Travel the Home Exchange Way blog

Trip report: a wonderful home exchange in Windermere

A wonderful home exchange vacation in the English Lake District

We LOVE hearing about members' home swaps! This trip report was sent in by Home Base Holidays member, Trish, about her recent home swap vacation staying in Fiona & Dave's lovely Lake District home in beautiful Windermere.

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"An immaculate, warm and very convenient apartment. Fiona went out of her way to provide everything one could possibly need. It was a bonus to arrive by train and just have a short walk to Fiona's home. Very easy to get around using buses and boats. Loved the walks to Lake Windermere and Orrest Head, as well as walks further afield at Elterwater, Grasmere and Keswick. Lots of great shops, cafes and restaurants just a stone's throw away, but the apartment is quiet and tucked away. A really fabulous home swap, enhanced by several days of blue skies and snow on the mountains. Thank you very much Fiona and Dave!" - Trish (Gloucestershire, England)

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Photos of Fiona & Dave's home swap offer in Windermere

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Meet the members (Fiona & Dave in photo) View Fiona & Dave's home swap offer in Windermere View Trish's stone cottage home swap in Gloucestershire

 

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Interested in home swapping? Sign up for free!

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

Home swap in central London ...a wonderful vacation!

Covent Garden: Jemma's apartment was located just 5 minutes walk from the tube station

This trip was sent in by Home Base Holidays member, Joan, on her family's home swap vacation in London staying in Jemma's beautiful apartment in Covent Garden.

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"Jemma’s home is spacious, light and comfortable and suited our needs perfectly. I climbed up the stairs and opened the door to find the elegant stylish kitchen in bright sunshine - everything was immaculate and welcoming. Jemma had left a detailed welcome pack so that settling in to her home was so easy. Although Jemma's apartment was lovely, we didn’t stay in very much as there was so much in London to see and do. The apartment was amazingly situated and enabled us to walk almost everywhere; to the South Bank, the West End theatres, Leicester Square, Soho, Piccadilly Circus, the British Museum ...all within easy walking distance! When we wanted to explore further, Covent Garden tube station was literally just a 5 minutes walk away. As for places to eat, step out the front door and there were so many great places close by. It was lovely being in the middle of everything over New Year. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the fireworks as we'd not realised that you needed tickets but no matter, we went down the road to the Strand and the atmosphere was fantastic. We saw the beautiful Christmas lights and then watched the New Years Day parade. After full days sightseeing London it was lovely to walk back to the apartment and into our comfy beds. Arranging the home swap was simple and communication with Jemma was always easy, prompt and very friendly. Any questions we had were answered quickly and efficiently. She and her family left my home very clean and tidy. It was a very successful home swap and I would certainly do it again!" - Joan

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Photos of Jemma's home swap offer in London

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Photos of Joan's home swap offer in Penzance, Cornwall

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Meet the members (Jemma and family in photo) View Jemma's home swap offer in Central London View Joan's home swap offer in Penzance, Cornwall

 

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Interested in home swapping? Sign up for free!

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

Home swapping: is your home suitable for young kids?

Is your home geared up for home swap guests with young children?

Having a house with a swimming pool will be a very attractive feature to many home swappers. However, if you feel that any features of your home could potentially pose a safety risk to young children, elderly people or someone with mobility issues, make sure to include these details in your home exchange listing and discuss this with any members when discussing a potential swap. Things such as a swimming pool, a balcony, an open staircase, closeness of your home to a busy road, etc could all make your home potentially unsuitable for families travelling with their young children or members with mobility issues. Therefore, it is far better to lose out on a possible home exchange than to risk a potential hazard to your guests.

If you don't have young children or mobility problems yourself, it can be easy to overlook potential hazards. Even if your house does not have any features that could pose a risk, when exchanging with a family with young kids, double check to make sure that items such as cleaning products and medicines are safely stored away.

If your home is not geared up for the needs of families with young children, you will likely feel much more relaxed restricting your exchange offer to adults only or families with older children.

Home swap tip: from your Home Base Holidays member area you can edit your listing and tick the "Not suitable for small children" option - doing so will highlight this in your listing and show it as a condition of your exchange offer (a 'Not suitable for small children' icon will also show on your home swap listing page and in the home swap search results).

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Swap homes: free vacation accommodation Start looking for your summer home swap accommodation. Browse home exchange vacation offers Sign up for free: start your free two-week home swap trial. Join Home Base Holidays

 

Happy St David's Day! Home exchanges in Wales

 

It's the 1st of March which means St David's Day is here, with daffodils beginning to bloom and celebrations taking place in honour of the Welsh patron saint. 

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Visit Wales: Offering awe-inspiring scenery, breath taking coastlines and vibrant cities, Wales really does have something for everyone. I've spent many a family holiday in Wales and it's a country that I return to time and time again. In fact, my very first home exchange holiday was in a beautifully rustic Welsh cottage!

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Holiday home swaps in Wales: If you're interested in arranging a home exchange in Wales, check out some of these tempting offers:

	Talbenny, Pembrokeshire (HE31272) This renovated barn is situated in Talbenny, just under 2 miles from Little Haven in the heart of the Pembrokeshire National Park. It offers a wonderful holiday for the wildlife enthusiast; the walker and cyclist; the surfer; sailor; as well as those just looking for a variety of beaches. View this home swap offer
	Tenby, Pembrokeshire (HE36502) Only metres from beach, this contemporary top floor apartment is located within the old medieval walled town. A former pub. Stunning town setting on a rocky crag overlooking the ocean. Sitting astride the Pembrokeshire coastal path - hundreds of miles of beautiful coastal walks. View this home swap offer
	Llanberis, Snowdonia (HE23677) Ripon House is a lovely 1830's, restored house in the centre of a small Snowdonia village. It is only 3 mins walk from the lake, close to facilities, numerous tourist attractions, and at the start of paths to Mount Snowdon. Castles, beaches & coast are 20 mins drive away. View this home swap offer
	Llanfairfechan, Conwy (HE20511) This home swap offer looks across the Irish sea towards Anglesey, Puffin Island, and the Great Orme. The views are amazing both out to sea and at the rear of the property across the Snowdonia mountain range. Dolphins/Porpoise are sometimes seen from the window! View this home swap offer
	Three Cliffs Bay, Gower Peninsula (HE35400) Rosedale is a secluded detached cottage nestled behind the dunes of Three Cliffs Bay close to the village of Parkmill. This charming cottage, built around an original 1920’s holiday chalet. The property sits on the edge of Pennard golf club. View this home swap offer

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Arrange free vacation accommodation: search home swap travel offers