Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Home Swappers Newsletter (+ 20% discount code)

17th century thatched cottage in a pretty village near Cambridge and London (click to view)

Start browsing home swap travel offers and contacting other members to find home swap accommodation for your spring and summer vacations.

Check out the latest Home Swappers travel newsletter which includes a discount code to receive 20% off your home swap membership with Home Base Holidays. 

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• Check out the latest Home exchange newsletter

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In this issue of the Home Swappers newsletter:

• First time swappers, Jason & Hannah's home swap in London
• Discount code: save 20% on your Home Base Holidays home swap membership
• Featured home exchange vacation offers

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Join Home Base Holidays. Sign up using the STARTSWAPPING discount code to save 20% on your home swap membership.

Expat life: try out a new life abroad by swapping homes

Considering moving abroad? Nervous about taking the plunge? Arranging a home swap vacation can be a perfect way to get a feel for a new country before fully committing to the long-term move.

You may be quite familiar with the destination but, by swapping homes, you’ll get a much better feel for how life might be like in your country of choice – definitely much more than you would staying in a hotel. By arranging a swap you’ll get a chance to stay in a real home and be part of a real neighbourhood, often in a location that is off the the usual tourist trail.

If you have the time, one good option to really get the best feel for what life might be like in your new destination is to arrange a longer term home exchange. You could look for accommodation exchange options of anything from one month to even one+ years! This will really give you a great insight into whether it is a place you could see yourself moving to permanently and, if you are already seriously looking into the move, the opportunity to search for jobs, schools and homes to buy or rent. 

Although the majority of home exchanges are for shorter vacation-length periods, there are many home exchanger on Home Base Holidays also looking for longer periods of 3+ months (e.g. retired people looking to visit friends and family abroad or location independent workers such as 'digital nomads' who might have much more flexibility with their travel options).

Longer term home swaps tend to need a bit more planning than shorter swaps of 1-2 weeks; it usually takes a little longer to find a suitable long term home swap match and then, once you have agreed the swap with another member, a few more details to discuss (e.g. who pays for the bills, home insurance cover for longer periods, etc). All the planning is well worth though as by swapping homes you will get a fantastic and invaluable insight into what could be your new life in a new destination!

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Travel tip: check for members offering longer exchange periods, go to the home swap search page and then use the search filters to look for "Long term exchange" offers.

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Join Home Base Holidays: start home swapping Looking for a much needed break? Arrange free holiday accommodation by choosing to swap homes rather than book hotels or holiday rentals. View the latest home exchange vacation offers then sign up to Home Base Holidays.

Our first home swap holiday ...we'll be back for more!

It's always so nice to see new members discover the joys of home swapping! Here's some recent feedback from first time home swappers, Jason and Hannah, on their first home swap experience: swapping their beautiful stone cottage near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire for member Jemima's stylish central London apartment in Covent Garden.

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Home swap: Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire >>> Covent Garden, central London

"This was our first swap, and we will be back for more! We were a little nervous in the run up but thanks to advise from our experienced host we were well prepared, but not over prepared, it was just what we had hoped for. A great apartment, right in the centre of London with everything you could wish for. It was easy to get about and our hosts had given us great pointers for where to eat, visit and what to see which we took advantage of. A great experience we both agreed, thank you so much to our hosts."  - Jason & Hannah

Home swap: Covent Garden, central London >>> Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire

"Thank you for a great home swap experience. We had a fantastic time in beautiful Yorkshire staying in your amazingly spacious house and pretty garden. Yorkshire was everything we had hoped and more. We absolutely loved it. Thank you for all the recommendations and tips about places to visit and also for allowing us to have a couple of friends to stay. We enjoyed cooking up some feasts in your well equipped kitchen and we found the village picturesque and very friendly. We look forward to visiting the area again and doing all the things we missed this time. We were blessed with splendid weather and enjoyed a lovely long walk at Hardcastle Craggs, near Hebden Bridge. So much beautiful countryside to enjoy. Thanks to Jason and family for home swapping with us and leaving our home clean and tidy. Best wishes."  - Jemima

 

Photos of Jason & Hannah's home in Yorkshire

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Photos of Jemima's central London apartment

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Meet the members:   View Jason & Hannah's home swap offer: a beautiful stone cottage near Hebden Bridge View Jemima's home swap offer: a stylish apartment in Covent Garden, Central London

 

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New to home swapping? Sign up for free!

Rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange free accommodation by arranging a holiday home exchange. Sign up to the Home Base Holidays two-week free trial.

Reasons to home swap (no hotels/rentals, pet care...)

Crepet's beautiful home swap offer in Provence, France

Home Base Holidays members love home swapping for many reasons and it's particularly interesting to see what has attracted those new to home exchange. One recent member, Crepet, whose lovely home in Provence will, I'm sure, be of interest to many looking for a swap in France, gives her reasons in her member profile (see below).

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Profile

"I am a self-employed translator and work from home. Since last year, I am officially retired but because my pension is very small, I still have to work part-time. Although I love Provence in general and more specifically Villeneuve (I came here by choice), now that I have more time, I would like to discover or rediscover other beautiful regions and cities. I am not really interested in seeing a lot of places, but rather in staying long enough in a place to feel part of the community. My partner is 62, British, retired.

I am choosing home swapping for several reasons: I don't have enough income to rent a place for several weeks every year, I would prefer to stay in a private house rather than a hotel or a rental because I find those too impersonal - it's ok only for a few days; and I think that, although my house is not luxurious, it has a lot to offer and the Provence region even more!

I have a dog that travels with us whenever possible. He is well trained and friendly! I have two cats that I’d like my guests to feed.* "

*Note: Pets welcome and pet care offered

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Location

"Four kilometres from Avignon, in the residential town of Villeneuve, my house is a very functional and is in a pleasant little town (12 000 inhabitants) on the Rhône river, across from Avignon. It has a lot of medieval buildings, going back mainly to the 14th century when the popes resided in Avignon. It is very special, urban and rural at the same time; urban because it is only a 15 minute walk from the historical centre of Villeneuve, and rural because it is situated in a former agricultural area where no construction is now allowed. Consequently, there are very few houses." 

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If you, like Crepet, are looking for homes that accept pets and/or members willing to care for your pets in your home, tick the relevant boxes under Additional Options when searching for suitable home swap offers.

Home Swappers newsletter: spring & summer home swaps

Give yourself plenty of time to find your holiday home swaps for this spring and summer. Check out the latest Home Swappers newsletter for featured home exchange offers, member swap experiences and travel tips. 

• Check out the latest Home Swappers newsletter

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In this issue of the Home Swappers newsletter:

• Featured home exchanges: sea view apartment in Costa Tropica, Spain | stunning English cottage in the Cotswolds, England
• Members' trip report: a wonderful relaxing home swap in Andalucia, Spain
• Discount offer: save 15% on your home swap membership
• Home swaps in 2018: how many did you have? 

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Sign up using the SWAP15 code to save 15% Join Home Base Holidays