Lake District: beautiful Lake Windermere and Windermere village
"We had a fantastic week long home swap in Windermere. Fiona and Dave’s place is immaculate, centrally located in the village of Windermere.
There was loads of information in the house, with helpful recommendations from Fiona and Dave. They live nearby so we met them a couple of times and they were really helpful advising us what to do and see in the area - there was a lot to choose from.
We enjoyed some lovely, not too strenuous walks on the ridge above Troutbeck, up to Alcock Tarn near Grasmere and from the house up to Orrest viewpoint. We only used the car one day, as we enjoyed getting to places via the ferries on the lake and the open-top buses.
In the village there are plenty of shops including a supermarket just two minutes from the house and lots of independent shops including craft shops, a health food shop, art shops and ones selling lovely local produce. There are also numerous restaurants, cafes and takeaways too.
Fiona and Dave were a pleasure to exchange with, we had such good communications throughout. A big thank you to Fiona and Dave!"
We are looking for a winter week away, in a small town or village, and would like to bring our dog so we can relax, have local walks, and explore the area.
Getting ready for your first home swap vacation? Here's a useful checklist to help you prepare for your upcoming exchange.
Exchanging keys: decide how you will exchange keys (including car keys if necessary)?
Meet your swap partners: it's often not possible but look if there is any way to meet your home swap partners (it can be great if there is a crossover period).
Clean, clean, clean: make sure your home is clean and welcoming for your guest (some members arrange a cleaner to come at the start and at the end of the exchange).
Towels and bedding: make sure you have enough sets of clean towels and sheets for your guests.
Welcome pack: make a welcome pack for your home swap guests: include information about local attractions and recommended restaurants, nearby transport, useful information about your home (e.g. how to turn on/off the alarm), useful phone numbers (e.g. taxi firms) and emergency contact details (e.g. a friend/neighbours number, an emergency plumber, etc).
Local events: keep an eye out for events happening whilst they will be visiting and for discounted tickets to local attractions.
Tips from a local: ask your home swap partners for local recomendations (one of the beauties of home swapping is that you are getting to know a real local - most people are delighted to help and it will make your holiday smoother and more unique!).
Fix those household niggles: spend some time dealing with any little niggles in the house. Your guests will understand that they are staying in a real home but a home exchange can be a good incentive to fix those annoying niggles.
Think about safety: have you had the boiler serviced recently? Do you have smoke detectors fitted? Have you checked the batteries are working in the smoke detectors?
Insurance: make sure that before agreeing to a home swap that you have contacted your home insurance company to confirm that your home is covered during the period of the exchange. If you have also agreed to exchange cars then it is also essential to contact your car insurance company to ensure that your exchange guests will be covered.
Lock away personal items: it is always recommended that you lock your valuable items in a cupboard or separate room to ensure security and prevent your worrying when you should be enjoying your vacation. Another option is to ask friends or family to leave your stuff with them.
Home exchange agreement: don't forget to set up a home exchange agreement so that you and your swap partners do not overlook anything.
Communications is key: make sure to stay in regular communication with your home swap partners. Communication is key and so always ask any questions you have about the planned swap and be available to answer any questions they have.
Leave a gift: it is such a nice touch to leave a gift for your home exchange partner. It doesn't need to be much, a bottle of wine or a little local delicacy.
Arrange free holiday accommodation
Rather than booking a hotel or holiday rental, arrange a home exchange through Home Base Holidays and enjoy free accommodation.
Best location: Julia and David's home is in central London's Marylebone
"We had such a wonderful home exchange in Julia and David's central London apartment. We absolutely loved the flat and the location, it really was the best location ever - smack bang in Marylebone ...it really would be hard to find a better place to stay!
Julia was in touch throughout and gave tons of local tips and great advice. Her flat was immaculate and so was ours when she and her hubby left it.
Our neighbours fell in love with them, as did our cats, who were very well cared for.
Staying in such a lovely central London location for free meant that we had lots of spare money to spend on theatre shows, river boat trips, etc - and we made full use of this!
We are very lucky people to have had this opportunity. Thank you so much to Julia and David for a wonderful swap in London!"
Our home swap partners, Julie and David, were extremely lovely
Unbeatable location and such a stylish clean, quiet and comfortable apartment
London ...of course!
Meet the members:
Diana & Alexander:
We are a tech teacher and mental health counsellor from Scotland. Our kids are all grown up and we are ready to explore the world. We are open to suggestions and can be spontaneous but will aim towards travelling during the Scottish school holidays. We have two lovely cats.
We are a British (English & Scottish) married couple. For UK and European city short trips/weekends we often travel as a couple although it would be ideal if we could arrange an occasional swap that accommodated the in-laws and both kids, particularly to Sydney where we have family.
Spanish swap: Irene's home swap offer in Bedar, Andalucia, Spain
Guest post by Home Base Holidays member and experienced home swapper, Irene Bews:
Little did I think when we dropped the first letter into the post box offering our house for exchange that this was a process I was destined to repeat many times over the next thirty years.
As time has gone by, the means of communication have become more sophisticated - letters and phone calls being superseded by faxes, and these in turn by e mail - making the entire process simpler and quicker. What has not changed though is that thrill of anticipation when a communication arrives offering a house swap with details of their home and themselves.
Our first exchange was to the Swiss town of Luzerne. Keys were exchanged over an Indian meal in Canterbury as we hurried towards the Channel and onwards towards the continent of Europe.
It was a good start; spectacular scenery, a flat situated in the old part of town and easy access to the surrounding countryside.
This exchange also introduced us to the more idiosyncratic and unexpected side of house swapping where odd requests can come out of the blue. On this occasion we had to babysit a harpsichord, where its room had to maintained at a constant temperature and humidity for the duration of our stay. It was our baby and we managed to nurse it through our stay.
It was onto a different form of nursing thereafter when our own sons arrived on the scene. Home exchanges continued but now it was onto more humdrum considerations such as a washing machine, toys and outdoor play areas galore.
Children bring with them their own share of issues but thankfully, this phase went off without anything amiss occurring, apart from an incident in Coutance (Normandy) when we woke one morning to find our eldest son had undressed over a hundred Sylvanian family characters and the discarded clothing formed a small mountain on the floor beside him… enough said!
Soon, our travels took wings. As the boys grew our horizons widened as our sights became set on going further afield. Australia was unforgettable, Colorado full of light and space and Mexico hot and dusty - each was visited, and many revisited, over the years. New York was everything it was claimed to be. Fond memories abound but few linger as much as a conversation in the shade of the World Trade Centre reflecting on how the US had been fortunate in its lack of terrorist attacks; six weeks later they were smoke and ash.
On a brighter side, exchanges continued to mount up. Inheriting another house allowed us to arrange non-simultaneous swaps. As a result, travels were no longer limited to the summer months. Ski trips to the Dolomites, Idaho and Utah amongst others were combined with Christmas and New Year abroad, while celebrating festivities on a beach in New Zealand put a completely new twist on celebrations.
Many exchanges were shorter in length and nearer to home. City breaks in Scotland, Portugal and France filled many Easters and Autumns. The fact that car exchanges were also negotiated allowing greater freedom and mobility without the complications and pitfalls of car hire.
Suddenly, we have reached a milestone; fifty home exchanges in thirty years, and counting. Home exchanging has allowed us to travel further and more frequently without the pain of accommodation costs usually associated with holidays, where a real sense of community can be experienced that is far removed from traditional tourist sites and which can be a common feature of time spent abroad.
Unexpected and unusual offers have allowed us to visit places we would otherwise never have considered. A generation on, our boys too have the travel bug; this story still has a way to run – who knows when, or where, we will reach our century!
- Irene Bews
Meet the member:
Irene and her husband have completed 75 home exchanges all over the world since 1987. They are lucky enough to have four fabulous homes available for exchange (shown below).
Bedar, Andalucia, Spain(HE39067)
This is a superb village home in one of the white villages 15 minutes from the sea in Andalucia - sleeps 7 and close to fabulous beaches, Cabo de Gato National Park, diving, golfing etc etc...
The idyllic Orkney Isles lie to the north of Scotland a scenic hour and a half sail away from Scotland. Our home is on the 'mainland' - biggest island.
Embo is a tiny Scottish Highlands village clinging to the coast with a beautiful long, sandy beach, and backdrop of fabulous Scottish mountains. Adjacent to World famous Royal Dornoch Golf Course.
Home Base Holidays We're here to answers any questions on swapping homes, specific topics related to home exchange vacations plus share Home Base Holidays members' home swap stories and exchange offers.
