, California, USA

Looking for a home swap to celebrate a special occasion? Whether this be a significant birthday, a wedding or a family trip to celebrate a child's graduation, it is a good idea to start making plans well in advance, especially if you have a particular location in mind. This is exactly what Barbara, a Home Base Holidays member and experienced home exchanger from Novato, near San Francisco is doing:

"I will be traveling with my daughter (who is a music teacher) and my twin granddaughters who will have just graduated from high school. This is their graduation gift! I am a retired college dean of instruction. We are looking for a three-day exchange in your home in London for a one week exchange in my home near San Francisco around mid-to-late June 2019. While I am particularly interested in exchanges in London, England for this particular trip, I would be happy to consider other options in the future - especially in Paris."

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The photo above is of the beautiful rolling hills of Novato (and the second photo is of Barbara's travelling companions: her daughter and twin granddaughters).

Check out photos of Barbara's lovely home and information about her home exchange offer in Novato, California.

Home Swappers Newsletter: UK home swap holidays

Snowdonia home swap: located very near Dolbadarn Castle (pictured above)

Check out this UK special issue of the Home Swappers newsletter and find out how you can slash the cost of your UK holidays by choosing to swap homes rather than booking hotels or holiday rentals.

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In this issue of the Home Swappers newsletter:

• Main featured listing: Snowdonia home swap (see main photo above)
• UK home swaps: Scottish Highlands | English Lake District | Central London
• Inlet: host insurance for home swappers
• Non-simultaneous home swap: Yorkshire, England to Portstewart, Northern Ireland

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>>> View this issue of the Home Swappers newsletter

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Arrange free vacation accommodation

Rather than booking a hotel or vacation rental, arrange a home swap through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation. 

• Search thousands of home swap accommodation offers

Agreed a home swap? Inlet Host Insurance

 

Host Insurance

Home Base Holidays is working together with Inlet, who have developed a top up insurance product to extend your home or buildings insurance when you are Home Swapping.

• Go to: https://www.in-let.co.uk/homebaseholidays

Why do you need Host Insurance?

Sharing your property with Home Swap guests is not covered by standard home insurance; this means that you’re not protected should there be any accidents or damage.

This is where Home Swap Insurance comes in. Home Swap Insurance fills in the gaps in standard insurances and provides supplementary insurance for Home Swaps, Exchanges and Short Term paying guests.

What does Inlet’s Home Swap Insurance Cover?

Inlet Home Swap Insurance covers all types of properties from houses to flats, and bungalows which are being rented out as entire houses or multiple rooms within a house. There is cover for buildings up to a maximum rebuild cost of £800,000, contents up to a maximum of £75,000, legal liability up to £2m and legal expenses up to £50,000.

Inlet also provides cover where other policies don’t, for example:

• accidental or malicious damage to property
• theft without evidence of forced entry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does Inlet Insurance work?

Inlet offers insurance by the day, but also has a range of packages that can be bought for use throughout the year, including full annual policies. The packages are 35 days or 90 days to be used throughout the year. This system ensures you only pay for what you need and are rewarded for buying in bulk.

All products are fixed priced for every customer, so long as you meet our eligibility criteria.  The key criteria are:

• That you are a UK resident
• Your property is of standard construction type such as brick or stone walls and slate or tiled roof
• You have not had more than 3 claims for Home or Host Insurance in the last 5 years

The full criteria can be found on our website.

Inlet Home Swapping Insurance is underwritten by UK General on behalf of Great Lakes, a subsidiary of Munich Re.  If you have a claim it will be paid by this facility. Munich Re has an AA- credit rating with Standard and Poor’s which means you are in financially safe hands.

Do I need to tell my home insurer?

Yes, it’s important that you let your main Insurer know that you are taking part in a Home Swap as they require you to declare any changes to the use of your property under their terms and conditions.

You will need to call your insurer to let them know that you want to do a Home Swap and intend to take out supplementary insurance with Inlet.

Most Insurers will be fine with this; however, unfortunately, there are still a few Insurers who are not happy to provide Home insurance when a property is being swapped even if you have taken out additional insurance and occasionally they will void or cancel your policy. If this happens, you will need to switch your insurance to a more flexible provider. Inlet are happy to help support you with this.

 

Great - how do I sign up? Get a bit more information?

Inlet are the experts, so it’s best to contact them directly if you have questions. They can be contacted at [email protected] or you can call them on 02082426586

Lots of further information can be found on their website https://www.in-let.co.uk/homebaseholidays

Go to https://www.in-let.co.uk/homebaseholidays and get a quote in 60 seconds! You will then just need to answer a few questions to finish the purchase of your insurance which take no more than a few minutes complete.

Please make sure you read carefully all of the insurance documents you are provided with so that you understand what cover the policy provides, including any exclusions and limitations.

If you have any questions about how the policy works please contact us at [email protected] or 02082426586